By Swapna C
Thanks to social media we come to hear or learn about the impact of women in the workforce. Women who are the voice of dissent. Women in tech. Women who fight oppression. Women who inspire.
Women have never had the opportunity to be heard like this ever before. We have had women warriors, doctors, social reformers but their names were difficult to find because very few of them found a mention in our history books. It was as though only men contributed to any change in society. Apart from Amar Chitra Katha which chronicled some of the women achievers, we have been led to believe that up until now, all women have been accepting of their lot and not standing up to any injustice or unfairness or those who paved the way for strong women leaders of today.
According to psychotherapist Ashika Mehta, who has been the President of AAWC, which works for women and children in red light areas, “The rising tribe of the woman warrior can be attributed to access to higher education and opportunity.”
It is indeed true that thanks to the ever expanding reach of social media there is a strong and growing tribe of women who are the creators of change. And we hear their opinion and know how their work impacts society. Ashika Mehta says, “Women are able to see what their peers and women across the world are doing. I think that has led to an attitudinal shift. Families are opening up and saying that if I give my sons a career push, I should give the same to my daughter.”
Here are some working women from various fields who have chosen to use their online networks to take up causes close to their heart regardless of the consequences of “stirring trouble”.
Swara Bhaskar – Film actor Swara has been vociferously voicing her political opinions and taking on her detractors fearlessly. Despite receiving death threats and being trolled mercilessly, Swara maintains her stance and does not back down from stating what she knows to be the truth. We hope that women like Swara are the new norm and celerity or not, everyone with a voice, uses it as an instrument of change.
Japleen Pasricha – Founder Feminism In India Japleen’s movement (for it is not just a social media account or Web site) has helped highlight the many ways in which misogyny and patriarchy is deep rooted in our country. From helping understand why women do not wish to identify as feminists to bringing us women in history whose achievements have not been talked about widely, Feminism in India stands tall as it attempts to dissect contemporary issues and empower us with the knowledge we need to fight
deeply ingrained patriarchal norms. Kudos to Japleen and her team who are educating the current social media generation about the perils of a misogynistic world.
Paromita Vohra – Agents of Ishq Paromita is a Founder of Agents of Ishq, which is a project about sex education and sexual culture in India. She has been talking openly about taboo topics like virginity, sexual desire, pleasure and queer culture to dispel myths and hopefully create a shift in the way we view ourselves as sexual beings. Thanks to Paromita and her agents of Ishq, we are inching closer to being a society where sex and everything associated with it will not be a such a taboo.
RJ Malishka Mendonsa Malishka has been highlighting civil causes in her radio show and has helped to bridge the gap between the issue at hand and the solution available. One the one had she is known for creating entertaining, viral videos on issues that plague Mumbai-ites, while on the other she tries to engage with the local government bodies to help address these issues. Hopefully, we will soon see better roads and infrastructure in Mumbai thanks to people like Malishka who do their bit to influence change.
Faye D’Souza – Journalist When Faye stepped down from her role as an Anchor and Executive Editor at Mirror Now, there was a petition to the Times Group to not let her go. Faye continues to work on bringing the news to her viewers with another media house and her legion of fans continues to grow. Faye has been an inspiration to many aspiring journos and she continues to lead the way.
Sandhya Menon #MeToo Sandhya, a freelance journalist and content writer, has been at the forefront of the #MeToo movement in India and has helped support many women who have called out men. Being a single parent, when she had to face the brunt of her actions by losing work, the consequences had an impact on her kids as well. Her financial woes reached a point when she could no longer afford to send them to school. But, a crowdsourcing initiative by her friends helped pull Sandhya out of the tight spot she found herself in. Her tribe had risen to support her in her hour of need.
May more and more women came together in support of each other to increase the tribe of the woman warrior.
As published on : Thriive Art and Soul