I am writing this a few days before International Women’s Day. There was a time when, as March 8 approached, I longed to go into hiding. I ...
I am writing this a few days before International Women’s Day. There was a time when, as March 8 approached, I longed to go into hiding. I knew there would be invitations to talk on the day. But how could I say what I really wanted to? How could I say that I longed for a time when there would be no Women’s Day, because it would mean that that women had become equal participants in the world, natural sharers of the privileges and responsibilities the world offered?
Now, for quite some years, I have not had to worry about being invited. Women’s Day has acquired glitz and gloss, events are sponsored by cosmetic companies, jewellery and sari shops and the guests invariably are young and attractive women. We no longer remember that Women’s Day began as a day dedicated to working women.
Even today, we have a huge mass of women who sweep our homes and our streets, who do back-breaking work on construction sites, women who do unskilled and poorly paid jobs of maids and carers for the very young and the very old. Besides, there are all those women, once called “only a housewife”, now dignified with the title...
