What does " Empowerment" really mean?

In these days of heightened awareness about gender equality and women's rights, the effort is on to define " women empowerment". To some, that may mean more jobs for women, less repression and restriction, a movement to educate women, ensuring their safety, etc. While this may help women to an extent, it still would not really empower women, as the reins of control still end up being with men.

To some, that may also mean giving women power over men, giving them an unfair and undeserved preference, and acts which basically end up oppressing men instead. This is the other extreme, and just as counter productive as patriarchy. The idea here is not to put one over the other, but to create an equal footing, in every sense of the word.

Empowerment, at least, according to me, is about giving women that free choice to do whatever they want, without being judged for it, just because she is a woman. She should not be looked down upon if she wants to be a home-maker, or should not be repressed or judged, if she chooses a career. She should not be judged if she wants to walk anywhere alone, even late at night, and especially, should not be looked upon as easy prey. Most importantly, she should have a choice in what she wants to do with her life, and her decisions respected.

Most people have this misconception that feminism is about putting women one up over men. In reality, it is about erasing those differences and inequalities that have originated and persisted over time immemorial. The film that Vogue India made ( if you ignore the fact that, Vogue has a history of promoting "perfect", size zero women, and has been the cause of a huge number of insecurities among women) had the right idea, in a sense. It speaks about having a choice, and not being judged for it. They may have used many wrong examples to illustrate it, but the idea of it was there.

My virtues may be your sins, but that does not give you any right to damn me or put me down for it. No one can force me to do anything against my wish, my choice.

India's "Daughter"

Many people have probably already written about this, and probably better than I will. But this is one aspect which really disgusts me. In India, everyone thinks of girls as "daughters", someone who needs to be protected, sheltered, and who, for her own "safety", be restricted at every turn of life.

Whether it's studies, or simple fun, there are always certain "rules" which girls need to follow, if they want to conform. Most girls are simply not allowed to study after a certain age- how will you "get a boy" if you study so much-, not allowed to go out after a certain time, have carefully censored friends, and definitely not move around with anyone "unsuitable". Any thoughts against these are taken to be plain rebellious, and too much in accordance with "western" culture.

Independence is not an option. For your own "safety".

Everyone treated the rape as a shocking event, organized protests, demanded the death penalty for the rapists. But still, rapes and other crimes against women, only increased in number, and in intensity. Why?

Many Indian men have a funny mentality. Either they look at girls as fragile pieces of china, to be kept safe on a mantel, or as mere playthings, to do as they please with. The climax is when they actually adopt a "holier-than-thou" attitude in the end, claiming that they couldn't help themselves. They simply cannot bring themselves to look at girls/women as fellow human beings, to be accorded equal respect and space. This includes the "educated" class of society as well.

You would never see a man being similarly objectified.

India has developed in many ways, but it will not be able to grow unless the country changes its basic mindset. Women are the backbone of any society, and unless they are given truly equal rights, and most importantly, respect, then, instead of moving forward, we will start moving backward.

Girls are not "daughters" to be protected, but are simply human beings, to be treated equally, and to be given equal respect.