Feminism is a fragmented movement.
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In the introduction of the book ” Living a Feminist Life,” Sara Ahmed speaks about the concept of feminism. It holds no stagnant barrier it flows like water, alluding to the fact that feminism differs changes from person to person. It depends on one’s personal experience in their work or home environment etc. Ahmed in her book refers to the concept of “sweaty feminism” which I found really intriguing. She speaks of sweat being a bodily function therefore closely alluding to the fact that feminism originates from a personal experience. Therefore, we might have different causes and catalysts for inequality or injustice but one should remember we fight for equality of all genders and respect for all. It is a movement against injustice and discrimination.
The concept of Feminism might differ from person to person but we might come across words like “ shatter” or “snap” that can be closely related to the concept of feminism.
One on the other hand says Ahmed, can associate feminism with asking questions or self-assessment. It is a way of thinking about how we live. We come across terms like queer or trans feminism, which leads to me think, Will notions of an ideal society and educating people really reform the bigotry that women continue to face? Or by bringing the discrepancies of the patriarchal world bring forth more distress to the women who are facing such issues. I would like to share an experience that I faced in a slum near my house. I came across a man under intoxication hitting his wife. This situation moved me because of the nonchalant behavior of all the people who gathered to look at such a terrible sight. It was a form of amusement to them to witness such a horrific incident! I recall reading in a newspaper how a husband murdered his wife in broad daylight in Delhi.
Social media was flooded with CCTV footage of the man constantly gutting his wife in her belly with a knife, the footage also shows men casually passing by without acknowledging the gravity of the situation. The reason for her ruthless killing was for her mere desire to be independent and work. Her husband condemned it and to exert dominance kills her in a street among hundreds of people passing by. I would like to conclude by quoting from the introduction of the book “ If you think questioning sexism is policing, we are feminist police”. We as feminists should come together and fight for social justice. These days the movement feminism is perceived to be a movement of outrage and we often witness women walking in the streets demanding justice for the rape victims, some protesters even take violent measures for the movement. “ UNITED WE STAND, DIVIDED WE FALL”.
We need to stop being alone and create social groups in our society to promote healthy healing and survival strategies. Women have been dominated, enslaved even burnt alive. They have been sacrificed for the sake of society, religion, and family. After colonization and the many wars that were fought by the social thinkers of that time finally after 1947, it paved the way for India to became independent. But are we really independent? In modern times, the crime rates against women have drastically increased. We can still find instances of honour killing prevalent in various rural areas in India. How are we actually free if one among us fail to choose how they should live their lives. Women are treated as liabilities, traded off as commodities often killed at birth in certain parts of India.
Although infanticide has been criminalized in India, it remains an under-reported crime due to the lack of reliable data. In 2010, the National Crime Records Bureau reported approximately 100 male and female infanticides, producing an official rate of less than one case of infanticide per million people.
The Indian practice of female infanticide and of sex-selective abortion have been cited to explain in part a gender imbalance that has been reported as being increasingly distorted since the 1991 Census of India, although there are also other influences that might affect the trend. (“Female Infanticide in India,” 2021). We live in India a country full of historical and cultural heritage, we have celebrated sexuality and have portrayed it through art, literature and society. So in a country full of powerful goddesses and strong female leads- Why do we oppress our women? Why has self-perpetuated misogyny has paved its way in our life? I believe the problem lies in some women themselves, One’s failure to attempt in making our world free from external binding factors is generally within one’s own self. We have normalised gender-based bigotry to such an extent that we women have normalised hearing random comments on the road being objectified or even worse taunted for being bad drivers. Why do we attach certain stigmas and notions around gender? We all are born humans and basic humanity and mutual respect is what discriminates us from being absolute savages.
I would like to conclude by thanking all my readers for being consistent throughout my blog! If you liked reading it, please share and like. Looking forward to your comments!
