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The Not-So-Easy Life Of Saudi Women

By DU Beat October 5, 2017

The recent upliftment of driving ban, government’s strategy under the garb of the move and women’s miserable lives – is the battle against patriarchy over in Saudi Arabia?

The recent announcement by the Saudi royal family and officials of the upliftment of ban on women’s driving may seem like an unprecedented victory for Saudi women but it has little to do with their empowerment. Besides, it will be implemented till June 2018.

The sudden news can be anticipated as part of the crown prince, Mohammad bin Salman’s Vision 2020 or a strategy to improve his image internationally after ousting two distinguished prospective crown princes. This ‘radical’ change would improve his stature as a ‘feminist’ thinker and assist him in ascending the throne very soon. But all the applause that is being showered on the royal family is not to be credited to them but those women who struggled for this right since the 1990s and ended up in jails.

During the press release, it was stated that a special committee would be made to chalk out the way to go about implementing this idea of women driving motor vehicles in Saudi Arabia. What is quite startling to note is that this has been issued stating its accordance with the Sharia law and order which according to the officials earlier could damage women’s ovaries and jeopardise their fertility.
First and foremost, the question that arises is the new law’s proper and just implementation, whether the male guardian’s permission still be an obstacle in giving women this freedom and to what extent will they be able to contribute to the country’s economic growth.

Now you must be thinking what this male guardianship is and that is where Saudi women’s real freedom lies. Women in Saudi Arabia cannot travel, marry, get educated, employed or even get a medical surgery done without a male (whether father, husband, son or any other male relative) guardian’s consent. They cannot mingle or even talk with the male fraternity in public barring their guardian(s). Saudi women don’t even have a right over her children beyond age 7 for daughters and 9 for sons. Giving the son the authority to decide the mother’s fate is absolutely appalling and so in line with ancient traditions. Women are considered as mere objects for sexual pleasures.
Women and men all over the world have been trying to escape the shackles of patriarchy and here is a country that is reinstating ancient patriarchy and practically has not entered the 21st-century mindset.

I hope that these women’s lives can be changed similar to the women of Israel and Egypt and also hope you feel proud to be in a country like India.

Feature Image Credits: mintpressnews.com

Prachi Mehra
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DUB Speak

Feminism v/s Feminazism: Understand the Difference

By Bhavya Banerjee October 3, 2017

In today’s world of social media, complex concepts like feminism are taken way out of context and projected as something they are not. Alternate facts and news spread like wildfire and become viral, which contributes to the formation of wrong opinions.

Being a feminist by basic denotation means standing for equal rights of both men and women, not just women, in a social, economical, educational, or a political arrangement. The term “feminism” resembles “feminine” because of the high prevalence of a patriarchal, male dominated society. Feminism as a concept can be looked at in a simple manner, in terms of affirmative action. It seeks to provide and empower women with rights they previously lacked. Social rights may include right to education which many girls are deprived of in third world countries, right to housing, right to adequate standard of living, right to health, and right to culture. Economical rights may include bridging the pay gap between men and women. All these basic rights can only be achieved if both men and women have equal participation. The words “superiority” or “dominance” are contradictory to the concept of feminism. Feminism understands the privilege and patriarchy that governs us in the status quo. It is about seeing the lesser rights of those without privilege and spreading awareness for equality of opportunity. It is for those women all around the world whose voices cannot be heard.

A lot of people’s idea of the word “feminist” comes from the extremes that are shown largely throughout the community via social media and stereotypes. The “feminazis” that people associate with the word “feminism” are not at all what the word stands for. Today’s feminism has sadly been widely mistaken with feminazism. If it were actually about equality and not about dominance over men, then more women and men alike would identify with it. The word feminazi is used by the powerful against the weak to silence them. Words that exploit visceral associations to the Nazis and Stalinists slander feminists as the enemy because they dispute the patriarchal status quo.

The common misconception about the term feminism is a danger to the progress the movement has made thus far. The need of the hour is to create awareness, rather than to act passively about it. Many people stray away from controversial concepts like feminism, which in the long run contributes positively towards inequality and injustice.

Feature Image Credits: The New Matilda

Bhavya Banerjee
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Biblio

Book Review: Man, Woman and Child

By DU Beat October 1, 2017

Why are Erich Segal’s stories such classics when it comes to tugging at the heartstrings? We explore why you should check him up, with this review of Man, Woman and Child. Man, Woman and Child was written by Erich Segal, the renowned author of Love Story, Doctors and The Class. The book was released in 1980, and since then, has been adapted into numerous films. The book revolves around Robert Beckwith and his wife, Sheila Beckwith, and how they manage to come out of the most difficult thing to cope with in a marriage: adultery. The book demonstrates in the crudest form how a couple so in love can become estranged because of a mistake committed as long as 10 years ago, which gave them an additional source of joy; another child. The so called ‘other woman’ is Dr. Nicole Guerrin, and her opinions on marriage, motherhood and single parenthood are progressive and in line with feminism. The child then comes to live with the couple after Nicole’s death, who treat him with the utmost care and tenderness, almost akin to parental love. Robert’s yearning for a male child depicts the very age this story is set in. Even though the couple has two daughters, the husband longs for a boy: a boy he didn’t want to fall in love with, but ultimately does. The child’s etiquettes and manners echo how well a woman (that too a doctor, always busy) can do the job of bringing up a child on her own. It is rather the daughters’ way of speaking to their father which appals the readers. They don’t talk like kids but assume the tone of spoilt adults. The end leaves the readers earnestly asking for more because it doesn’t seem like the usual Bollywood ending. It’s not all tulips and roses but teaches one that life isn’t always fair, and that one has to learn to deal with everything. In short, then, Man, Woman and Child is about finding your inner strength to deal with the obstacles life throws at you. Feature Image Credits: Amazon.in Prachi Mehra [email protected]]]>

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Uncategorized

6 things that a feminist should never say

By Niharika Dabral April 20, 2017

If you identify as feminist, then there are a few phrases that you must never utter. The reason for having forbidden a few phrases is that no well meaning and equality promoting comments can be mutually inclusive of racism, homophobia or even hospitable sexism. Sometimes people (read: hypocrites) proudly proclaim their feminism, and at the same time don’t shy away from slut-shaming someone. If you are not one of them then here is a list of phrases you must never say.

“She/he was asking for it…”

No matter how scantly a victim of rape was dressed; no matter if he/she was drunk or sober, feminists recognize that except the rapist no one else is responsible for a rape. Justifying or rationalizing something as terrible as harassment, molestation or assault is nothing but victim blaming and slut shaming.

“I will not cook because it is sexist!”

Said no feminist ever.

“Stop crying. Man up!”

If you happen to be a normal human being and not a robot then chances are sometime in your life, you’ll cry because, you know, emotions. It’s perfecting normal to shed a few tears and if you are a boy and someone chides you by suggesting “Stop crying. Man up!”, then you should tell them to shut up.

“That’s a women’s/ man’s work.”

A true feminist will always move beyond societal gender norms. He’ll never discourage a male friend from opening a beauty parlor and similarly won’t ridicule a female for pursuing bodybuilding.

“A housewife? Ewww”

A feminist will never dismiss, demean or patronize someone for simply being a housewife. Instead we must recognize that domestic work is sidelined and needs to be recognized and respected as other labors. Besides feminism, at the end of the day, is about choice and therefore, whether you are a home maker or a sex worker, your work doesn’t make you any less of a feminist.

Image Credits- notyourtypical50shousewife.wordpress.com

“I’m not like other girls.”

It’s one thing to embrace your uniqueness and be different from others, but it’s another thing all together to practice othering. To emphasize that “I’m not like other girls” reinforces that the “other girls” are undesirable. According to Michaela McNamara, “Instead of saying we’re not like most girls, let’s clarify that we’re not like society’s preconceived notions of women. By striving to be different from the rest of the female population, we’re basically saying that being a woman isn’t good enough. It is unnecessary, and even harmful, to put down our entire gender to separate ourselves from the crowd. I’m not like a lot of girls. But I am like tons of other girls, too.”

Niharika Dabral

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Events

Gender Equality Mela 2017 at Miranda House

By DU Beat April 11, 2017

Gender Equality Mela is one of the key annual events conducted by the Women’s Development Cell of Miranda House. It is a celebration of the will to survive and thrive. It is a part of the efforts at generating discussions and creating a space for saying what is often left unsaid and for including those who are often left behind in the ideas and plans of ‘development’. The Gender Equality Mela is a part of MH-WDC’s campaign with One Billion Rising (OBR).

This year’s Gender Equality Mela was based on celebrating feminist conversations towards equality, the central theme being ‘Gender and Work’. There was also the celebration of MH-WDC’s Coffee Table Book, ‘Azaad Labon ki Guftagu’ which strives to provide with snapshots of MH-WDC’s journey and their tireless efforts at ‘engaging with wanting to create a more equal and free world, a world where gender equality becomes a live reality for us’, as the book reads.

The 3-day event played host to numerous speakers and panelists like Suneeta Dhar (feminist activist, Jagori), Bulbal Das (legal feminist activist, All India Women’s Conference), Jyotsna Chatterjee and Padmini (Joint Women’s Programme). These speakers emphasised on the introduction to the history of the feminist movement. The topic of manual scavenging was taken up by Bezwada Wilson (National Convener of Safai Karamchari Andolan) and Bhasha Singh. The session on Child Rights and Child Sexual Abuse was taken up by Vaishnava (Bud Foundation), Veronica Xavier (Child Rights and You) and Natuve (dramatics society of Shaheed Bhagat Singh College). The round table discussion on Students in Politics consisted of speakers from Pinjra Tod and Ramjas students. An ‘unconference’ was also organised which placed emphasis on feminism through art, language and music.

On Day 2, the session on Gender and Intersectionality was taken up by Dr. Chandra Sagar and Kusum Ji (All India Network of Sex Workers) and Renuka Bhagat. The session on Trans Community and Work was taken up by Rudrani Chettri. A session on Women and Work through development framework was also conducted by Neetha N. (National Labour Institute). The interactive session on ‘Queering Workplaces’ along with Lafz 2.0, the open mic featured speakers from Nazariya and Delhi Queer Pride. Day 2 also showcased nukkad natak performances by children from SMS (Srijanatmak Manushi Sanstha), LSR dramatics society and Anukriti, the Hindi dramatics society of Miranda House.

On Day 3, the first session on Taking Feminist Conversation Forward was hosted by celebrated author and feminist Kamla Bhasin, wherein she presented her letter to patriarchy. The second session on Women and Media was conducted by Rakhee Bakshi (Women’s Feature Service), Shrey Ila Anasuya (Feminist and Freelance Journalist), Radha Rani (BBC) and Deepajana Pal (fiction writer). The session on Gender and Masculinity was taken up by Pavel (Breakthrough India), Ahmad Farz (CHSJ, Centre for Health and Social Justice) and Apurv Jain (worker on issues of gender and sexuality). The 3-day mela ended with a screening of the movie Hidden Figures.

Image Credits: Miranda House Women’s Development Cell

Joyee Bhattacharya

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DUB Speak

The Destructive Wave of Flawed Feminism

By DU Beat April 9, 2017

It is often said that films are a representation of the real world and movie stars are very often the people we draw inspiration from and look up to. With the mass appeal they have, it is only natural to expect responsible and cautious statements from them, but a lot of times movie stars unconsciously end up saying statements which might be wrongly construed.

Mira Rajput added her name to the long list of celebrities speaking out the wrong thing. On being asked about choosing to stay at home with her daughter, Mira Rajput retorted,
“I am a housewife and wear that label with pride.” She said that her daughter Misha wasn’t a puppy and she didn’t want to spend just an hour a day with her and rush off to work.

The statement has triggered the fury of many feminists who took offence to her ‘new wave of feminism is destructive’ statement. They accused her of being regressive and having spoken from a position of privilege from where she failed to look at and understand the deeper dynamics of the circumstances under which women rush off to work and often do so to support their families. Her statement wasn’t well received and she was charged of belittling women who choose to not stay at home.

It is only human to err but all said and done, movie stars need to understand the profundity of their appeal and the influence they can have over people. As they say, “With great power comes great responsibility.”

Image Credits: Mid Day.com
Akshara Srivastava
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Your Beat

What you need to know about the Not-All-Men hashtag

By Abhinaya Harigovind January 17, 2017

The incident that took place in Bengaluru on New Year’s Eve popularised a phrase that has been in use as a defense against feminism for a couple of years now, not-all-men. Arguments against rape, misogyny and patriarchy can all be countered with, “but not all men…”. Artist Matt Lubchansky’s 2014 comic ‘Save Me’ is a typical example of the ‘Not All Men’ argument. The comic (in picture below) sees a superhero, Not-All-Man, playing devil’s advocate, when he thinks he suspects misandry.

Matt Lubchansky's 'Save Me' — *Matt Lubchansky’s ‘Save Me*‘

I had very indignantly begun ranting about the entirely irrelevant #NotAllMen to a friend when, before I could say “What is this rubbish?” I was countered with, “But not all women are raped. So what is your point?” It took me a while to recover from the initial shock of the question.

In my mind, the use of the statement “Not all men are rapists” trivialises the word “rape.” Rape, when placed in such a context, is not about the non consensual sexual act of violation, but about the individual. “Since I am not complicit in this crime, the crime does not concern me.” Here the ‘me’ take centre stage, giving the ‘crime’ a mere supporting role. By this logic, since all men are not rapists, rape is not very significant.

An act of violence, or any act that is non-consensual, whether it has been experienced by one person or many, is just as horrendous. Merely saying that not all men are rapists or patriarchal does not reduce the intensity of damage that a few people who may be either can cause. A road accident is not insignificant simply because you have not caused it.

Besides, the psychological impact of an incident, like the one that took place in Bengaluru, must also be taken into consideration. Whether or not all men are rapists, the thought that some men may be is ample cause for women to feel threatened and unsafe, even in situations that are seemingly tame. You’re constantly on guard. What if the man walking behind you, on your way back from the metro station, decided to accost or grope? The road is deserted and nobody’s likely to come to your aid.

Several analogies have been made on the Internet to drive home the point: not all people are thieves but thieves are still a menace, or not all people are bad drivers, but bad drivers still cause accidents. The examples are countless. The problem remains just as significant.

Here’s an interesting article by Jeff Zimmerman for TIME on the Not All Men argument: http://time.com/79357/not-all-men-a-brief-history-of-every-dudes-favorite-argument/

Featured image credits: Odyssey

Abhinaya Harigovind

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Pink v/s Meninism: A debate to see who wins

By DU Beat November 24, 2016

The recent upsurge of meninism on social media, when compared to an obviously feminist film like Pink, highlights a vital issue which we seem to have missed out—the question of simple human rights over that of ‘men’ or ‘women’.

“No means NO!” said a make-believe lawyer not very long ago, in a make-believe courtroom in a film. And it was enough to kick-start a storm of debates in the real world. In the recent history of Indian cinematography, a film like Pink perhaps does not give us as many reasons to celebrate feminism as it does to critique it. Nevertheless, it sets up a milestone of sorts. If it were not for Amitabh Bachchan’s fiery performance, would you and I bother to go to a movie-theatre to learn about ‘feminism’ of all things? The answer is no.
Feminism is too complex, too politically misused a term to be given a one-line definition. For simple folks like us, it is safe to assume that it includes the hope of ‘equality’ somewhere within that definition. Meninism, on the other hand, has a much shorter and bizarre history. The internet claims that it began with a group of male allies of feminism who were initially “opposed to all forms of misogynistic behaviour and sexist attitudes.” From there it went rolling down the hill, with #MeninistTwitter being used for all kinds of abuses being hurled at women. The reign of the trolls took over soon. Matters as serious as rape were trivialised through memes and crass jokes. At best, it can now be termed a reaction movement.
The problem, however, is not with rational people. It lies amongst those who actually believe meninism to be a legitimate movement, meant to satirise aggressive feminism. If women can play the ‘victim card’, so can men, is supposed to be the logic. Going by it, there are many who would find reasons to not go to a movie-theatre or waste a bucket of popcorn watching ‘wronged’ women have their justice served. This is also the point where your voice of reason should stand up and snatch that bucket of popcorns.
Long before meninism came into the scene, feminism had had its own set of vehement oppositions. And long before the term ‘feminism’ came to be detested, there was another ancient debate. But the fundamental problem with any debate between the opposite sexes has been, and still remains, in the fact that it is never seen as a battle for human rights. A woman crying out for justice after suffering years of domestic abuse is a human being first, and a woman later. It is an act of human rights violation. It is a woman asking for rights, not a debate to figure out whether women constantly use tears as a weapon to get their way.
In fact just as there emerges a ‘movement’ like meninism, there are numerous misconstrued perspectives of feminism. That is not to say that debates are invalid. But why should the value of a human life be forgotten in debate? Perhaps the greatest lesson you or I could take from Pink is not that it generates an age old debate. Perhaps what it is trying to tell us is not that either of the two parties—men or women—have to emerge victorious in the end. It is equality in the arena of human rights that matters, first and last.

Image Credits: www.buzzfeed.com

By Deepannita Misra
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DUB News

A lady gave a befitting reply to end men’s discomfort about female coaches in metro

By Tooba Towfiq April 21, 2016

Ladies coaches in Delhi Metro and the envy they generate in the male passengers is not a new story. However, what’s new are the kind of answer’s women are giving to such questioning envy. One such unforgiving response was given by internet’s “Badass Aunty”. This conversation shared by Dyuti Sudipta on her Facebook has gone viral ever since it’s been posted. She posted a conversation between two complaining men and one woman who put an end to their prejudiced dilemmas

Dyuti explains,

” Overheard in Metro.

Guy 1: Dekh ladies coach poora khali hai. Idhar side itna bhara hua hai, par fir bhi hume wahan jaake baithna allowed nahin hai. Khali padi hui hain seatein.

Guy 2: Haan yaar. Dekh, poora coach de rakha hai unko, wo bharti hain nahin, upar se humare coach mein bhi do do seatein de rakhi hain, hum baith gaye to utha diye jaate hain, bhale poora unka coach khali pada ho. Wo to bhar lein pehle!

Badass Aunty: Aap log paida hi nahin hone de rahe ho na beta, aur naseeb se paida ho bhi rahi hain to unko padhne likhne, bahar nikalne se rok rahe ho jee jaan lagake. Ye sab kaam band kar do, kokh mein maar dena, doodh mein dubo dena, rok tok karna, fir dekho na beta, metro ki seatein kya, office ki kursiyan, khel ka maidan sab kuch bhar dengi ye, par usi cheez se to darr rahe ho aap, hai na? Hai na beta?”

The conversation involves three people travelling in a metro. Two of the male passengers compare women’s coach which was not crowded with their jam packed one . They complain about this and express their discomfort about having to leave seats meant for women in general compartments, especially when ‘they’ (women) have their own. It is at this point when all our feminist dreams come to life and the Badass Aunty highlights effortlessly the oppression women face through female infanticide, confinement of women and the like.

Interesting comments have also been posted on this Facebook status. In one such insightful comments, Dyuti Sudipta who had been an integral part of Women’s Development Cell of Miranda House, justifies having different compartments and reserved seats for women. She says, “Well what happens is if we see women sitting in those two seats, or have the idea of the presence of two women in a coach otherwise filled with men, women have the courage to enter the general compartment, that in turn obviously contributes to the increased safety of public sphere. We can’t forever isolate women in an all female setting and pretend we are achieving safety in public space. However, we will have to induce the participation of the minority in domains dominated by majority by making it legitimate according to the rules and when the situation gets better and the participation is no longer dependent on the rule, the rule maybe abolished. We haven’t yet reached that point where not having the rule makes sense”

The conversation not only speaks for women, but inspires them too. In a world where patriarchy artfully propagates girl on girl hate, women need this voice. Young female passengers often complain about the curious eyes of ‘aunties’ in the female compartments which make them uncomfortable. In this context, Dyuti is quite right when she says, ” Some aunties are bad; some are bad-ass.”

Can we have more bad-ass aunties please?

Featured illustration credits: Rajat Mahanti/AbsoluteDesi

Tooba Towfiq

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Feminism on the E- Rikshaw: The patriarchy behind seat sacrificing gentlemen

By Tooba Towfiq December 26, 2015

I made an exit from the Vishwavidyalay Metro Station. I was tired, because that’s what a packed metro ride does to everyone. I saw a guy I recognised from the packed metro compartment next to mine, sitting in the E Rickshaw I was walking towards. He looked comfortable after having found a place to sit. However, once I approached, the rickshaw driver asked him to give me a place to sit instead. He was made to leave his seat and adjust next to the Rickshaw driver. I felt horrible, but I felt unable to stop him before the visibly tired guy dutifully made space for me. I did voice my concern to others sitting in the rickshaw, and they agreed.

“Why should he be made to vacate for me?” I wondered. I could have shrugged it off, it was only a humane gesture. But it wasn’t; it was a gendered one. While I am thankful for the seat and I feel guilty that he had to give up his, I do realise that I am not to be blamed.

Though this happens very commonly, I find this “etiquette” to be quite contrary to how I have understood feminism. I do not mean to talk about a situation where the people compared are unequal and in dissimilar circumstances, for instance, a pregnant lady. I mean to talk about those who are quite similar in their situations and strengths.

Gender roles have created ways, moors and etiquettes which are seemingly “respect” giving but are actually patronising towards women and negative to both men and women. While it might seem ‘proper’ for men to give women a seat, this can translate to deeming women inherently weak. A ‘gentleman’ in this case would paradoxically make you a victim of his apparent favour which is implicitly chauvinistic. Worse still, men are bound to follow such rules, because if they don’t, the same gender driven society will dismiss them ‘uncivil’. It is situations such as these which starkly elucidate the ways in which gendered etiquettes affect both men and women negatively.

It is imperative for us to be careful. Now that we are aware, we must also be observant. If we know our Gilbert and Gubar, Virginia Woolf, Gloria Stieman and Ismat Chugtai, we must also know how to execute our feminism. In times when we find our feminism being questioned and mocked at as something as ridiculous as “feminazi,” it is significant that we execute and endure the egalitarian spirit of feminism which we claim.

I promise to make sure to wait for another vehicle, rather than making someone leave his comfortable seat only because I happen to be a woman. If that’s the only rickshaw I have to board, I will make sure I occupy the seat next to the rickshaw driver. Once, an acquaintance on an E rickshaw said to me jokingly, “Ladkiyan bagal mani baithaingi toh Rickshaw walay ke mazay hojainge!” to which I retorted, “For how long? Ek din mazay, do din mazay hojainge ge.” If this becomes a trend, it would be normal seeing women occupy the uncomfortable seats which rickshaw drivers insist on having occupied. Nevertheless, this acquaintance was pleased, having heard something which made sense to him. It was a feminism he understood.

To all the men in line with me for a vehicle, leave me a seat if you see me as a tired human, not as a weak woman, because that I am not, none of us are! If you are equally tired, you don’t let archaic definitions of a gentleman hold you back. Let’s be kind because it’s human to be kind and not because it is manly to leave a woman a seat or feminine to accept that.

Image Credits: http://4.bp.blogspot.com/

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