Feminism: Multidimensional, Dynamic, and Developing
Feminism: Multidimensional, Dynamic, and Developing
Shreya Ghosh and Shreya Dash
A popular question related to the subject matter is, “Why do we need feminism?”. After all, women have made and continue to make their mark in academics, in the workplace and in the society, and for all practical purposes, are capable of everything that men can do. The answer is not in a textbook or an academic paper, or clearly apparent to anyone until one looks around and notices their surroundings and the people around them. There are some obvious reasons, and then there are reasons which manifest in minute ways. Certain notions about women are ingrained in our minds, the minds of all people alike. Some of us try to break free of notions that are detrimental to the position of women in society, while others refuse to. It can be a girl having a drastically earlier curfew set by her parents than the one her brother faces, or the fact that a large number of women feel safer on the ladies coach on the metro. It is even clear in the not so subtle negative connotation in the word “modern” when it is being used to describe a woman. It has probably been said to every female that they should do certain things and avoid certain others “for their own safety”. While some of the restrictions imposed on them are imposed with good intentions, the reason why those parents, guardians, and friends have to be scared enough to place such restrictions on girls and women, is what we need to think about. Every individual who understands the essence of feminism has a different reason for why we still need it. Feminism goes beyond women, it means questioning what we have been conditioned to believe and including people from cultural, economic, and social backgrounds different from our own in this discussion, questioning, and movement.
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The feminist movements across the globe have often failed to identify and address issues that were not solely related to gender. There were issues about racism and class difference waiting to be explored. But, as most of the feminist movements which started with the first wave of feminism starting from 1900 and continuing till 1959, saw the leadership of white middle class women fighting for equal voting rights which we know today as the Suffrage Movement, about equal property ownership rights and political candidacy, poor black women remained largely neglected. Black women like Anna Julia Cooper soon voiced their opinions and were soon integrated into the larger picture of feminism. Their discourse was based mostly on how their life experiences were not the same as white middle class women just because they shared the same gender.
The term intersectionality was coined in 1989 by Kimberle Crenshaw. Soon after the third wave of feminism began and noted the lack of attention to race, class and sexual orientation. It was not just her gender that was the bane of a woman’s existence anymore. The subordinated strata of the society had finally found their voice. But just as the political dialogue of equality between men and women which started in the first wave of feminism still paints a rather harsh picture in some aspects, so does the concept of intersectionality. Crenshaw desperately sought to stress the fact that while white women had to face sexism only, non-white women had to face a combination of sexism and racism. This is structural intersectionality. Political intersectionality talks about how policies for the purpose of perpetrating equality have in reality decreased the visibility of violence against non-white women. Representational intersectionality deals with how the pop culture portrayals of non-white women can obscure their own conception of themselves as people and specifically as women.
Ancient, medieval and even modern history has been witness to the very basic reason feminism originated. Draupadi’s pivotal question in open assembly regarding her husband’s right to put her at stake in The Mahabharata has been much discussed and celebrated due to the fact that this question was raised at a time when women were considered to be the property of men. Men were free to engage in polygamy, while mostly women were not even allowed to show themselves outside of their designated part of the house. The honor of a family was believed to be dependent upon how constrained and “hidden” it kept its women. Even as the centuries changed, these notions remained in changed forms. Women, to this day, are told that their honor is limited to their choice of clothing and to the number of men they are friends with. Girls who are outspoken and those who choose to spend a majority of their time outside their home are said to be “getting out of hand”.
Parallel to these forms of subjugation, the Indian feminist movement has taken strides. What began with the basic ask for the right to education, moved on to open critique of patriarchy and the caste system, to the abolishing of sati and child marriage, the rights of widows, legal recourse related to property ownership and matters such as adoption. This early wave of Indian feminism was started predominantly by men, with women slowly joining the movement as it gained momentum and gave them the platform to put forth their opinions, their voice and their efforts. The first woman to join the movement was Savitribai Phule who was the first to start a school for girls in India. The nineteenth century saw women’s issues being highlighted and solutions found for these issues. The men were now joined by the women in their lives. They were finally ready to stand up against what was plaguing them: the inequality that patriarchy propagated. But the sad reality was the fact that they were led to the path of feminism only because of the male involvement in their cause, otherwise they would not have had the confidence or the audacity to speak for themselves or their own rights as women. Feminism was still not a reality but a looming picture to be realized in the future. The late twentieth century saw the formation of women’s own organizations. These organizations emphasized women’s education issues and discussed ways for working class women to function. All India Women’s Conferences (AIWC) were also organized. Women’s activism fore-grounded its existence in the 1930’s and 1940’s. Women’s movements were now centered on the deep anguish that women felt over being treated differently than men. They were not just following what the men in their life were doing.
Today, on paper women enjoy rights, have the space to vocalize their grievances and agitate if they are not addressed. But the reality remains far from the rosy picture that the Government paints when it talks about women’s rights. Exploitation of women in work spaces, in the domesticity of their houses shows us that they are still seen as the weaker sex and not as equals. The sheer number of crimes against women in India is gut-wrenching. So, we can see how far we are from our dream of an equal world being realized. Conceived ideas need to be concretized. The counseled reforms need to be commanded.
Like any other movement, feminism faces its fair share of misconceptions among the common populace. The ‘femi’ in ‘feminist’ is particularly controversial. But the people of today need to understand that ‘femi’ is the beginning of the word because women have been historically exploited and subjugated and to put them on the same pedestal that historically privileged men occupied, to bring them on equal footing, it was necessary for ‘femi’ to be added. It needs to be understood universally that feminism is not about male bashing, it is about equality. It is also possible for men to be feminists if they believe in an equal world. Feminism is not about supporting women who are wrong in their actions and thoughts. For example, if a woman is supporting patriarchy and bashing women for being vocal about their rights or treating the people around her in an unfair and uncalled- for manner, it is of infinite possibility that a feminist would not support her. Finally, feminists do not want an easy life, they are just asking for some breathing space, for them to be heard, for equality to not just be an abstraction but a reality. Also a good number of feminists do believe in marriage and are not mobilizing support for matriarchy. It is equality that they want.
Something we all must realize is that gender cannot be viewed as an exogenous entity. It always has been and always will be closely tied to religion, caste, class and economic background. So, it is very important to acknowledge everyone’s unique struggle and work together to alleviate their struggle. It needs to be understood that all women are from different walks of life, hail from different backgrounds and therefore do not have the same experience or expectations. We have to be inclusive about their issues, their ways of dealing with them and their unique experiences. Feminism comes in different shapes and sizes, it is different for different people, their approach to it might be different, it is necessary not to call them out on their feminism until and unless they perpetrate an abstract notion of equality that is not known to man. We cannot afford to dismiss people if we want a world modeled on equality. No longer must anyone be afraid of being harshly judged when they call themselves feminists. Even if they do not call themselves feminists, they deserve to be heard.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
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