Women can choose to be free

The thing women have yet to learn is nobody gives you power. You just take it.
- Roseanne Barr

The Women's Reservation Bill has caused much controversy in the Indian political scene. While I do support the reservation, it should be understood that India is actually trying to build a palace with no foundation to lean on!!!

Its only too unfortunate that this nation has a long way to go in terms of women emancipation. Topping the list is the dowry business, as someone famously said, "Indian Marriage is a market where parents do the shopping," besides abuse, beautification, domestication, incest, purification, subjection and virgin-ism. In spite of all the progress India claims currently, most govt. applications always define women in terms of their relationship with men - they're always the daughter of some father (never a mother), or the wife of a husband - its only of late I've seen newspapers refer to women as Ms. and not 'Miss' or 'Mrs.'

Even women don't seem to refute social stereotypes. Almost every other woman I know switches to her hubby's surname after marriage. While its liberty to be identified by her husband's surname, its a huge compromise on her self-identity. I'm yet to find one good reason as to why a woman should choose to live behind her husband's shadow. The consequential problem is even worse. A child always has a father's name suffixed - because the mother's original identity had ceased to exist post-marriage... in spite of the fact that the woman went through a horribly painful nine month pregnancy and not the man!

Women, however, in my opinion, can choose to be free. But the fight can only work out from the bottom-up. Reserving parliamentary seats and educational courses is a great idea. But it can permeate the society only if women start from the foundation. They should learn that all the outward glossy freedom is by far overshadowed by what goes on behind closed doors. It would be really great if a woman can be a parliamentarian and independent, rather than one who is waiting to leave the Lok Sabha Chamber to prepare dinner at home. Right-to-choose, self-identity and total-equality are some things the women's movement can never choose to ignore.

I am prepared to sacrifice every so-called privilege I possess in order to have a few rights.
- Inez Milholland, Suffragist 1909