A very powerful TED talk by Jackson Katz: “Violence against women—it’s a men’s issue”
I have personally encountered so so many of these in the last 8 years of working with women…and speaking to men who have in turn been intertwined with the lives of women:
Gender and Women – in the field of Entrepreneurship – This was my topic at the 8th Jan #TheNextBigThing event at #Ranchi.
A first for me – discussing gender issues in a space where I normally address people on Social Entrepreneurship. Gender is like an elephant in the room. We don’t talk about it in the open. We wish to “appear” to be gender agnostic – but we aren’t.
Misogyny is the dislike of, contempt for, or ingrained prejudice against women. But seeing through the misogynistic glass: discussions online and offline with many women and some men leads me to some rather startling facts:
Veering from Misogynistic women – to women who truly understand the value of girls. Sharing a short conversation I had the privilege of being a neutral party to
A peep of elation for me, I met a pregnant woman from a BOP (Bottom of the Pyramid) family who had a serene smile on her face and a beautiful hope in her heart…
“Saas ne sau-bhagyawati ka aashirwad diya tha… To zaroor ladki hogi!”
Misogyny is “dislike of, contempt for, or ingrained prejudice against women” as per the dictionary.
And YES misogyny is practiced by women too!
Why do women hate women?
Understanding misogyny when followed by women (and hating it):
Sharing a conversation with 2 women misogynists whom I had the complete displeasure and misfortune of meeting.
Mommyhood in India almost always defined a career break taken by working mothers out of what they refer to as their choice. I question that tenet in the 1st place – and ask that is it YOUR choice or the choice of social norms?
Fighting Patriarchy is a long journey – filled with strife and rigid mindsets. On this journey we need to start empowering the women around us.
NOTE – this piece is for BOTH men and women who do not believe in patriarchy and would like to have gender equality around them!
BTW – men too are feminist if they believe that women are equal. Remember by the simple dictionary meaning – feminism is the belief that women are equal to men. And NO it does not say that men are inferior!
Patriarchy is defined by a male oriented social norm – which largely leaves women out. It speaks of male dominance in all aspects of life.
We need to understand what Patriarchy is and confront it. This norm not only de-humanizes men but ensures that they suffer as much as the women in this web.
