5 Indian Women Tell Us What They Want From The PM For Women’s Day 2020

#SheInspiresUs is going viral after PM Modi declared he will hand over his social media handles to inspiring women on International Women’s Day. So, what do Indian women want from the govt?

On March 2, 2020 Prime Minister Narendra Modi took the Twitter world in a storm by tweeting that he will give up his social media accounts on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.

Everyone was taken aback by this sudden decision. But very soon, on the next day, he clarified by tweeting that he will give away his social media accounts to women whose work inspires and motivates others, thereby acting as an example to other women.

#SheInspiresUs – take a look how

#SheInspiresUs is going viral on all social media sites. Women who have done splendid work to motivate others or those women whose life can be example to many can post a video on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube which will give them a chance to share their thoughts and ideas with the world, as well take over the Prime Minister’s social media account.

Women have always formed the backbone of a society. On this International Women’s Day, we need to acknowledge how every woman we have come across is an embodiment of #SheInspiresUs – every woman has inspired or has impacted other women in some way or the other, no matter how miniscule. So knowing what women want the government to do for women in the teaching profession, women in business, for marginalised and abused women, for girl students, and for women who are homemakers, on Women’s Day makes sense.

We talked to a student, a homemaker, an activist, a teacher, and an entrepreneur. We asked them what they want the government to do for women.

Student

Rujuta Thete, a student from Pune asks for
~ more opportunities for girl students, and an increase in the availability and accessibility of educational facilities.
~ the government should make laws and regulations which make sure that the female working professionals and business women should get equal pay cheques as men and the wage gap should be lessened.
~ for abused women, the court and police procedures should be made simpler and easily available. They should be given the required attention and the events of abuse should not hinder their future progress in terms of getting a job or getting married.
~ homemakers are under a lot of pressure from their families and society and are unable to profess their ambitions so they should be encouraged for moving forward.”

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Homemaker

Violet Kandulna, a homemaker located in Jamshedpur, says, “There are already a number of policies which the government has in place for women. The fact that not many women are aware of these is saddening.”
~ The government should try to spread awareness about these policies to make things easier for women in all aspects of life. Especially for a homemaker like me, being aware of such policies is important.
~ On the education front, I want education to not be treated like a luxury. It should be made available to all. A plethora of scholarships should be made available not only for girl students but for every student.

Activist

Furthering the narrative on this, we also talked to an activist who is based in Mumbai, and fights actively for the rights of women and the tribals. Akanksha (name changed on request) said, “When policies are made for women and the marginalized, they should be considered. There needs to be a perspective from within. Rather than just having them on the table as token pieces for exhibiting diversity and inclusion, they should be made contributors too. In any policy formulation, they should be significant contributors, after all it is made for them. Context, in any scenario, plays an important role considering the multiple realities which exist in our multi-faceted and multi-layered society.”

Educator

Speaking from the perspective of a professor and a working lady herself, Anwesha Chakrabarti- Professor of Psychology in Kolkata says
~ Age relaxation for women should be there. It exists definitely but it needs to be more concrete.
~ Maternal leave policies and the child care leaves need to be more accommodative.
~ The assurance for getting a job is also necessary because it will give many other women the courage to actually do something on their own. Job security is also one such topic.”

Entrepreneur

As an entrepreneur dealing in imitation jewellery, Sukla Sengupta from Siliguri says that for small business owners, transportation prices affects them a lot. “Relaxation of transport and transportation cost will be real boon for female entrepreneurs because then they will not have to rely on others for petty issues. It will give other women entrepreneurs a boost to come out in the economy. As I deal with imitation jewelry, GST on gold and silver does not really affect me directly. I have to travel alone to places for business purposes. Safety becomes an issue not only for me but also for my family members. Hence, safety is another aspect where work needs to be done.”

Listening to what these women had to say, a lot of perspectives have been brought into the open and on the table. Here’s hoping that we have more female friendly policies and measures in place.

Images: YouTube, Shutterstock

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