Press For Progress

by ASJAD NAZIR

LEADING LADIES SPEAK OUT ON INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY

The theme for this year’s In­ternational Women’s Day is Press For Progress, which will be a global call to continue the push for gender equality.  

The annual celebration of women’s achievements and campaign for change will once again see countless people unite to make a real difference.  

These will include everyday women standing side-by-side with high-profile individuals of both genders. Eastern Eye got wonder­ful women to tell us how we can press for progress when it comes to equal rights and girl power.  

Twinkle Khanna (Writer & producer): There are a number of ways we can progress rights for women and improve gender equality. For a start, we need to get men involved. The issue of achieving gender equality isn’t something that can solely be fought for by women, as men are both part of the problem and the solution. We need to make men aware of the is­sues we face in society, from the tampon tax to the glass ceiling, and show them how they can support and further empower women. 

That isn’t to say we need men to solve our prob­lems – we’ve certainly recently seen that women are able to galvanise and create change in spite of the inequalities that exist and with little to no support from men. Women shouldn’t be afraid to stand up, but I think we must also acknowledge the fact that it takes all genders to create equality. 

We can also progress rights through leading by ex­ample. I was raised in a house filled with independ­ent and creative women who didn’t conform to soci­etal expectations, and as a result, neither did I. We need to teach both our daughters and sons these values, especially now where for the first time the voices of strident women are being heard around the world. We need to start the journey of empower­ing and progressing women from childhood. 

Ambreen Razia (Actress & writer): It’s our job to provide young women with the vocabulary to speak out when faced with unjust behaviour. Alongside that, let’s avoid programming young men with the notion that women are any less. It’s crucial to speak out if you witness inequality. No matter how liberal minded you say you are, standing back and watch­ing it happen makes you culpable. 

Helly Shah (Actress): I wish there was enough knowledge and education amongst not only men, but everyone around the world who understands the true meaning of feminism, women empowerment and respect, which every woman deserves and not just talk about it. 

Make an effort just to spread this word and educate people that the world would be a much better place to live where women will receive that equality, respect and love without even asking for it. Women are the drivers of progress. Let’s all press for progress.

Neelam Heera: (Activist, paralegal & founder of Cysters): A strong women stands up for herself, but a phenomenal woman stands up for others! Be that phenomenal woman others aspire to be, and inspire the next generation to be phenomenal too. 

Athiya Shetty (Actress): Young girls learn how to conduct themselves only by example. So women empowerment starts at home. How women feel about themselves stems from how they are treated in their families. A solid family ensures the confi­dence and self-worth of the girls living in it. 

As women, we hunger for approval from people who we think know better. But honestly, is there an­yone who does? It is okay to question, to differ, to disagree and to have an opinion. We need to have a progressive society that doesn’t feel threatened by a woman’s participation. 

Rohini Iyer (CEO, Raindrop Media): I’ve always believed in getting the job done, irrespective of be­ing a man or woman. Talent, skill and hard work don’t come with a gender. I do believe that if you know your job, people take you seriously. As a wom­an, it’s important to chase your dreams, get the rec­ognition you deserve, reclaim your ambition and do it all with integrity. 

Women who compete with men lack ambition. We as women need to use our female superiority, skills, intuition and emotions to be better, as those are our strengths. When you empower a woman, you empower a family, society and a nation. Women should stop waiting for the light at the end of the tunnel and light it themselves. We need to be our own heroes. 

Shaz IA (Singer, songwriter & solicitor): If sons were taught to respect women from an early age and treat them as equals, we would have more of a gen­der-balanced society. Don’t ignore the faults of your sons while constantly reprimanding your daughters. Equal rules, equal equality. 

Ashwini Iyer Tiwari (Writer/director): Educate one girl and we will educate a million girls to have the ability to take independent decisions and create a unique voice which speaks her own mind and not someone else’s. Because for every one step a woman takes to move forward, there will be many more in the line to follow. 

Masaba Gupta (Fashion designer): The path to women empowerment has speed bumps that are not as obvious as discrimination, on the basis of gender, pay disparity or patriarchy etc. For instance, the impossible standards set for women that often promote a single template of beauty. 

Every woman no matter what ethnicity she hails from is beautiful, but acknowledging just that is not enough. There needs to be more stress on value and substance at our core. Empowerment is rooted in self-love. Very subtle constructs of our global society were designed to undermine a woman’s confidence. Doing away with that may take decades. But we have begun, and as they say: ‘Well, begun is half-done’. 

Humaima Malick (Actress): The path to progress is parents raising their sons right! There is no innate difference between the talent of men and women, but it is important we bring up our sons right. They should grow up believing in empowering their wives, daughters and sisters. Ultimately women have everything they need, all they need is a belief in their abilities. 

Sophie Choudry (Singer & actress): Equality of women doesn’t come from just women fighting for their rights. It comes from men in society believing and making it happen too! The past year, #MeToo has brought to light issues women in entertainment have been facing for years but only recently spoke about. In fact, this movement has given courage to women from all backgrounds, careers and walks of life to share their stories and speak out. 

But like Oprah said, the change will not only come from these magnificent, brave women, but also from the phenomenal men who will ensure that in the fu­ture no woman is taken advantage of again. Men and women must work in tandem to make change hap­pen, and it all begins with education at home and in school. We must all be taught that our choices, our lives, are as valuable as any man. Women must teach their sons the same. For it is only when we respect each other’s as individuals with the freedom to make our own choices that we will truly be equals!  

Nia Sharma (Actress): I now have started feeling ir­ritated and annoyed at the mention of topics like women’s right, women’s equality and women’s pro­gress. It appears a sham and shallow to me now be­cause women and girls are not safe in their own country, vicinity and house. Then on top of that, they must fight for their rights and gender equality. 

We all too often hear that a girl is raped, a woman is molested or assaulted, and if you see social media it’s almost become a norm. So before we go ahead and talk about topics like these, let’s first clean India, clean the minds of a**holes who are wandering on streets with their d***s wagging out on the look-out for any creature with a vagina. 

Saida Rouass (Writer): It’s important when we push for progress on gender parity that we do so with compassion, recognising that positive change will only happen when we are inclusive of everyone who wants to readdress a discrimination that is out of date. If we lose our compassion, we run the risk of becoming perpetrators of another form of discrimi­nation that will serve no one and hurt everyone. 

Sonam Kapoor (Actress): I think we all need to speak up about it. Certainly in India, we have a con­tradictory situation where we have women in incredibly-powerful roles, yet the old fashioned way of looking at women as inferior to men persists. The notion that men are in some way better than women has never been something that’s crossed my mind. 

I was brought up knowing that there was no dif­ference between my brother and I, and we were equal. So ever since, I’ve always tried to voice that belief, and voicing your beliefs goes for people from any kind of sector, be it an actress, model, or busi­nesswoman. We need to speak up about these ine­qualities to help progress women’s rights and need to tell the world we deserve nothing less than a man. Slowly but surely we are beginning to see this, both in India and around the world. 

Saba Rizvi (Artist): We need to value the rights of women all over the world because we are all human. The right to inclusivity and respect should not be dependent on an individual’s age, gender, disability or accessibility, sexual appeal or race. We have the ability to harness these differences to bring about a positive change and to celebrate all that we can ac­complish once we are given the opportunity to work together. 

Mehreen Syed (Model & actress): When women work together to support and help each other rise up, there is no limit to what they can achieve. By empow­ering one woman through training her to bring in a sustainable income, you are empowering not just her whole family but also changing her children’s future! It is one of the greatest joys in my life, that I have been fortunate enough to be able to help other women. 

I had the privilege to help over 2,000 women train for and achieve a sustainable and steady income through vocational training. When I see them now, they are strong, confident and courageous young women with a whole new destiny; it is truly inspira­tional. This International Women’s Day, let all wom­en join hands and work together to press for progress, because when women work together, there is nothing we cannot accomplish!

Rubina Dilaik (Actress): We can only press for pro­gress once we know how powerful our inner-will is! This is the power of belief! And this undisputedly lies in each and every individual. 

Sonia Dutta (Radio host & energy alignment coach): Men can be courageous, bold, strong, adventurous, caring, weak, abusive and jealous. Women can be courageous, bold, strong, adventurous, car­ing, weak, abusive, jealous, bleed for about one week every month, give birth to other human beings and must still continue to fight for equality? There is no ‘them’ and ‘us’. It takes all of us to press for pro­gress, and unity is key. 

Tulsi Vagjiani (Pilates rehabilitation specialist, life coach & motivational speaker): Progression can only happen if we lose the labels and instead come from a place of humanity. Everyone should be en­couraged to pursue goals and ambitions, regardless of their gender or any social stigmas. Everyone should be entitled to a voice, and if served in unity we can make great progression towards equality. 

We need a wider representation in all aspects of vocations and roles. Educating and challenging so­cial norms will encourage the new generation into making decisions that will serve humanity, not a gender group. 

Pooja Hegde (Model & actress): So many girls im­agine they owe their being and existence to the men in their lives. Gender is a concept that is not ground­ed in biology. Women are taught to conform to roles and prove their femininity till their last breath. In such a set-up, there is no scope for individuality. 

Earlier, no one wondered why women continue to be under-represented in politics, education, army and entertainment. We pretended the problem didn’t exist. At least now it’s accepted that we have to tackle this issue as a global challenge. If the other half of the world’s population gets a say, better healthcare and participates in global affairs, we are all going to benefit from it. 

Bhumi Phednekar (Actress): Any sort of progress or change starts with education. Knowledge can change a mind-set however deep set it is. A position of superiority men have held for eons has led to ex­treme deprivation for women and now it needs to stop. Not change, but stop! It’s time we raise our sons like daughters, full of compassion and respect for both sexes. Equality and respect can only be achieved if we start empowering our daughters. 

Governments need to make gender disparity a priority and a critical part of policies. More funding needs to go towards programs for women’s rights and education. We need to propagate the message that a girl is as capable as a boy and give her an edu­cation instead of just marrying her off at a young age. We need to teach that empowering woman prospers society. We need more women in places of power and should create opportunities for them. We also need better health policies for women and should abolish the idea of male supremacy.  

We need role models today who educate and in­spire others and start that domino effect. So be the change you want. Tell women to speak up against abuse, make them aware of their rights, show them what a world of equality looks like. As women, let’s focus on excellence and not give up on our dreams for anything or anyone. As Oprah said: ‘Excellence is the best deterrent to racism or sexism.’