What happens post Women’s Day is rarely talked about.
Let’s take a minute to acknowledge that Women’s Day is about challenging and confronting inequality, not snagging great deals on beauty products.
However, there is one thing you should know before you read any further -
We Won’t Back Up This Blog With Statistics
Because words are enough and experiences don’t lie. Instead of drawing attention to the data and numbers, we’ve decided to take a different approach and talk about the very real struggles that women face every day.
So we asked our female employees, ‘WHAT ARE YOU TIRED OF HEARING?’
Their responses were both humbling and eye-opening.
“Are you sure you can handle this? Whose car do you drive? Is your dad okay with this?
And my personal favourite -
Men will be men.”
Rynelle Oliver.
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“How are your parents okay with you living alone in another city?”
“Your mother must have a difficult time finding someone for you given your lifestyle.”
“You've lived alone for so long, you surely have no idea how it is to adjust to a family. Ladkon ka toh firbhi chalta hai, but girls must adjust, you know.”
Pritha Basu.
***
“You're 25? It's already so late. We need to find you a nice man who can take care of you and get you married.”
Gayatri Borkar.
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Snigdha Bose, had a lot to say too.
"You won't find a guy if you don't lose weight. Who will marry you?" "You should not wear such short clothes/clothes with a deep neckline. Doesn't look nice with your body structure." "When will you get settled?" And when I ask how they define settled, they say, "Get married of course. You are not settled in life till you don't find a guy." "Oh women are not great friends. Men are a better friend-group. No drama" "But how will you manage work & kids once you're married? Who will raise them? Take care of your home?"
So much relatability and honesty in a paragraph!
***
Ankita Jangid, concluded it all with her “pain” points.
“Are you sure you can drive?”
“It’s a lady driver, be careful!”
“You can do whatever you want once you get married.”
“Pay some attention at home!”
Being A Woman Comes With All This. And More.
Stereotypes and prejudice make women question who they are even as they breathe.
Women are tired.
Of the judgements!
The clichés!
Of being called dependable, soft, and above all, the weaker sex.
Then, what were we supposed to celebrate this Woman’s Day?
Our willingness to bring a change.
This year, we decided to fuel our determination by launching a campaign that aimed to look beyond the 8th of March. From creating an obituary for the fake promises made to women to questioning the gap between the genders, we talked about how far we really have to go to #embraceequity.
Because somebody had to.
But the question still remains-
Will We Ever Truly ‘Celebrate’ Women’s Day?
One day, perhaps.
When women across the globe will have the right and access to equal pay.
When the world stops slapping labels on them.
Because being a woman should not come at a cost.