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I am Farida Rizwan, 57, Counselor and Psychotherapist working as Senior Curriculum Developer with Chimple Learning. I am the founder of My Giggle Garden, Preschool, and Daycare. I am an ardent blogger @www.chaptersfrommylife.com and share my life experiences of surviving breast cancer 3rd stage for 27 years, bringing up my children, and finding my own identity after giving it up for marriage. I also share my experiences through Standup Storytelling and Comedy. I am a passionate educationist who believes in inclusive education and an inclusive society for all. My special needs daughter, who is 26 years of age, refer to regular people as 'you people' and special people as 'we people'. This was very painful for me and made me realize the way our society makes special needs people feel separated from the regular stream. I want everyone to say 'We People'. I am not a feminist, but I don't believe gender should give any person leverage.
As a young girl with a disability, this author found that bullying takes many forms - and marriage brings its own share of shaming women for their imperfections.
Instead of fixating on just cooking skills, people should recognize and appreciate the many other qualities a daughter-in-law brings to the table.
In the patriarchal culture, the role of the father has traditionally been painted with hues of authority and provider. The image of the hardworking Indian father, leading his family with a sense of majesty, is etched into our collective memory. In the olden times, he was the pillar of strength, shouldering the responsibilities of the […]
24th January was National Girl Child Day, and many celebratory messages were shared. But how safe is a girl in today's world?
Exploring challenges faced by Indian mothers of special needs children, seeking awareness, support, and hope for a more inclusive future.
Running a daycare is undoubtedly a labour of love, driven by a passion for early childhood education and a commitment to supporting working families.
In a world where bravery may dismay, A woman, strong, faces disdain’s array. Confidence, a trait that draws ire, Yet she wears it with a fearless fire. As she builds a career, ambitions soar, Disapproval lingers, a bitter roar. A voice to question, to challenge the norm, Met with frowns, a rising storm. […]
Once incomplete, in shadows, I stood, Yearning for you to complete me, I would. A desire for your presence, a need so strong, To be complemented by you all along. Craving warmth, love’s tender hold, Your absence etched lines of sorrows untold. A void echoed where you should be, But through it, I found […]
That day, I felt very successful as a mom by allowing my daughter to be grumpy and not be affected by her behaviour. I cannot actually explain it adequately in words, but I feel a sense of pride within me.
I have fought cancer, obesity, disability... and with growing older, it has all taken a toll, but my mind still dreams and wants to do so many things!
Our visit to Brindavan Gardens & Ooty Botanical Garden turned disheartening with broken wheelchairs; betraying the promise of accessibility.
On November’s 25th, a day so bold, Dedicated to tales that must be told. To end violence against women, we stand, In a world where justice must take command. The White Ribbon Campaign, a noble quest, Born from sorrow, a tragic bequest. Lepine’s darkness, a chilling decree, Led to the birth of a ribbon so […]
We blindly follow many traditions unfair to women. We never question them, and when someone thinks about them rationally, we are shocked!
My daughter with special needs feels she is a very important person in the world, and my son was the one who created that image in her mind.
Marriage is a commitment from both sides so why should only the woman do all the adjusting? Here's what I tell my daughter in law - that she has these rights.
My journey was tough but that is what made it interesting. I decided not to allow anyone to push me down, not cancer, not people nor the situation.
I realized that if I put her on wheel chair now, then she would never walk again. The comfort would make us both give up on the effort of making her walk, which was not easy. I did not want to give up without giving it my best.
Women work 24/7 - if not at a paid job, then at household chores. What percentage of men share this unending work? Time this housework gender gap was bridged.
It is easier to assimilate special needs children with neurotypical children in the pre-school age, so Giggle Garden, my pre-school, aims at beginning inclusive education early.
Indian society has to go a long way and create necessary support systems if we are to say, “You cannot abort a baby” to a woman carrying a foetus with abnormalities.
No matter how educated they are, how open-minded they tend to be, somewhere deep inside the poison of patriarchy has seeped into all women, and it oozes out once in a while.
She Hulk series seems to say that even a woman with a flourishing career and super powers is happy only when she is validated by a man.
If we have to stop crime against women - whether girl infant, girl students, teen girls, married women, working women, whoever - then we have to stop saying “She invited it, she asked for it”.
If someone feels upset, sad or angry because you want to study further, take up a job and live your life on your terms without being a slave to abled adults, it is their problem and not yours.
When it comes to a relationship considered illicit by society, in most cases, the blame and shame are thrown at the woman alone.
This can have a drastic effect on other victims of domestic violence. It will also encourage the abuser that they can now threaten their victim that he/she may end up like Amber Heard on the internet.
The biggest irony is that this manager decides that the child in a wheelchair, who cannot even walk independently could get up and hurt everyone around him. HOW? So, he decides to prevent him from getting on the flight.
Much worse is the horrid and shocking content that is being uploaded nowadays; the demand for sadistic content is also on a rise.
He could see that she was terrified. Something told him that he had to talk to his daughter and find out the reason behind her behavior.
The threat of occasionally getting a beating or two for mistakes looms over every married woman’s head. It can just happen, anywhere, any day, anytime.
No one ever takes it as a crime when a woman is made to do all the petty chores for all the members of a family, even for those who are having more free time and are fitter than her.
What initially shocked me was the mocking, blaming, and shaming comments thrown toward the wife- Jada Pinkett Smith, but then I realized this is not new.
Things were good until I was pregnant with my first child. When the check-up started, I was horrified to note that there was no place for the word dignity when you enter a hospital.
This women's day, let us ignore the gifts like flowers, jewellery, or chocolates, and give the best of all gifts - education of girls and women. Let us cheer for every girl going to school.
I think some men enjoy making girls/women uncomfortable by staring at them. It happens very openly, even when we are with our family, in public places or in those places we consider safe.
I do not want to burden myself in my old age with controlling my son and daughter-in-law’s life. I wanted my own freedom; that wisely meant I should give freedom to my children as well.
If you can read through the article, you will find the patriarchal stink oozing out for almost a decade in her life, which finally culminated in an innocent 3 month old baby being killed by the person who should have protected her.
A beautiful poem about change and evolving!
As a counsellor I have seen for the woman in a toxic relationship, the change is in reverse. The butterfly changes into a caterpillar, such that people who meet them after a big gap will not even recognize them anymore!
Rules are not made by elders but made by everyone depending on their needs. Some of these rules make living together easy and comfortable.
17 innocent girls who trusted the school authorities were molested by those whom they trusted to give them a better future.
Men give weird reasons for divorcing their wives & are are supported. For women, no reason is good enough to walk away from a bad marriage!
I am not sure who is right - those who try to push the children to their limits or those who allow the children to loiter around and find the limits on their own?
I realized how she usually liked to present the wrongs of others to him which bothered me earlier, but now even though it troubled me I knew why she did it.
Recently a relative called me. She asked, “where is your daughter in law?” I said, “she is visiting her dad.” Immediately the question cropped up, “then who is cooking and taking care of you?”
I had breast cancer as a 29 year old breastfeeding mom, and chose to have a radical mastectomy... my kids needed me. But I spent some time bonding with my breasts the night before. Here's my story.
Apologies to patriotic people, but most of us Indians are not sensitive to special needs people & their emotions. Let's make this world a better place for them!
Shame on the IFB dishwasher ad for stereotyping mothers! I love my children and do take care of them, but that doesn’t mean I have to be 'dutiful' all the time.
I was a topper but married a man who was uneducated. I had to follow his strange rules that restricted my freedom, but when cancer happened, I said enough!
I was proud that my bladder was always under my control, but on a work trip where I was the only woman, I had to pray and hope for a toilet!
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