Women still face a lot of mental and physical harassment: Sumalatha Ambareesh

On International Women’s Day, News Trail posed seven questions to some prominent women personalities: 1) One more Women’s Day is coming up. What do you think 2) Have women been able to come out of the shackles now 3) Gender inequality still exists. How do we get rid of it 4) How do you wish this day to be celebrated 5) Do you think women still enjoy freedom on par with men 6) How can women make society respect them 7) Women have conquered space but do you think they have been able to make a space in society? Here are the answers

1 Women’s day comes and goes every year but the condition of women has remained the same. According to me, only a small percentage of women have been able to create their own identity while the rest are yet to make it due to a lot of reasons. For me, every day is a woman’s day as she will be working 24 X 7 all 365 days. Dedicating one day for her is not justifiable as she needs to be cared for daily.

2 Women are still subjected to a lot of mental and physical harassment in many places. In fact, the condition of women in south India is better when compared with the plight of women in North India. Despite working from morning till evening, the contribution of women is not appreciated due to people’s mindset. They think women are meant to do household chores and stay within the four walls.

3 Gender inequality has been present in society for a long time and it has not gone away yet despite changes in all spheres. It is very difficult to call ourselves progressive till this issue is addressed. Firstly, awareness must be created to convey the message that women too are part and parcel of society. Education is a must for women to come up in life and to compete with men in all fields.

4 Personally, I don’t celebrate Women’s Day as we slog every day. So it is like celebrating it daily. I wish all the work is equally shared among men and women. We feel sad when we see the condition of women in villages. Girl children are still considered a burden on the family and there is always a differentiation between the way boys and girls are treated.

5 It is very difficult to say as it varies from one subject to another. Women have certainly enjoyed freedom in some areas but denied in other fields. Despite achievements in the field of science and technology, the mindset of people has to change. Women do not live for themselves but for the whole family, village and country. It is high time that she started fighting for her rights rather than waiting for others to do it on her behalf.

6 Being active in all fields will automatso that she does not feel inferior in any aspect. Unfortunately, women will not get the kind of support that men do in any field including sports. People remember the names of male sportspersons but not of women achievers.

7 Women have to fight if they want to achieve their dreams. Until society reaches that level of treating women on par with men, she must fight.