A Women’s helpline launched by muslim personal law.

The All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) has, for the first time, decided to form a women’s wing to expand social reform activities among Muslim women. The Board has also decided to launch an all-India Muslim women helpline to provide guidance to them on family issues. A toll-free call centre in Urdu, English and eight other regional languages will be set up.

The women’s wing would also deal with issues such as family disputes and education.

Taking a historic decision, the board has formed a women’s wing. "Social reform activities among women will be expanded across the country through this wing,” Kamal Farooqui, member of the personal law board’s executive committee, said during a press conference.

The resolution passed at the AIMPB’s three-day convention, stated that the government was infringing into the personal laws of Muslims. The women’s wing would also deal with other issues like family disputes and education, AIMPLB secretary Zafaryab Jellani told a press conference .

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HYDERABAD: The AIMPLB has launched a helpline for women, which will provide information on various aspects of Islamic law. The knowledge shared during the call will help in empowering them, said board officials. The AIMPLB has launched a helpline for women, which will provide information on various aspects of Islamic law. The knowledge shared during the call will help in empowering them, said board officials.  The AIMPLB has launched a helpline for women, which will provide information on various aspects of Islamic law. The knowledge shared during the call will help in empowering them, said board officials.

 With several petitions having been filed against triple talaq, the All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) had launched a helpline for women in November last year in what the board said was a move to empower Muslim women. This was after they had supported triple talaq.

Member of the women’s wing of the All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) Asma Zehra  said that Prime Minister’s comments against triple talaq and implementation of a uniform civil code had acted as a blessing in disguise for Muslim women.

“About 10 crore women, across the country, through a signature campaign had expressed their support for the Muslim Personal Law and had also said that they knew that the attempt to implement a uniform civil code was a tool to interfere with the Muslim Personal Law which is our constitutional right,” Zehra said. She added that Modi’s attempt had helped lakhs of Muslim women to be aware of the rules of ‘talaq’ and their rights during separation.

Content Writer: Jatin Arora

HYDERABAD: The AIMPLB has launched a helpline for women, which will provide information on various aspects of Islamic law. The knowledge shared during the call will help in empowering them, said board officials.

Privilege vs Necessity

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I shift uncomfortably as a mass of sweaty bodies is pushed against me. There is a constant struggle to find some open space to stand in while being engulfed in the stench of the hot summer and perspiration. I’m dressed comfortably and appropriately but I can sense the hard gaze and stare of many men that are in my compartment, making me instantly feel anxious and embarrassed. Several men thrust against me as the metro comes to a grinding halt making a strangers hand push against my thigh. I feel an unsolicited hand on my shoulder as I get pushed aside from the exodus that occurs when the metro doors open to let out passengers at the station.

 Every woman who has travelled the metro has at some point faced this issue. They have felt the anxiety, nervousness and unease that comes with travelling in the normal compartment of any metro, a feeling that most men are completely unaware of. To those men, I would like to simply explain that the separate compartment for women that’s labelled in most metros is not in fact a privilege that we have obtained over time through unfair means but a necessity for the safety and the preservation of fundamental human rights.

The “privilege” that women have obtained over time of having separate coaches, rooms, seats in public positions, reservations in institutions has not arisen due to the need for unequal treatment or as an action to commemorate the superiority of women. It has risen since in a normal situation women were either mistreated in some cases or in others underrepresented. After repeated cases of harassment, theft, and assault women were finally given separate compartments in the metro so that they could feel safe and secure with the company of other women. Ever since the implementation of the separate coaches, there have been fewer reports of harassments and unsolicited advances towards women in metros. A majority of women also prefer to travel in the women’s compartment as it provides them more personal and physical spaces and is a comparatively less hostile and more inclusive environment as they are in the company of other women.

Content Writer: Aanchal Thakur

Marriage v/s Career: Women’s Dilemma

Looking through the past, marriage has always been the ultimate dream of any Indian woman. Attaining your own goals was always sacrificed for fulfilling your family’s wish of getting married to a man that according to them is perfect for you. Has the progression in our thinking and the overall growth of the society as a whole changed woman’s perspective over marriage? Is this preconceived and prejudiced notion applicable to every woman? These questions can be answered in multiple ways.

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A woman who belongs to the contemporary culture have to focus on a professional life which enables them freedom from marriage constrains and gives them an overall choice over this matter. This aspect of their lives does get affected after marriage. There are number of problems faced by married women in professional workplaces. The most common of them all is the lack of support or understanding being provided to these married women.

Support in terms of helping them out with household chores or just basic help necessary for women to contribute towards managing their families.  Career and family goals in most cases are completely diverse.  Trying to achieve both of them is an immensely demanding task that millions of married women face throughout their married life.

Is there any respite provided to such women by the management? Looking over at things like ‘Marriage Bar’ which restricts employment of married women in general or in a particular profession while having no economic or social justification, there seems to a negligence being shown by the authoritative body.

Setting priorities seems to be another issue being faced by married women. Some women may get married at the beginning of their professional careers or some would at the peak of their careers. Striking a balance between professional and personal life is always a concern.

Looking over at the general consensus which fortunately seems to be changing, women have always been looked upon as the one who have to take care of the kids and just manage the household. Thus seeing women work was always treated with the wrong attitude. One of the reasons for a positive change in the attitude of the society as a whole has to be the financial pressure faced by the middle class families where nowadays both the adults in the family working is seen as a good thing.

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A lot of women give up their jobs after child birth, which eventually leads to a downfall of their career in the long run. Here, the choice of women comes into the question. Whether she is willing to place her career over her family at the beginning of her professional life depends on the goals of one’s life.

To answer the ensuing question whether marriage is the ultimate destination of a women’s life, we have to downright look at the way a particular woman wants to live her life. Giving her freedom of choice, which incidentally is a constitutional right of every citizen of this diverse country, is the first and foremost objective. Whether she wants to get married and focus on her family is ultimately upon her.  Pressurizing a woman over such decisions never yields good results and destroys more than one valuable life.

 Content Writer: Saksham Diwan

THE MODERN INDIAN WOMAN

The sari is hung neatly next to the pantsuit in the closet that’s filled with suits, dresses, and various traditional attires. The modern Indian woman or girl is no longer a symbol of a damsel in distress but a femme fatale. She is a decision maker, a fabricator of her own destiny and direction of life. The modern girl in India is no longer oppressed under the tyranny of the patriarchal regime unable to decide what she wants, or unaware of the rights bestowed to her. Although many of the barriers that women had to face previously that stopped them from attaining certain goals or positions still exist, there is a greater level of awareness about these barriers and how to avoid them. Women are known to be good multitaskers, from those who balance both their housework to office life and those that juggle between multiple jobs, women have been known to do it all. 

Women have radicalized the new age by progressing in all forums and fields like technology, education, human rights, law, medicine etc. Women have been a pivotal aspect of the changes that have occurred in India in the last century and more and have been ardent supporters of giving more rights and education to other women who have not been as privileged.  The modern girl in India is a force to be reckoned with. She is prevalent on social media, is smart, hardworking and knows what she deserves and wants. No longer are we in a period where we will allow men to take away the rights that women are deserving of.

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The modern girl in India can be found in any corner of the country, from a chawl in the crowded city of Mumbai, to the open seaside in Goa or in an apartment in Delhi. Fundamental changes have been brought in the way that women function in modern times, women have learnt how to work in male dominated settings and how to achieve high posts and reach their goals. Girls are not afraid to go out at night, or drink in front of their male coworkers. They have learnt to dress how they please in public irrespective of what others think, to post what they like, to express their views and feelings openly in a public forum. The modern Indian women has a voice, and she is not afraid to use it.

Content Writer: Aanchal Thakur

7 MYTHS ABOUT WORKING WOMEN

Working women are often faced with a lot of prejudice and unequal treatment in the workplace. There are numerous barriers to gender equity in most organizations all over the world. Myths are often created about women in the workplace, their critical skills and their priorities. Women are often judged for choosing their ambition and career over more traditional choices like living a domestic life or managing the family. Here are some myths about working women.

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1.    Women prioritize family and marriage before their jobs which require total commitment.

a.    Women that manage families often have two jobs, that of a homemaker as well as a career woman. This is often used as an excuse to not hire women or to not give promotions as they believe managing a family hampers the work life and output that women produce in office. This myth is not true for the women who are career oriented and prioritize their careers as well as the fact that many women can give close to equal effort and attention to both their homes and their work and it should not be a reason to increase gender inequity.

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2.    Career women will become old maids

a.    There is a fear that has been perpetuated by society for generations that says that women who postpone their marriage to focus on their careers will end up old and alone. In the United States an article in 1986 asserted that a woman who hit the age of 40 without marrying has a better chance of being killed by a terrorist than by having a wedding. This was proven wrong as by 2012, more than 93% of those women were married according to the U.S. Census.

3.    No girls allowed, business is for boys

a.    There is an enforced stereotype in society that associates men as businessmen and women staying at home. The CEO is Palo Alto stated in an article once about having to deal with male colleagues who feel pride in not leaving their kids with a nanny unlike some of their female colleagues without realizing the sacrifice women, especially their wives are making in their careers just so they can feel that way. The bigger picture in that story was that the men accepted her in the meeting as “one of the boys” and did not discriminate her on her work basis which means that they myth is debunked.

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4.    Working women neglect their families

a.    Many believe that women who work can’t possibly be good mothers or spouses as they cannot effectively contribute the same amount of effort and energy into both jobs. Its propagating the concept of “women can’t have it all” but women have repeatedly over generations and generations debunked that myth and proven that being ambitious and having a career has not been a barrier in being a good parent or a family member and it increases the overall lifestyle of the family if there is more than one parent earning.

5.    Women are bad at math

a.    There is a belief about men being more analytical and mathematically advanced than women while women are better in linguistic and written tasks. This myth is surrounded by the fact that women cannot do as work in business or finance and statistics as men can. There is a surfeit of women who have proven that this myth is false including Danika McKeller who was in the famous Wonder Years. She graduated summa cum laude from UCLA and moved to write math books like “Math doesn’t suck” and became an accomplished mathematician.

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6.    Women can’t be leaders like men

a.    Research shows that the concept of merit is very subjective as well as prone to a lot of bias from different areas. Statistically it has been proven that women tend to show stronger leadership skills on all fronts. Men tend to rate the performance of other men highly. 45% of mid-level women in Asia felt that rising to a senior management position is very important to them. People usually perceive women who are in leadership positions as bossy and aggressive while men are looked up to as being assertive and confident.

7.    Women are too emotional

a.    The office is known as a place where formality is key, means maintaining boundaries at all times and being calm and composed is crucial to being successful. Women are looked at as being emotional and vulnerable creatures that will most likely let their emotions make a lot of decisions instead of thinking about situations logically which will hamper progress of the firm in totality. There is also the bias that women are sensitive and thus they will be affected easily in adversity and won’t know how to handle tough situations. This myth has been proven to be wrong as most women know how to act appropriately at work and sensitivity is subject to different personality and should not be associated to one gender.

Content Writer: Aanchal Thakur

Subtle Sexism In Patriarchial Societies- Identify it and stop it!

Sexism is a word most people avoid, it is common knowledge in today’s world that sexism is not something one should indulge in but it continues to exist in a nuanced form and packaged form even today. Subtle sexism still exists in ever nook and cranny of the society, it finds it’s way into our conversations and the content we produce and propagate. Most of the times it goes unnoticed, sexism and discrimination is rooted very deeply in our heads since we were kids.

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We see a lot of popular comedians taking up the issue of sexism and making jokes about it. Most memes on the internet too are centred around women and feminism. These jokes look harmless but contribute to the woman-hating culture of violence. Most commonly, go-make-a-sandwich jokes and jokes against women drivers are considered perfectly normal and common however, they are very sexist in nature and establish the fact that both men and women are only meant for certain specific activities. Moral policing of women in temples, colleges and workplaces is also fairly common and the fact that there are lesser rules for men is disturbing and discriminatory. Hostels rules and curfews also only seem to be applicable to female students. The recent VIT hostel rules asking girls only to wear sleeved clothes and Indian formal wear are preposterous and unfair, the fact that the hostel wardens are making these decisions on their own accord and enforcing them is worse. In another recent article, the principal of Mumbai-based Government Polytechnic college, claimed that PCOD and a reduced desire to have babies may be caused by women thinking like men and wearing pants. These comments only come up because we allow the propagation and normalisation of sexism in the society without even realising it.

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Women also face a lot of sexism at their workplace. Workplaces usually have a very strict dress code in place. Women are also mostly assigned administrative duties inspite of being in high posts. Bosses too sometimes end up asking their female subordinates to fetch coffee and do these tasks because of set gender criteria in their head. Moreover, in a bid to keep themselves safe, women end up losing out on opportunities which may involve late night shifts.

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Most of these criterions and do’s and don’ts find their way into a child’s life right from the beginning. Boy’s rooms and items are supposed to be blue in colour and girls are supposed to have pink rooms and clothes. Boys are expected to be violent and tough, boys are not supposed to play with girly things, girls are expected to be more interested in playing with dolls and learn how to cook so that it helps them in the future. Girls end up looking at these dolls as the ideal woman hereby buying into society’s standards for women which build their insecurities and make them believe they are not good enough. Moreover, girls are always asked not to use crass language as that doesn't suit them. Girls are asked to sit properly because sitting with their legs parted is manly and invites trouble. When they start seeing people, girls are told that if a guy is being mean to them, he likes her. When this seed is sown in their heads, they end up staying in abusive relationships where they are not respected. Most expletive too insinuate women and are directed towards one's mother or sister.

This discrimination and sexism is not just limited to women and hurts men as well. Boys are expected to be masculine and tough. Boys are expected to hide their feelings and emotions, if they cry they are weak because that’s what girls do. Effeminate men are labelled as homosexuals or transsexuals. Moreover, men who wish to pursue professions that were traditionally segregated and performed by women are discouraged and are asked to do something manly.

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Sexism is also subtly promoted by pop culture - mainly films, TV shows, books and art works. Art should promote feminism instead of reinforcing sexism and gender disparity. Bollywood especially needs to eliminate the justification of stalking culture and eliminate it in their films and songs. Marketing companies too feed on people’s insecurities in order to market their products and services. Girls and boys are made to feel like they are not good enough externally and need particular products to be better. Advertisements too heavily objectify women.

We see how sexism is something which troubles both men and women hence we should work hard and weed every bit of sexism and discrimination out of our system and society. People need to collectively work on this and understand that doing away with sexism only makes way for a fairer and a better society. If people are happy, the country would also do well economically. Due to it’s deep rooted existence, men and women need to continuously fight this phenomenon at various grounds. We need to mobilise ourselves and stop this in order to make this world a better place. We must learn to identify and call out this subtle sexism and put a stop to it.

Content Writer: Anuckriti Garg 

Valentine’s Day: A Day of repentance?

14^th February, the date which is more commonly known as Valentine’s Day is imminent. The week when flowers and chocolates are suddenly sold at 10x their actual price or the week when ‘love’ is supposed to be everyone’s favorite term is upon us.

But it’s not all just roses and sunshine; looking into it from a neutral perspective; we may find out the actual cost that women have to pay for the day which has some sketchy Roman origins.

An increase in cases of woman harassment is a common occurrence during the month of February. Valentine’s Day can be seen as a prime opportunity to break sexual harassment laws and needs to be looked upon by the government.

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A study was recently conducted regarding the Valentine’s Day celebrations in different cities corresponding level of safety in these cities in India.  Cities like the City of Agra, Pune, and Jammu etc. were included. There was a small correlation between lack of safety and the level of celebrations being conducted in a city.

Another aspect involving women safety has to be the religious beliefs and backward thinking amongst the various spiritual groups of our country. Some places have experienced protests from different political parties or women have been harassed for trying to celebrate Valentine’s Day. Its one thing to argue women’s safety on such occasions but it’s completely wrong to prevent them freedom of choice or to force women to behave in a specific and ancient manner.

Valentine’s Day means sharing cards and flowers amongst your loved ones. This whole month has a huge effect on the families of women employees who have to work extra-time just to ensure that every order for flowers is met. An example of city of Facatativá in Colombia sheds some light on this issue.

Colombia is the world’s second largest flower exporter and the Valentine’s Day has an effect on the lives of the huge woman workforce of the country. This is not just applicable to Colombia but is an example of how women employees are treated in our country.

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Valentine’s Day is still a symbol of happiness and love and cannot be completely abolished but steps can be taken to ensure women safety by the government and the people.

Specific laws are one way of solving this issue. Stricter sexual harassment laws, police protection at common places for valentine’s celebrations and ensuring that people are well informed on how to respect women’s privacy can be considered as a good start towards making Valentine’s Day as a day of  love and not a day of remorse.

Content Writer: Saksham Diwan

The Fallacy Of Love

Does true love exist or is it just a gimmick that’s been perpetuated by romance novels and Nicholas Sparks inspired movies? Is there really a soulmate for us out there that exists solely for us or are “perfect relationships” just two people who care for each other and learn to compromise?  Is Valentine’s Day just a day created so that the companies can make more money?

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With valentine’s day just around the corner, social media is abundant with lovey-dovey relationship quotes and posts and those in relationships try to find every avenue to express their love for their partner. Every day is another excuse to express their love with events like rose day, chocolate day popping up every single day. Guys rush from place to place to arrange perfect dates for their girlfriends, girls spend hours looking their best all for one day of the year that’s designated to be “the day of love”. Who benefits the most from valentine’s day? The couple or the corporations and industry that have capitalized on the idea of love? People spend thousands of rupees on getting flowers, chocolates, reservations in fancy restaurants all because they want to avoid getting reprimanded because they didn’t make the effort on one day of the year even if they have tried their level best on the other 365 days. What about all those people that are single or have just gone through a breakup or a divorce? Valentine’s day is just another reminder of how alone they are or a stab in the back reminding them of whatever they have gone though. The sale of romantic movies reaches an all-time peak as couple’s scramble to spend time together to even watch movies they hate all for the sake of it being “valentine’s day”.

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Magazines, novels, TV shows and movies propagate this fantasy filled idea of what a perfect valentine day is supposed to be like or even what a perfect relationship looks like which creates false pressures on people to incorporate those ideas to reproduce the same events in their lives when what they’re trying to duplicate isn’t even realistic. Some people may be able to afford 5 star restaurants meals and expensive impromptu rendezvous to places like Paris but for those who cannot well I guess it’s just your tough luck guys! For most people at the end of the day, this day doesn’t even truly symbolize love, partnership, affection or romance, for many it’s just an excuse to splurge money to make up for all the other times they weren’t available.

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Valentine’s day should be a day just like any other day, when you make the people you love and care about feel special especially your significant other. Let’s move away from all the pretentiousness and the over-glamorization of this day to remember the real purpose of why we celebrate Valentine’s Day.

Content Writer: Aanchal Thakur

Why Indian Women Need Reservation In Political And Corporate Sector

“The best thermometer to the progress of a nation is its treatment of its women.” -
​ Swami Vivekananda

With ​India standing at the 103rd position out 140 countries with a mere 12% representation of women in Parliament in the IPU report​, it goes without saying that India has yet a long way  to show the progress and sustainable development it is aiming at. It ​ranked 13 out of 18 in the Asian countries​ and​ 5 out of 8 in the SAARC countries​. The vast underrepresentation of women in decision-making positions is apparent in these numbers.

 COUNTRIES        1995       ​2016           
    India                   5             12
    Nepal                 6              30
    Pakistan             10            21
    Bangladesh        10            20
    Rwanda              17            64
                                                                                                   
Proportion of women in Parliament.; Source: IPU report.


India is even behind its neighbouring countries like Nepal, Bangladesh and Pakistan in scoring more proportion of women in the Parliament. Even countries like Saudi Arabia, where women are banned driving, have better women representation than India.

Out of 543 members in Lok Sabha, women occupy just 66 seats while the 9% national average of women representation in  State Assemblies is more deplorable. States like Pondicherry and Nagaland have no women MLAs at all. This proves that gender parity is still huge in India’s political sector dominated by male. It is a shame that gender parity is even worse than that of sub-Saharan Africa, one of the poorest regions of the globe, which has a decent score 0.57

Looking at the corporate sector of India​,​ ​the number of women on boards ​has doubled over the past ​six ​years to​ 11.2 per cent in 2015, from 5.5 per cent in 2010( Credit Suisse report).​  As reported in the Economic Time, this positive trend of progress in women's representation at the board of directors level is not carried over to the senior management level. Sahana Sarma, the principal of McKinsey & Company, said, "In India, the number of women at the entry level is 25 percent and in the mid-level management, it comes down to 16 percent. At the senior management level there is a sharp drop to four percent,"  It is no wonder that​ at the global level, ​India is stuck at the bottom position,124 out of 136(WEF report), when​ ​women’s economic participation is concerned. 

The 2016 Global Board of Directors Survey has attributed  gender divide and a generational divide for this problem.​  As it says, “Women cited most often the fact that diversity is not a priority in board recruiting, while younger male directors (age 55 and under) said that the reason was because traditional networks tend to be male-dominated.”   India is losing more than a quarter of its GDP because of this poor market structure trodden by the wide gender gap. Despite encouraging female education and learning in different fields, women’s finesse and capabilities eventually end up mostly in educational sectors, service sectors or in home.


 Reservation- an initial key to the solution :

In 1996, the​ Deve Gowda government introduced the Women Reservation Bill which​ proposes  33% of seat reservation for women in the Lok Sabha as well as the state legislative assemblies. The Bill had gone through various drama and protests in these 20 years but had not yet been made into a law. It has only passed in the Rajya Sabha and is still pending in the Lok Sabha. 

The Bill is attacked by the question of equality, arguing that it would be unfair to the ‘adept’ men if they lose the seat out of reservation; arguing that country’s growth will be affected adversely while also questioning the credibility of “par-kati woman”(short-haired woman) speaking of “our woman”- that is of rural area. 

Before questioning the credibility of women, one must need to ponder over the credibility of those MPs and MLAs who themselves hold crime records of rape and violence? The statement of Sharad Yadav , vilifying women by saying “par-kati” itself shows the acrimonious stereotypes against women. Thinking that reservation will hamper growth, then why do top researches and surveys show far better results of those institutions which are inclusive of both genders than those which are dominated by one? History has witnessed women’s oppression and exploitation. Women have been adept too but was never given the chance to show it. Demanding a share of the place to have the voice equal to that of men  is only justice and fair. 

It is to take notice that our neighbouring countries such as Nepal, Pakistan and Bangladesh with more women representatives in the Parliament than India have actually provided their women with special incentives like reservation  of seats. India itself holds the positive mirror to this, showing an affluent impact on the policy making and societal change in those villages where there 33.33% seat reservation for women in panchayat elections is followed .

Considering the stats of both political and economical sector, it is evident that the stagnancy of women in these sectors is lagging India behind. India is yet to create a level playing field for women in these sectors to not just empower women but also to boost growth and sustainable development.  Reservation of women serves as an initiating key to this problem by creating more space for women, encouraging them to voice their issues and opinions and including them into the decision making process. 

Women’s poor participation  in parliament directly affects the priorities and assumptions of policies and legislations. The Bill will help in translating the democracy into an inclusive one which is a better form of democracy for sustainable progress.​ ​It will help in building up of more gender-sensitive development policies and schemes , thereby considering women’s issues  too in the decision making, hence improving and strengthening their position in the society. Women who work at grassroots level perceive the situation and problems of women more profoundly and accurately; hence can offer better solutions for women’s issues.
Reservation in corporate and other sectors will increase employment opportunities for women and will also mitigate the gender gap in the workforce of India. Having both men and women in a company will help build a good relation- both in gender and professional level and a better environment, ensuing better efficiency of the company. As pointed out in ​ Mckinsey report of 2011​ ,which analysed 89 listed companies, ​those which had more women proportion in their director's board ensued better return on equity, lucrative operating  profits and buoyant share price​. Also, with more number of women participation, the companies will onset more training programs for women, thereby honing their skill.

Not a permanent solution:

Reservation of women is not a permanent solution to the upliftment of women in the social, economical and political levels but fuels the initial process of their empowerment. Like reservation of OBC and ST/SC was necessary because the chronic caste system barred their educational, social and political right. It was the reservation which brought them in upfront, enabling to access all those fields. Reservation of women will make a profound impact if be effective for at least three decades; hence later, women will be accessing these spaces with more confidence and strength. ​They have been historically at the socio-economic disadvantage, with their careers choices moulded by the stereotypes.​ India needs to quickly take a mandatory initiative step to eradicate gender gap which is necessary for the sustainable human development of the country. The survey makes it evident that women empowerment is a half-cooked meal if other necessary ingredients aren’t added into it. India has to do more than giving education to women, it has to include them in economical and political fields as well to strengthen their position  in society, gain its shrinking GDP and introduce inclusive schemes and laws for the country. Swami Vivekananda had perceived it rightly, 

                  Can you better the condition of your women?  

                  Then there will be hope for your well-being. 

                 Otherwise you will remain as backwards as you are now.

A woman in man's profession

“ I ring the door-bells and our customers seem to be shocked. I am wearing the even-cargo t-shirt and carrying their ordered items. They look amazed and I am happy to look at their surprising faces because I am not a delivery man but a delivery woman.”

Being an intern at Even Cargo, I feel the same for my organisation which made a difference in its own unique fashion. I am a gender specialist and I have rarely seen delivery women and is still questioning the social taboos related to masculinity and femininity. I hope the statement which I have quoted is true for every woman who has got a chance to explore a ‘man’s field’.  Many studies have suggested that most women are working in the informal sector which are providing them jobs which are hazardous to women’s health, in-secured, humiliating, and dehumanizing.

When women are employed in garment sector, they are not even knowing the amount of work they have done and their employers usually betray them by saying that their colleagues have sewed more number of clothes. There is a stiff competition inside that dark room and women have to work for long hours without relaxing and they do not even have control over their own work. The gendered notions of work have undermined women’s skills and recognised the jobs done by males as skilled and men are paid more than women in most of the sectors.

The project undertaken by Even Cargo is not just about training women for developing their communication or inter-personal skills but they are given an equal opportunity to become a skilled delivery personnel like men and get a job which is paying them equally well and helping them to gain social and physical mobility. This platform is a gender just, equitable platform, sustaining itself to empower women and encouraging the phenomenal concept of ‘social justice’. Women, hired as delivery personnel are belonging from the economically marginalised and weaker sections of the society but their self-reliance will definitely create a difference and will help breaking certain stereotypes related to segregation and division of labour in the realm of growing capitalism in the midst of globalisation.

This internship has helped me a lot in building my future career prospects and will certainly lead me towards building a successful career. This platform has raised my standard from being a mere academician to an evolutionary and revolutionary content writer which I aspire to become. This journey is giving me insights pertaining to  creating a gender-just environment wherein women exert their own agency to create a world which runs on the foundation of solidarity, sociality, and humanity.

Content Writer: Anupreeta Chatterjee

Women Being Harassed Once Again!

They know your name, they have your contact details and house number too. But they are strangers to you. They help you deliver food when you are lazy to cook some; they deliver your items when you are making affluent use of e-shopping. Simply, home deliveries have made our lives easier.

Designed By: Dhruv Mahajan

However, the enumeration of these shocking incidents will leave many women alarmed and alert before thinking of making a home delivery.
 27 November 2015​, a news was posted in India Times and Storypick about a girl, Avantika, getting repetitive texts from the delivery boy after ordering food from the restaurant Bercos, Greater Kailash-1. There was a trivial problem of payment which confused the delivery boy but was quickly sorted out. Half an hour after that, she received a message of apology from him. She dismissed it, thinking it as their warm customer service, careful of their customer's need. But it confused her when she received the same on WhatsApp. What alarmed her later was another text, asking her why is her dp not visible. Well, seriously, how will you react to it? What does the delivery boy have to with it?

She ignored it. But the messages kept coming again.

Frightened, she complained about this matter to the Bercos and even to its Customer Relationship Manager. But got no heed, responsible action or relevant reaction. She even went on to take this matter to the ears of SHADOWFAX, a company responsible for hiring the delivery boys for Bercos. And their response is worth noticing, ​“Ma’am he just asked for your picture and apologised about the confusion, what is wrong in that.”
​ They weren’t just unapologetic towards this case but even retaliated with an absurd question! Is this how they take customer service seriously? They weren't even looking into the customer's problem but were rather questioning the very same.

Later, she expressed her agitation in her Facebook post, explaining the entire case, her fear towards the unexpected texts of the delivery boy and the ‘nobel’ response of the concerned companies. This post was received by the co-founder of Info-Edge group (Naukri.com), Mr Sanjeev Bhikchandani who who is an investor with Zomato, publicized assuring her of the relevant action to be taken by the companies.

The boy was fired, but the restaurant never apologised.

That’s it? Will that assure the customers of never happening such incidents again? The fact that the authority in power didn’t take a stand and simply fired the delivery boy makes it seem like an act of 'rescue-the-name-of-the-company' rather than a quality customer service.
Avantika’s post raised pertinent questions regarding the working and hiring of delivery boys by the companies which seems to be ignored or bypassed- “Do you not screen your employees? Is there no code of conduct? No rules, regulations or employee check? Do you do absolutely nothing to keep a tab on these people?”

Many people commented on this post saying she should just have replied to his texts with 'not interested' or blocked his number rather than complaining and making him lose his job. They called it a trivial matter which was unnecessarily publicised.

But considering the other shocking case, if it wasn’t for Avantika's immediate action, the matter could have gone as worse as this one in- Bangalore registered an outrageous case of harassment by a delivery boy where the woman was forced to leave the city itself.​ Ankita(name changed)who lived alone in Bangalore, tweeted a petition, requesting help. She had been receiving calls ever since she ordered food from a restaurant in  Koramangala through a mobile app in ​October 2014​. Later, she got a call from the delivery guy asking to be her friend. Blocking the number and informing the restaurant owner didn’t stop it either. The calls still came swarming at her, getting vulgar, frightening her to the extent of leaving her house.
To the advisors of "block the number" to Avantika's post, sorry but your trick didn't work here. Even changing the mobile number didn’t work for her. What other proper measure should a woman do in this case if not complaining to the authority and to the police?

However, her complain to the Koramangala police in August 2015 didn’t incite any action either. Eventually, she was compelled to leave the city but the calls haven’t stopped yet. Bengaluru's senior police officer has assured her of his help and of taking a serious action in this case.


The other appalling case of ​12 July 2016 ​will make the option of  home delivery seem risky and a grave mistake of inviting the culprit to your house yourself. J. P. Nagar police arrested a food delivery boy of McDonalds through Foodpanda app for allegedly harassing a woman customer and putting up her phone number in a WhatsApp group as an escort service, inviting numbers of vulgar calls asking her price for sex.  This action of the guy was in revenge against the women for refusing the delivery.

The girl sought police help which caught the alleged guy and had him remanded to judicial custody.

These are few highlighted cases,( but there must have been many) that too of  big companies known for their good customer service The lax attitude of the companies who ask what’s wrong when their delivery boy personally asks for the customer's picture makes us really question the mode of conduct and manner their delivery boys are groomed with. Online services have made our life easier and it grants our order with a click of a button right at our doorstep. Many might not have even thought about the ‘misuse’ of their contact details they give to the shops/restaurants because we ‘trust’ their service. But looking at these cases, it sure raises our doubts and fears about the person who is standing at our doorstep having our contact details.

When Bangalore Mirror contacted the McDonalds about this incident, they assured their full co-operation and of taking strict action against their third- party service. While in Foodpanda’s report, it was, “The third party did it, not us.” Blame-game never solves the problem. The companies should rather work on mitigating the problem, ensuring strict rules and immediate strict action when such complaints are voiced.

Content Writer: Atiba Sheikh

Women Employment Crisis

Since 1947, the year India gained independence; the Indian economy has undergone monumental changes. The British left us in miserable poverty; religion based social issues, and argumentative national boundaries which later lead to wars with Pakistan and China. But with terrific strength and unity along with Green Revolution, IT Revolution, trade liberalization, etc. Indian economy withstood all these blows. The boost in the nation’s GDP has proved to be profitable for the most, but this profit is not shared equally by all the groups. Women are one such group, who has not been able to enjoy the perks and profits of the various economic reforms that our country has been through at par with men.

The world had been treating the female as the second gender for too long and India is no different. Albeit the waves of Feminist movement in the different parts of the world, particularly the west has done a great deal of work to reduce this gender inequality India as a independent and developing democratic nation, where 48.5% of the population is female still has a long road to go to match up to the gender equality prevalent in other countries. And women employment can prove to be a spot-on treatment for achieving the same. But when women employment enters the picture, the first question that pops in the mind is “Why so few among so many”?

Despite the fact that female literacy and enrollment of girls in educational institutes have been rising, India ranks 127^th on the gender inequality and 108^th on the global gender gap index which brings out the shortcomings in the efforts to accomplishing gender equality; concealed by depthless, ineffective government policies and our individual efforts. Latest government statistics suggest that women’s labor participation rate fell from 29.4 percent in 2004-2005 to 22.5 percent in 2011-2012. The gender gap in the labor force is particularly stark when we consider that in the 15-59 age groups, women’s participation is only 32 percent in rural areas compared to 83 percent for men, and 21 percent in urban areas compared to 81 percent for men. These are the most recent available data according to National Sample Survey (NSS).

India’s female labor force participation is among the lowest in the world.

Apart from the huge gap in number of employed men and women, there is also a stark difference in the kind of work men and women do. Surveys show that a very great majority of employed and working women are engaged in rural agricultural activities. There is a huge difference between the women working in agricultural sector and the women employed as skilled labors. This difference tends to plummet for the males. Studies show that more developed countries have a higher percentage of female population engaged in more productive sectors such as manufacturing and services which help in overall urbanization and GDP growth.  

 One of the largest barriers that prevent women from working is society, particularly in rural and sub-urban India. The patriarchal norms of the Indian society tend to support the idea that the ideal place for women is home. Indian parent won’t have any problem in sending the girls to schools, colleges but they are apprehensive of letting the girl go to work. The idea of women working outside their home is still culturally hard to digest. The lack of higher and professional education in rural and semi-urban areas accounts as a major reason for scarcity of women employees in skilled labor as socio-economic factors tend to weigh in.

Another major reason is the safety of women at or around workplace. The growing violence, recent cases of sexual assaults, gang rapes and sexual harassment in metropolitan and cosmopolitans have been aiding in building the general public perception that women who work in the cities are at greater risk. The insufficient maternity support to working mothers is also a major reason that accounts for the dropping out of many married woman when they are expecting a baby.

Women employment is the key to women empowerment. In a traditional and cultural country like India where the notion that women are meant to be in households, cook and take care of the rest of the family is perceived as the most common and most ideal, employment gives the women to break these barriers and stand on their own feet giving them the confidence that they are better than they are thought to be of. India is in desperate need of concrete and effective policies that will help to reduce this disparity and gender gap in employment. If we want to be one of the greatest economies of world we cannot afford turning a blind eye to this grave issue.

Content Writer: Harshit Sharma