What comes to your mind when you hear the name “Switzerland”? All its fanciness, mountains, luxury, prosperity, tourism? Switzerland is among the top countries in all world indices in terms of economy, political stability, standards of life, and is among the top 10 richest countries. Sounds like a dream for anyone.
But, in contrast to all these things, a peculiar event has occurred recently there. About 15 lakh women came out on the streets of Switzerland demanding gender equality in terms of ending sexual violence, equal pay, and empowerment in all aspects. They are upset about getting wages that are 20% lower than men, limited opportunities for employment, and rampant sexual assault. Their anger over their oppressed position was palpable, and they expressed it by burning their inner wear. This just might be one of the biggest protests by women in the world, and it has been named the “Purple Wave”.
Think about it. If this is the condition of a country ranked among the top 20 in terms of gender parity, what can we expect from rest of the world? One thing I have noticed is that gender inequality is pervasive in all nations, irrespective of the level of socio-economic development. Poverty and malnutrition are seemed as limited to developing nations; communal tensions are present in some nations; and dictatorship exists in some other places. Farmers are not committing suicide everywhere like they are in India. But, the condition of women is the same in all countries. Patriarchy is prevalent in both ‘the East’ and ‘the West’, and women are harassed in both ‘liberal’ and ‘conservative’ nations.
Even in the 21st century, a #MeToo type campaign is demanding only the bare minimum rights for women, which men have been enjoying for ever. The whole world seems to be the enemy of the so-called ‘Second Sex’.
Look at world history—even events like the French Revolution, which had started a wave of pro-democracy demands in the world, could not provide basic rights to women. Women got the right to vote in the USA as late as the 1920s, some 100 years after the country’s Independence.
Leaders who talked about liberty, equality, and democracy were reluctant to consider women as equal to men. I only rarely come across women leaders in the whole of world history. No significant voice was raised for gender equality in the past—it was a second priority for all.
In contrast, India provided voting rights to all citizens, equally, as soon as it got Independence, unlike many other nations. But it too has not been able to ensure the welfare of women, thanks to the patriarchy mixed with caste and class stratification. People still rape and assault women; there is still domestic violence against women. Women are still denied proper education, health care, and economic opportunities. A woman’s freedom of choice is restricted in every aspect of life.
Protests like the Purple Wave are barely visible in India today. Everybody is silent on women’s issues, including women themselves. Strange that so many women are not aware or conscious about their own subjugation. In fact, many exploit another one by in a patriarchal bargain. This attitude has perpetuated gender inequality worldwide for centuries and there is no indication of its eradication in the near future.
However, this large scale protest in Switzerland shows that women themselves have to recognise and raise their voices against the injustice meted out to them.