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Women’s Day is round the corner and once again the whole world will suddenly be reminded of the struggles, strengths, doom, despair and success stories of women.
And not to forget the most misused and misunderstood term today- Feminism.
Let us not get into these cliched discussions andfocus on the stories that need to be told.
Stories of ordinary women leading everyday lives and while they do so they are breaking barriers and biases which are never acknowledged as achievements or even something worthwhile.
To set an example, a woman need not make it from rags to riches or stand up to an abuser or survive a hostile environment etc. Thesenevertheless are incredible achievements for any woman or even a man, so to speak, but these are thestories that are always highlighted and grab people’s attention. And rightly so, because such men or women fighting these circumstances cannot be and should not be ignored.
However, not all stories are so heroic, though this doesn’t take away the inspiration and light that they can bring around in this world.
Back in the days, breaking the bias meant stepping out and becoming financially independent. Seeking and securing equal cerebral opportunities as that of a man meant breaking the bias.
Off late, this definition has changed to an extent. How I see it is that there are two issues that we are dealing with today as far as this gender bias is concerned.
The modern Indian woman has made it to the corporate sector, education, medicine, sports, arts and any field you name. They are in top positions, securing good grades, handsome salaries and better placements.
But for even the most successful woman, certain questions continue to linger and create undue unnecessary pressure. Questions we’ve all heard of-
when are you getting married??…
if married, why so late?…
when will you have children?…
Oh, you have a child, but how will you take care of your child while working?…
Oh, you earn more than your husband? Don’t hurt his ego!!
You earn way too much… who is going to marry you?
Your husband is earning enough…why do you even need to work?
Do we ever ask these questions to a man? No. This is where we as a society fail to let a woman who in no way has fallen short of any man in achieving whatever she has, to stand up tall and live as an equal.
We have a preconceived notion, a mental mould set up in our minds for every woman and when a woman doesn’t fit into it, we look down upon her.
This is the bias that needs to be shattered.

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