Feminism. A word that had more people scratching their heads in 2017 than any other word. It became Merriam-Webster dictionary’s word of the year after it was looked up by many users last year.
Any talk about feminism typically invites awkward gazes, silence and fierce resistance from men and even women. Why?
Feminism does not mean man-hating. It does not even mean to make a 360 degree shift from a male-dominated to a female-dominated society. No! It just means to have a world in which both; men and women are treated on a par.
Feminism has fought no wars. It has killed no opponents. It has set up no concentration camps, starved no enemies, practiced no cruelties. Its battles have been for better health and education, for voting rights, for better working conditions and self-development, for safety on the streets, for childcare, for social welfare, for rape crisis victims, women’s refuges, reforms in the law.
Many women don’t realise their true potential. Deep within us, it is ingrained since generations, that we cannot or must not or should not or will not.
True empowerment cannot be achieved till men and women, both empower women. Men play influential roles as fathers, brothers, grandfathers, uncles, husbands, sons and friends. Their mindset is vital for the true empowerment of a woman. Saying “I allowed her” to do something, is not okay. By saying this you imply that you control the woman. This is not equality. Empower her, don’t control.
People like US ex-President Barack Obama; mayor of London, Sadiq Khan; actor Daniel Craig and Prime Minister of Canada, Justin Trudeau prove that to be a feminist, you do not have to be a woman.
Educate every girl but do not compel her to choose a field of your choice. Promote women in your workplace. I am proud that I work for an organisation which has majority of women led by a senior manager who is a dynamic woman herself. Address the gender pay gap issue. Research reveals that there is a sharp decline in women’s earnings after the birth of their first child with no comparable salary drop for men. There are several ways to fix the issue, including providing paid leave, on-site childcare, improve culture around flexible work timings to sustain work-life balance, evaluate recruiting practices like selecting young mothers.
Another striking issue which should have zero-tolerance is harassment. Whether it is mental, physical or sexual, harassment must stop, immediately. No one has the right to harass another being for any reason whatsoever.
Let us commit to a gender parity mindset via progressive action. Let’s all collaborate to accelerate gender parity, so our collective action powers equality worldwide.
- The reader is based in Dubai
