Why the Hullabaloo Over International Women’s Day?

Welcome to my weekly #column (Mar 9th, 2025)! Follow & click #AskATHC #ATHCOriginal to read my previous columns.

I wish all the women out there a very Happy Women’s Day! It symbolizes feminine energy, gender equality, and the hardships that each woman fights through day in and day out—sometimes against the system, sometimes against perpetrators, and sometimes even against their very own, who try to demean their existence in one way or another

I don’t want to repeat the kind of struggles that women go through in their lives—childhood abuse, lower pay for equal work compared to men, harassment at the workplace, eve-teasing or harassment on roads/ campuses/ parks, and whatnot! I want to declare outright that each one of you is a real hero—and yes, not the ‘heroine’ that you see in Indian films, where she is mostly portrayed as a damsel in distress. This mindset needs to go!

And I am happy that Gen Z is taking these challenges head-on and holding up a mirror to society time and again.

Women = Men & Vice Versa. Isn’t It?

Just as women’s empowerment is essential, we also need to celebrate the presence of men in our society. No matter how many times people say, “Men will be men” or “All men are the same,” the fact of the matter is that not even 0.001% of the male population in India troubles or tortures women—mentally, physically, or emotionally.

So, celebrating Women’s Day is fine, but isn’t it high time that International Men’s Day is also celebrated with the same fervor and gaiety in November?

It’s time to stop stereotyping as if all men are bad and all women are good. We should judge people on merit alone.

You want gender parity? Gender equality? Well, I am always there. I will never shy away from unequivocally raising my voice on matters that demand concern.

But yesterday, I saw Women’s Day wishes being bombarded all over the internet. But how many people are actually celebrating Women’s Day in real life?

Women Vs Women?

Am I wrong in saying the following?

*Since childhood, it’s mothers who teach their daughters how to behave as per societal norms.

*Many female students are ragged openly in colleges and university campuses—not by men, but by senior women.

*Women coming home late at night after work are often seen with suspicious eyes—& who does that? Of course, the neighbourhood aunties.

*If you are not getting equal pay for equal work, who is responsible? Your HR! (Most of them are women)—& they are the ones who purposely reduce your salary by a few thousands just because of your gender.

*If you don’t follow religious dogmas, even if you practice a thousand religious values, you will still be labeled as an atheist or undisciplined. And ironically, it will be women who preach these parables to you first!

*I hope you also know what society says about single, widowed, or divorced women—ironically, most of the gossip is started by women themselves.

In Conclusion

What are your views on this? Men and women are equal. Before blaming only men for the challenges women face, we must acknowledge that, in many cases, women themselves have been the biggest adversaries of other women.

#WomenEmpowerment #GenderEquality #BreakingStereotypes #WomenSupportingWomen #MeeToo #EqualRights #Help