Recently, a political leader has been facing a lot of public flak for his “modern Indian woman” comment. Ironically, on World Mental Health Day (October 10), Karnataka’s health and education minister addressed the Indian family value system and mental health issues with his remark, “modern Indian women want to stay single, are unwilling to give birth even after marriage and desire children by surrogacy.” The minister, who chose to support his argument with data, was labelled outright as a misogynist by popular media and opposition members alike. The fact that a statement this shocking came from the minister of health and medical education drew criticism from the known and the not so known.
A day later, the argument made by this minister was followed up by a statement by another minister that is perhaps more demeaning than the actual statement. Another noted minister from Karnataka has explained his analysis of the modern Indian woman with the remark, “every woman is not like this... It is happening because of western influence and micro families.” This minister further explains how the ‘mindset’ of the modern and educated woman has ‘broadened too much’ and needs ‘serious attention.’
Random Remarks That Men In Power Make
This is not the first time that men in positions of power have thrown their gems of sexist wisdom at us. Around two years ago, a senior advocate at the Madras High Court who faltered in her arguments was asked by the judge if she’d had a busy morning in the kitchen. The remark probably raised the bar pretty high for the women in black. What followed was even more shocking as reported by The Wire. Those present in the court laughed at this so-called ‘humorous and witty’ statement made by the judge. This was not the first time a woman’s performance at work was directly related to the place patriarchy expects her to belong to, the kitchen. There are instances every single day wherein a woman’s professional growth is directly related to her roles and responsibilities back at home.
Earlier this year, in his controversial statement a politician said how a woman wearing ripped jeans is not the ideal woman who should go out in society. They cannot provide the right environment for the children at home. Similar derogatory comments have been made over the years by men in power about rape culture and how it’s invariably a woman’s fault for wearing certain clothes, stepping out at night, or even not getting married early! What this tendency of making such random remarks reflects on is, ironically, not the mentality of the modern woman, but the lack of education and awareness on the part of these men in power.
According to the report by the World Economic Forum, India’s rank has dropped 28 positions in the gender gap index. What does this mean? The gender gap seems to widen every day in the world’s largest democracy. Amidst such shocking data, convenient remarks on the standardisation of women-appropriate behaviours and roles have been trending every other day, showcasing just why—despite initiatives, social work and even policies—the gender gap in India remains so wide.
Sexism runs deep in the mindset of men in politics, men in power—but that is just the tip of the iceberg because men and women in the nation take their lead from these leaders. The idea that a modern Indian woman can actually have a sense of power over her own body or choices is still alien. And hence, we come across statements of random judgement that do not account for a woman’s choices or preferences. Instead, what we get are gross generalisations and a further promotion of harmful stereotypes that might only make women more susceptible to abuse and violence.