Recognised by the United Nations General Assembly as a means of endorsing the contribution of women to society, International Women's Day, celebrated across the world on March 8, not only acknowledges the strides made by women in the fields of employment, education, and policy making, but also calls for a mammoth social mobilisation towards women empowerment, equality and the fact that there is still a lot of work to be done before women across the world can lead a dignified life of equality.
This year's campaign theme is the 'Pledge for Parity'. Two years ago, in 2014, the World Economic Forum predicted that it would take until 2095 to achieve global gender parity. Then last year they estimated a slowdown in the already glacial pace of progress and went on to state that it would take an additional 117 years more “ which means that the gap will not close until 2133, if that.
Unless we, as women, take a firm pledge to do something about it. Like Charles Malik, the former President of the United Nations General Assembly aptly said, “The fastest way to change society is to mobilise the women of the world.”
According to Roopa Bandekar, a creative movement and arts based therapist from Porvorim, “Women have been bonding in groups since centuries with listening hearts and nurturing wisdom that comes from experience. Across the nation, there are many issues related to women like dowry, etc that are in your face. In Goa, however, we do not hear so much about these things. Is it that they do not exist, or are they just being swept under the carpet and kept within the four walls of a home? Maybe the issues Goan women face aren't in the same vein, but that certainly does not mean that they do not exist,” she states.
Sabina Martins, the convenor of Goa Bachao Abhjiyan (GBA), agrees. “Harassment can take various forms. If a woman is refrained from going to work, it is not looked upon as a violation of her rights. The fact remains that many of our perspectives are still conservative, but this is changing.”
Thanks to the women empowerment movement that has been mobilising women against male dominated and feudalistic society since the 60s, the modern woman, through her increased participation in different key decision-making areas, has indeed demonstrated that she is equal (if not superior) to man in every respect.
In the process, however, the essence of who we are has been lost. Says Bandekar, “We as women try to be everything. We are always playing roles, that of a homemaker, mother, daughter, sister, working professional, etc. We don't really give ourselves the time or the liberty to explore what we feel.”
To this end, Bandekar is conducting a 'Women’s Circle' workshop as an attempt to move, express and transform feminine energies through movement, meditations and connection. Being held at NaturePlay Studio, Porvorim on March 8, “the workshop is an invitation for women who are seeking to make a deeper connection with themselves, beyond the roles they play, to take time to share and listen from their hearts and come away with a renewed sense of being.”
After all, isn't that what this celebration is all about? To get together in a show of solidarity with other women? To celebrate the long way we have come and the path yet to be tread? Says Neela Mohanan, an IAS officer with the Goa government, “Every celebration has a purpose. Women's Day is not just one day. And it is not merely symbolic. In fact, the entire world celebrates Women's day as a reiteration of the commitment made to fight for women's rights. It's an occasion to reassess the progress we have made, to identify what has changed and what hasn't while chalking out a path for the future.”
A future that sees as many girl children born as males. Because that's not just the reality of rural India, but also in a progressive state such as ours. “Although it is illegal, sex selection is rampant even in Goa,” maintains Dr Shaila De Souza, head, Centre for Women’s Studies (CWS), Goa University which has been involved in teaching, training, research, documentation, advocacy and field action in the wider community, while networking with organizations committed to women’s empowerment at the state, national and international arenas.
“So although we have achieved empowerment to a certain degree, equality is a long way away,” maintains Mohanan, while Martins adds, “All of this comes to the fore on Women's Day which the entire world observes en masse. And for the rest of the year, everyone works together towards addressing them. So all power to the women's struggle to live a life of dignity and to be happy.”
And while we honour and acknowledge all the great women of the world who have made great strides in the field of women empowerment and women's rights, is also an opportunity to those people in our lives “ mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers, husbands, in-laws and friends “ who are part of the silent work force of women's equality, working behind the scenes to support, educate and empower. “Even a housewife makes a difference, whether it is by educating her daughter or being a support system for her working daughter-in-law,” asserts Mohanan, while Bandekar adds, “I am constantly educating my daughter to stand up for herself, to say no, to stand up for her rights and to never be afraid to speak up for herself.”
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The Index (GPI) is a socioeconomic index usually designed to measure the relative access to education of males and females. In its simplest form, it is calculated as the quotient of the number of females by the number of males enrolled in a given stage of education (primary, secondary, etc.).
