Had this thought today - "Why do we have a Women's day, an Environment day, wildlife day, earth day etc etc etc?" Then after some thought, I came out with two major reasons - 1. To Celebrate the idea or 2. Acknowledge our concern for something wrong.
Now there is no black or white answer for each of these days. For all of them (including the day being celebrated today), both the reasons hold some weight.
In our country, the society has been historically patriarchal. Women don't enjoy even the basic rights in many regions. Many pockets in states like Haryana have a high number of Human trafficking and rape cases. In many organisations, women face a high degree of Sexual harassment. Acid attack cases have shot up despite Supreme Court decrees. Dowry is rampant. Domestic violence is there in almost every household. Girls are not allowed to study in many regions.Number of female foetus cases is on the rise. Last but not the least, the way our leaders comment on women issues, is another area of grave concern.
But wait, everything is not glum. On the other side of the coin, we have rising awareness of women's rights. We've thousands of advocacy groups taking up women causes like never before. Political representation of women is going up. Many CEOs, MDs etc of reputed MNCs are Women. Women are ahead of men in many areas like academics, sports etc. So, one can safely say that the situation for the other half has improved.
Still, there is a long way to go. Mindset is still of the eighteenth century (with many). A boy is still preferred over a girl child (Child Sex ratio is abysmal!). So, whenever there is a Women's day, it's fine to celebrate the other half's success but one (esp. menfolk) should also ask oneself -
"What's my first reaction when I see a woman (or a beautiful woman for that matter)?" (The posts after India Bangladesh Asia Cup final, a couple of days back, raised some issues!) OR
"According to me, where does a Woman stand in my family?" (Inheritance of assets etc) OR
"Will I be fine if my wife earns more than I do?" OR
"Is my daughter equal to my son in my eyes?"
The answers to these will clear the air to an extent, and then one can make the course correction if required. #InternationalWomensDay
