In conversation with Prajnya volunteer Shweta Sharma, we had Maryam Nayaz, our programme associate and Niroopini Muralidharan, our campaign volunteer discuss the everydayness of sexism that all women and gender minorities are subjected to because of their gender identity. You can watch the saved recording of the Instagram Live here!
"Since our birth, we are subjected to sexism. Sexism starts before the girl is born, like female foeticide for instance."
The discussion began with how girls are not allowed to pursue higher education opportunities because she has to go to another house after a point. Women never belong to one place; the house she grows up in isn't hers, and neither is the house she resides in after marriage. Shweta broadened on this topic and asked "which, then, is her house?". She also discussed her experiences with men who believe they have greater power and autonomy over women that it justifies "asking for favours" if women wish to take huge leaps in life. Shweta stressed that she believes men should not try taking advantage of women because they think they are 'weak'.
The discussion moved to how, despite receiving higher education, the end goal always is to get the daughter married. So, parents keep pushing for the daughters to join places like VLCC to work on their "physical beauty". At the end of the day, marriage goes hand-in-hand with looks, beauty and physical features. Additionally, the bride's side of the family is even willing to "pay money" in the form of dowry to get their daughter married.
The participants of the Instagram live also discussed their experiences and spoke of how gender norms box us into how we must act and behave in the society; there is no space for gender beyond the binary. Maryam added to the discussion on how the brunt of sexism is borne by women and gender minorities because we seem to live in a "man's world". The discussion also spoke of sexism against women working in informal sectors, especially in the domestic sphere, where men sexually exploit them. The intersections of caste and class further add to the marginalisation.
Shweta concluded the discussions by mentioning that the presence of NGOs and CSOs that work in the field of rights has given her immense strength. The importance of sex education, discussing good-touch and bad-touch, and consent was also spoken about.
The one-hour long discussion gave the audience a lot of insight on how conversations like these (where we discuss the injustices, microaggressions and sexist attitudes we face on a daily basis) can help instil a sense of solidarity and togetherness - that we aren't alone and we aren't in the wrong.
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