The last year has not been kind to us. The pandemic, in arms with the patriarchy, has made life difficult for women and girls across the world in more ways than one.
This Women’s Day, we asked the YKA community how they’ve been fighting an increasingly unequal world and everything it has to throw at us. Here are some powerful posts you’ve published on Youth Ki Awaaz, reinforcing our faith in the battle against a sexist society!
1. Challenging The Brahmanical Patriarchy Isn’t A One-Woman Job
YKA user Priyanka Balashankar, in this honest and powerful piece, looks at the intersections of injustice that get in the way of women truly becoming equal.
“The one manifestation of patriarchy that is unique to India is Brahmanical patriarchy. It is a way of talking about the relationships between gender, caste, the economy, and the state.” The post drives home the message that if we don’t talk about societal structures like caste, misogyny, abuse, we can’t truly talk about emancipation and parity.
2. “Of Course Chacha Ji, You’re Entitled To Comment On The Length Of My Shorts”
“Cover up,” “shut up”, “Have you no shame?” We’re all too familiar with phrases like these being thrown around by (to put it lightly) misogynist uncles (and sometimes aunts) who have no business commenting on our choices. Shraddha Iyer’s post only reminds us, very vividly, of how our homes aren’t free of policing in the first place.
“I realized that men hate it when women take the center stage- with their sense of style, makeup, ability to hold political conversations, discuss the economy, anything at all.” Painfully true, no?
3. I Realised My PG Landlord Started Using His Spouse To Vomit His Patriarchal Rants!
“My flatmate has diverse tribal roots, is a Christian, and is a woman. I am an Assamese, a Muslim, and a woman. This consequently meant people had issues with our food habits and dietary practices.” YKA user Zeba Zoariah Ahsan’s post takes us on a sadly familiar journey. Misogyny comes knocking in different forms. An overbearing landlord (and his wife) who cannot stop the judgement are possibly one of the worst kinds that young women forging their lives in a new city have to put up with.
For all the pomp that Women’s Day was celebrated with, this post leaves us with an important question: How prepared are we really to smash the patriarchy, daily?
4. With Challenges Life Threw At Me, Becoming An Entrepreneur Was Only A Dream
“With courage and not overthinking any longer, I took a leap of faith and registered ourselves on e-commerce portals. Little did I know it was the start of an exhilarating journey that would change our lives forever!” Here’s your dose of inspiration, with a dash of perseverance. Read Poonam’s inspiring story of how she took charge of her own life!
5. One Doesn’t Stand Up To Patriarchy By Newspaper Headline-Worthy Acts ONLY
With social media amplifying every little thing all of us do daily, here’s an important reminder by YKA user Subha. “If you’ve ever refused to laugh at a “women are such bad drivers, lol!”, you’ve stood up to patriarchy. If you’ve ever called out “that’s sexist!” to someone saying “Hey, you throw like a girl,” you’ve stood up to patriarchy.”
The small ways we fight a sexist society, day-in and day-out, matter. Nothing is too small, or too less!
That’s not all folks! The YKA community stepped up and let us know what they’re doing (and have been doing) to take the patriarchy by the horns. Here are all the stories, part of our Women’s Day Special Coverage, by the YKA community. Happy reading!
Write and publish your thoughts and experiences on Youth Ki Awaaz, and let’s smash the patriarchy together!