Note: This article was published on Women’s Web on 30th June, 2023
I was speaking with an innovative kid about his non-profit initiative a few months ago, as part of which he encourages and upskills lesser privileged girls to pursue STEM careers. He was relaying his experiences, stating that even today, a sizable percentage of people regard this field to be a man’s domain.
As an engineer, I’ve witnessed the era when gender ratios in colleges were extremely lopsided. It was widely expected that most women would pursue humanities/arts because of the prevalent mindset that a woman had to eventually become an efficient home-maker post-marriage.
I came across a comment recently on my Twitter (now X) feed that got me thinking. It was a post about stay-at-home moms and someone commented, “We shouldn’t judge their decision to stay home. It’s their choice, after all.” While I do agree that it is none of my business to comment on the decision made by any mother, this simple statement got me pondering. Is it always a deliberate choice, unaffected by societal expectations and pressures? This idea stayed with me as I thought about how every time there is a discussion on any such topic, we tend to dismiss it as a choice without really looking at the situation from all angles. Instead of pitting mothers making different choices against each other, shouldn’t we focus on enabling an ecosystem in which every mother truly follows her heart?
During one of the crucial scenes in Gunjan Saxena: The Kargil Girl, a daughter wants to give up on her dreams to tread the path that most girls chose back then. A visibly disheartened father says to her, “I want to give you the wings to fly and you are asking me to cut those wings.”
I was watching the movie with my father and couldn’t help but think that every girl deserves a father like hers, and like mine.
Recently, someone shared a blog on a WhatsApp group where I am a member. The writer had written a story about a woman who felt uplifted and empowered when she began to wear a bright red shade of lipstick. It was a beautiful depiction of her journey and some found the writing to be powerful.
