Zomato recently announced that it would implement a new ‘period leave’ policy for its female and transgender employees, wherein they will be entitled to 10 days paid period leaves in a year.
This announcement sent the Twitterati into a frenzy. Though many appreciated the company for this initiative, there were others who took to the social media stating it as a bad idea.
Senior journalist, Barkha Dutt, tweeted, “Sorry Zomato, as woke as your decision on #PeriodLeave is, this is exactly what ghettoises women and strengthens biological determinism. We cannot want to join the infantry, report war, fly fighter jets, go into space, want no exceptionalism and want period leave. PLEASE.'”
Sorry Zomato, as woke as your decision on #PeriodLeave is, this is exactly what ghettoizes women and strengthens biological determinism. We cannot want to join the infantry, report war, fly fighter jets, go into space, want no exceptionalism and want period leave. PLEASE.
— barkha dutt (@BDUTT) August 11, 2020
Her comments seem to have sparked a war of words on the social media platform. While some agreed to politely disagree with her stand, others went harshly critical of her comments. Dutt isn’t the only one who thinks that such policies would result in ‘ghettoizing women’ causing further discrimination at the workplace, a little research can disclose that similar situations arose in Russia and Italy in 2013 and 2017 respectively when the lawmakers proposed a bill in favour of menstrual leave.
What do we need? Another bill like ‘Maternity leave’ or a social change? While empowering women, let’s do the opposite too. How?
Empower Men
Begin it by giving training of basic life skills to young boys from an early age. This will make them self-dependent, self-reliant and& empathetic towards women who work hard in homes. Boys must be made self-dependent by making them experts in household chores. This will make them understand the value of hard work which women do!
Encourage Men To Show Their Emotions
Give men the full freedom to express their emotions. Don’t tell them ‘Boys don’t cry’! Why can’t they show their emotions? Why can’t they be sensitive? Is it because society expects the same from them? If we encourage boys to show their emotions and cry out whenever they feel like, it will allow them to vent out their emotions and& instead of being violent and aggressive, they will become more humane and caring. They will behave better with women!
Paternity Leave
Empower men by giving them the same benefits that are given to women during the parenthood journey. Give them the same benefits as given to women via maternity leaves; give them similar months as leave when they become fathers. Let them be a good father by allowing them plenty of time with their kid and& wife. This will deepen their relationship with their spouse who might be dealing with postpartum depression!
Values And Education
With value-based education, a person understands how to behave with others and co-exist. We as a country need a major improvement in upbringing the social and moral values in our education. Education is not simply about jobs. Education is also about access to new knowledge, information and ideas as well as the capacity to use these effectively.
Value-based education will change the mindset and inculcate etiquettes, manners and appropriate social behaviour which will result in the better treatment of women.
Men-Women Collaborative Approach
Engaging men can foster positive involvement towards women empowerment. Make men an ally to achieve this goal.
Men and women must understand how both roles are indispensable and deserve to be respected and honoured.
Men should respect women & should take a stand against atrocities on women at their working places.
Stop objectifying women, an individual should be respected for their knowledge and capabilities. The worth of an individual, to any extent or aspect, should not be determined by their physical being.
Epilogue
Discrimination on the ground of sex can be removed only when both the sexes get the value-based education. No one should be permitted to act against the rights and obligations of others. It is education, which can make people differentiate between right and wrong.
Educational institutions should play an effective role in the development of a new cultural ethos that can contribute to the goals of the comprehensive development of human material. There is a need for an overhaul of our social value system. The policies and laws won’t mean anything until we change our approach and mindset! Though we can bring in paid leave policies, We still need moral, sensitive, empathetic people who react responsibly to situations. Bring better sanitary facilities for women at offices, make them women-friendly. And then, let them decide whether to work or avail a leave.
I will conclude quoting the words of Mahatma Gandhi: “To call woman the weaker sex is a libel; it is man’s injustice to woman. If by strength is meant brute strength, then, indeed, is woman less brute than man. If by strength is meant moral power, then the woman is immeasurably man’s superior. Has she not greater intuition, is she not more self-sacrificing, has she not greater courage? Without her man could not be. If non-violence is the law of our being, the future is with woman… Who can make a more effective appeal to the heart than woman?”