From the end of time, women have been fighting for gender
equality. The “Women’s Suffrage Parade” in Washington DC
during the 19th century, particularly aimed to grant women the
right to vote by law in local and national elections. In 1975,
women in Iceland were underpaid and underrepresented in the
government. Therefore, a strike called the “Women’s Day Off”
was held, demonstrating the crucial significance of women in
society. According to various sources, 90% of the female
population did not engage in various household activities.
You might think that our advancement in technology would also
lead to progressive minds, but that is where we are all wrong. A
well-developed nation such as the US has been imposing
restrictions on the sexual and reproductive health aspects of
women. Now, as we speak, there are women out there, in
different parts of the world, fighting for basic rights such as
abortion. The protest in Poland dating back to October of 2016,
was held against proposing a ban on abortion and a prison
sentence of five years for women going through with the
procedure along with the doctors who provided assistance. The
law pressurises decisions on behalf of women in the name of
democracy.
On the 16th of September 2022, Mahsa Amini, a twenty-two-
year-old Iranian woman died due to the brutality of the morality
police for “improperly” wearing her hijab. Innumerable mobs of
people who were protesting for her cause were also fatally
injured. In our very own country, Dalit women often face
extreme forms of harassment and violence.
We often find ourselves turning to the law for protection,
instead, their actions have proved how detrimental they can be
to women. Everything ranging from female genital mutilation,
female foeticide, child marriages, and human trafficking to
domestic violence and homicide; women and girls, continue to
face these issues daily.
The 2012 Delhi Gang Rape and Murder Case, commonly
known as the “Nirbhaya Case”, involved the rape and assault of
Jyothi Singh, in Munirka, a neighbourhood in South Delhi. The
case was put out into the spotlight which sent chills throughout
the nation due to the triggering details of the incident.
These are the times when women are supposed to grow, learn,
teach and train in various disciplines, but here we are, fighting
for basic rights; rights such as the freedom to walk alone at
night without the anxiety of “what might happen?” reeking over
us, or the right to wear whatever one desires without the fear of
being judged or objectified. The right to education and the right
to have a say in our careers and jobs. The right to equal
representation in various positions of the government or the
right to simply not bear children if one simply does not feel like
it.
We, as a society, should understand that women have roles that
go far beyond basic gender norms. Women have the capability
to perform anything they put their mind to, to the fullest of their
ability, in turn producing results of high efficiency and
proficiency. They are instrumental in moulding and shaping
society for the betterment of the human race.
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