Girl Up initiative by the United Nations Foundation

Since its inception in 2010 by the United Nations Foundation, the ‘Girl Up’ initiative has been dedicated to embracing the power of young girls to change the world. Girl Up started its journey as a campaign “by girls, for girls”, empowering girls around the world, and has evolved to encompass a broader scope around gender, health, education, social and economic empowerment, freedom from violence and more. The initiative primarily works to secure equal opportunities particularly for underprivileged adolescent girls in developing nations like Malawi, Ethiopia, Liberia and India.

JGU students join the cause for equality

Closer to home, the powerful global phenomena has inspired young girls in India to carry the baton onward and become changemakers in their homeland. In early 2020, a passionate group of students of the 91̽�� launched ‘Girl Up JGU’, to join a steadily expanding global movement of around 4000 clubs across 125 countries. In a country with a massive population like ours, where gender issues are more widespread and deep-rooted across socio-economic strata; where conversations around gender identity are considered taboo; where gender roles are stereotyped and struggles are stigmatised; where violence against women is a burning issue; where local communities at large are yet to catch up to the progress achieved at a global scale—the work of such groups is not only significant, but, necessary.

Girl Up JGU is associated with the United Nations Foundation’s Girl Up Campaign and Girl Up India that works on a range of issues in the field of gender equality. In fact, the core mission of empowering girls has, over time, expanded its purview to include a plethora of issues surrounding girls and young people in today’s context. To that end, Girl Up JGU is a celebration of the diversity of the student body and attempts to provide a safe space for all. It is a platform to work towards gender awareness, mental health, and related issues that affect today’s youth. The membership of the club is open to all individuals from all genders.

“We as a club strive to break free from the bounds of societal stigma by working on issues surrounding mental health, gender normativity, body dysmorphia, sexual health, among others,” shares the team.

First-ever ‘University Queer Society’ panel

Though recently founded, the club has been aggressive in its mission. In fact, Girl Up JGU organised the first ever ‘University Queer Society’ panel, which was attended by queer societies of JGU, BITS Pilani, NLSIU, NLIU, Shiv Nadar University, Hindu College and several other queer collectives from across India. The panellists discussed how universities should bring out policy and infrastructural changes to be more accommodating to all students. In heartfelt conversations, they also spoke of the liberties they enjoy as members of the queer community in their respective universities, the struggles and triumphs in their quest for gender equality.

Spreading awareness through talks, activities, collaborations & more

A discussion on sexual health policies across the globe was led by Ms. Celeste Chung, the U.N. Youth representative from Malaysia, alongside Girl Up Hong Kong. The discussion spanned over three hours wherein the moderators and spectators engaged in a talk about sexual health policies in their respective countries and how the society viewed these issues.

The club also organised a discussion with sexual and mental health professional, Dr. Ritu Kela, wherein the attendees were offered a safe platform to discuss their views and queries on sexual health. The club has plans to regularly host several activities, collaborations, talk circles and events to engage its members and the JGU community at large in conversations surrounding gender equality issues and hopes to do its part in tackling the problem at a global level.

The student-run society has also worked with Zenith, a legal aid clinic working on migrant rights. Girl Up members volunteered and coordinated with migrants in Madhya Pradesh to develop a state-wide report. The study deals with the employment situation of migrants who were forced to return to MP during the Covid-19 pandemic. In association with Zenith, the report has been prepared by three passionate young students: Rakshita Agarwal, Rohit Sharma and Lakshay, who led a team of more than 60 volunteers to gain insights about the state of the migrants currently without work. Titled ‘MP Migrant Workers Report’, the complete work will be available in the upcoming months.

We are proud of this passionate group of changemakers who are an inspiration to all of us in the JGU community and beyond! The budding society has challenged itself to tackle some of the most pressing issues of our times; they are pushing the boundaries every day, with their commitment to freedom, equality and empowerment. As they keep up the good work, we are hopeful that more young students join the cause and bring solutions, change and action around gender and related issues, the momentum they deserve. It is the voices of such educated young people that when pooled together, can ignite social change in a world that sorely needs it.

Where is this concern when we’re butchered on temple stairs?

For being who we are by the police we are battered,

Two faced society, Have Dalit Lives never mattered?

When it comes to us, they all seem blind.

Such is the functioning of the upper caste mind.

Hypocritical it seems that they say “caste no bar”,

but those same ones call us Shudra and chamar.

Untouchable they call us but it is actually they,

Unachievable is their standing, try how hard we may.

In this world obsessed with fairness creams,

Suppressed and unheard remain our screams.

Our plight in the country they do not see,

They respond to issues but selectively.

HearUsToo should be the new hashtag,

With caste killings and prejudice our country will lag.

To hear us and take action is now your choice,

 I beg and I plead, don’t drown our voice.

-Tanvi Tewari, B.A.LLB 2017

The Indo-Pacific region, it is the most vital region for any country to wield influence because of its trade and strategic importance. With the rise of China, the great game is on, to increase its influence and control vital strategic choke points and SLOCs of the region. India, as a major regional player has a massive role to play in the region. However, as a sovereign state with independent strategic interests, it always considered the Indian Ocean as its backyard, and as KM Panikkar says India wants to keep “Indian ocean as India’s Ocean”. New Delhi’s definition of the Indian Ocean is, as Prime Minister Modi said at Shangri-La dialogue, “from the shores of Africa to that of Americas”. The politics of the Indo-Pacific has been changing at a faster pace ever since Chinese President Xi Jinping announced BRI and especially the twenty-first-century Maritime Silk Road, which actually accelerated India’s role in the region and race between two countries in increasing influence. India’s play in the region is so important that U.S.A changed the name of its Pacific Command to the Indo-Pacific command by acknowledging India’s role in countering China. US state department document named, “A free and open Indo-Pacific” stated “Authoritarian revisionist powers seek to advance their parochial interests at others expense… The USA is strengthening and deepening partnerships with countries that share our values”. India has vigorously increased its activities in the Indo-Pacific ever since China announced its twenty-first-century MSR.

The Maritime Silk Road (MSR) which is part of China’s Belt and Road Initiative(BRI) is a strategy pursued by China to expand its influence beyond its immediate maritime boundaries. The MSR as a concept goes back to China’s Han Dynasty era(206BC-220AD) when key land and sea trading routes carried the Chinese Silk to Europe. The strategy is to enhance trade connectivity through the development of ports, ports related infrastructure, and developing industrial zones in the partner countries. Due to overproduction in the domestic manufacturing sector and in order to promote overseas demand for Chinese goods, the BRI took birth. The MSR which offers both security and development to member nations acts as an attractive proposition for the developing and underdeveloped countries, especially for South-East Asian and African countries. Ever since President Xi announced this grand project there have been many analyses and strategic opinions on how MSR could amend the current world order, especially in the Indo-Pacific region. Though so far it has been said to be economical in nature, fear of Chinese debt trap policy for several littoral states coupled with China’s aggressive behavior in the South China Sea and increased presence in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) has got the major Regional powers like India thinking.

​ Ever since MSR’s inception the China managed to build its first overseas military base Obock in Djibouti and ports like Gwadar in Pakistan, Lamu in Kenya, Maputo in Mozambique, Hambantota and Colombo in Sri-Lanka, Chittagong in Bangladesh, Kyaukpyu in Myanmar to name a few. Though the actions seem like they are solely backed by trade and economic aspirations but let us not forget that it is easy to convert a port into a naval base. In fact, an U.S.A report claimed that China would construct a new naval base in “Jiwani” which is 60km west of Gwadar. Apart from ports, China has managed to increase its influence by heavy investments, for example, in the east African states alone, China has been involved in nearly 600 projects. A country that had no substantial presence or influence in IOR in the 20th century has over the last decade increased its presence substantially. This is a great concern for India since it looks at IOR as its backyard.

​ India, as a major South-Asian naval power and aspiring to be a superpower, has been unable to match and counter China in both economic and strategic support to the countries in the IOR and certainly is not clear on how to respond to China. Traditionally, India had always more focused on the territorial threats posed by Pakistan and China to its northern borders. However, unlike the Himalayas, Indian Ocean is the turf where China is strategically vulnerable and its very essential New Delhi strategizes better. From China’s behavior in the South China Sea, lessons from its debt trap policy, and considering the nature of the nation it would be difficult to have a rule-based order with China and it would be a strategic blunder if assumed so! Many strategic thinkers feel China’s BRI could be seen as a counter to U.S.A “Asia Re-balance” strategy and some feel China’s attempt to establish military bases in IOR could be seen a counter to the Malabar exercise which is the trilateral exercise between India, Japan and U.S.A conducted annually since 1992 (Brewster, 2018). However, it’s important to note that most of the Chinese strategic thinkers do not consider India as a threat but consider it as a risk to their activities in IOR. Thus, to address all these issues a ‘Bold and Grand’ strategic policy is required from New-Delhi. 

​ The Indian Ocean is the world’s only region and ocean named after a single state, i,e. India. In order to counter China’s MSR and to cutback it’s influence, New-Delhi has come up with several strategic projects such as Mausam, SAGAR(Security And Growth for All in the Region), Indian Ocean Naval Symposium(IONS), QUAD(Quadrilateral Dialogue between four Democracies), BIMSTEC(Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation) and several bilateral projects. The predicament of all these projects is that none of them are clearly directed towards China apart from QUAD and they are all stuck in their initial stages. The IONS, the brainchild of the Indian Navy has great potential but the presence of Pakistan as a member will make it defunct just like SAARC. Many of the Chinese thinkers believe that India is playing the role which U.S.A wants it to play in IOR and so it is necessary to let China grasp that India has its own indigenous game plan for IOR. 

​ While it may be possible that China may not convert its ports of Indian Ocean as many analysts advocate these bases are wholly commercial bases like in Maldivian are onerous to defend during wartime (Brewster, 2018). Nevertheless, their mere presence and influence are a risk to India’s ambitions. As China’s official media advocated once that the PLAN (People’s Liberation Army Navy) should build no less than 18 military bases in the IOR, it only resembles that China has more vested interests in the Indian Ocean. So, what is the way forward for India to counter China? Many advocates that it is possible that India and China have a mutually respected regional rules-based order but how feasible is it is not clear. This is because Indian continues to protest when Chinese vessels enter its EEZ as China does for the US and other foreign vessels but India has been silent on USA vessels moving in its EEZ. This kind of selective way of conduct would make India’s positions for a rules-based order weak.

 The naval exercises have been traditionally India’s confidence-building measure and Indian Navy holds these exercises with a number of countries. It is important to note that Naval exercises are essential for strategic signaling to a third country. The most strategically winning exercise has been the Malabar exercise in which navies of Japan, the USA, and India participate but members reluctance to include Australia has been a setback. Indian navy conducts bilateral exercises with most of the ASEAN nations and it would be strategically relevant if such exercises happen at a multilateral level with Vietnam and the Philippines as they have been very skeptical about China’s BRI. India must join Vietnam and the Philippines in countering China because both these countries have increased their bilateral engagement and agreed on a strategic partnership. The multilateral naval exercises are more relevant, for e.g., the exercise conducted last year with the Philippines, USA, and Japan in the South China Sea had a significant impact on China. Since it’s difficult to conduct more multilateral exercises a complex inter-dependent Bi-lateral and Multi-lateral naval exercises would be a workable option to signal China in its own backyard that its activities are not going unnoticed. 

The conclusion of Logistics Exchange agreements with the countries of common interest in IOR can also play a crucial role in India by providing access to naval bases for Indian vessels. India must completely operationalise the already signed agreements and complete the pending Logistics Exchange agreements with the UK, Japan, and Australia because their common interest is also China. The Logistics agreements with USA, France, Japan, and Australia would provide access to Diego Garcia, Cocos, and La Reunion naval bases which are vital in the IOR. However, it is important to successfully conclude Acquisition and Cross-Servicing Agreement (ACSA) with Japan since the nation remains our utmost important partner in Asia and was the only nation that publicly supported India during the “Doklam” conflict. Along with that, India’s focus should also prevail in pursuing the East-Asian nations which will serve as our answer to China’s growing influence.

USPACCOM Admiral(retd.) Harry Harris once said, “Great power competition is back, geopolitical competition between free and oppressive visions is taking place in the Indo-Pacific”. How India plays in this Indo-Pacific game will determine its aspirations to become Global power. If India wants the Indian Ocean to be India’s Ocean, then its influence and role must be increased, and completing Assumption Island in Seychelles and Agalega of Mauritius would be a great boost for this. So far India’s response to China’s activities in IOR has been defensive and it is necessary for India to elevate its approach from Defensive realism to a shade of Neo-Realism. Only then can India move from a mere “Net Security Provider” to a “Net Security Providing” nation in the IOR. In so while countering China, its importance India should not develop an Indian ‘Monroe Doctrine’ (i.e., the complete rejection of outside powers presence in its waters).

Where would this race lead both the countries? Both countries can choose to either lead to a direct conflict or can choose to cooperate in maritime security issues such as Piracy, Smuggling, illegal fishing, and human trafficking. Every maritime power would want to jump to “sea denial” capacity from “sea controlling”, is New Delhi prepared for this?. Three important policies of India will define the future Sino-Indian relations, SAGAR, QUAD, and AAGC (Asia Africa Growth Corridor). QUAD, which China considers as an Indo-Pacific NATO is struck at the initial stage and If QSD( Quadrilateral Security Dialogue) is elevated to the apex level and Australia is invited to join the Malabar naval exercise this will begin the change in the paradigm of existing relations. AAGC which is still at inception but has enormous potential to stand up to China’s BRI, specially MSR in the region. Neither India nor China would want to lag in the race, and this was evident during the Maldivian crisis when Chinese vessels were in IOR. The future relations would only be dependent on how India acts along with its de facto strategic allies.

Bibliography

Brewster, D. (2018). India and China at Sea. Oxford.

References

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16. https://www.livemint.com/Opinion/nzMcCuoSu7Or1Oc0nSXvEI/The-emerging-great-IndoPacific-game.html

COVID-19 – this term is something we would think of as being alien, say in 2018. Most don’t know its full-form, or rather don’t care to know, due to its uninvited rush over everyone’s life. This newly abbreviated term has caused the entire globe to reconsider a few of its decisions over almost everything in its predeceasing years. It made the whole globe, or at least the mainstream one, go into an unprecedented “lockdown” mode, which was something likened to be equivalent to being “house-arrested” say a few years or decades ago. This house-arrest made us not only pause our daily routine, so fondly known as the “rat race”, but rather made us come to one concerted standstill, kind of unnatural to the pace most people are supposed to be in the 21st Century “modern world”. Rats aren’t really happy we’ve stopped competing as some might expect.

Time was and still is considered to be the most valuable asset, as both the world’s rich as well as the world’s poor have exactly 24 hours every single day- not a minute less, not a second more. Lockdowns are something that “takes away freedom” in the general sense of the term (read: J&K after Art. 370 abrogation). However reluctantly we might have been in enduring this dreaded misery in the initial few weeks; we, as a country, decided to “fight corona” with our contributed efforts toward the community in the cause of reducing unnecessary movement outside our homes (something which still has not been proven to be the best method to curb the dreaded disease). The “original” lockdown was promised to be initially only of 25 days by our beloved prime minister. This number, however, eventually seemed irrelevant as and when the singularity of the painful punishment turned into multiple lockdowns due to constant “extensions”. The Centre decided that it should leave matters to the State Govts. in dealing with lockdowns and everything related to it, to avoid getting badmouthed because of its ramifications that although were initially restricted to freedom, slowly and gradually, extended to finances of each household, dangerously causing a freefall of the GDP, which already was in shambles due to the hastily-implemented demonetization and GST.

Jobs started being lost due to offices and factories being shut down in the name of “safety”. People neither care about others dying, nor them being infected, when their bank balance falls below the minimum required amount. Those still sustaining their jobs started working from homes and started suffering from mental breakdowns due to the blurred office hours’ timings. Bosses knew you were at home and expected you to work harder than usual to compensate for the losses caused due to unrelated factors. Slavery reached the place where peace of mind once existed. People were made to feel grateful that they still have managed to keep their coveted jobs and were made to sometimes do work outside their domain, outside their office hours. The pressure of completing household chores was something which already took a huge chunk of peace from most people’s minds due to unavailability/lack of permission to enter housing societies for maids- The W of WFH included the chores as an unwritten rule. Today felt like yesterday. Tomorrow was assumed to be just like today. Weekends stopped having that spark. Nobody had anything exciting to look forward to. The unnatural hope to be freed from this misery by checking for the last day of the current lockdown completely lost its meaning.

It’s the year which people will, probably, wouldn’t want to talk about when things hopefully get alright. Some say this is “the new reality”. Some say it was bioterrorism. Some say that until all of us get infected and that all of us make antibodies after having survived, things won’t really get back to normalcy- the normal which is the real normal and not some kind of a dystopian normal we are made to believe today.

Now, on a positive note, this lockdown period was not all that bad. People realized many things which were right before their eyes. They started prioritizing things that were all this while done in the wrong way according to them. Perpetually procrastinated thoughts were finally addressed. Most finally got the “me time” they genuinely craved for since Day 1 of being employed, or entering school, or being born. Most understood that their jobs were just operating a computing device and that they were a bunch of “intellectual laborers” for their respective organizations. Their jacked-up sense of self-pride had a thorough litmus test. We realized that our lives are so fragile that we could be breathing our last breath and not even know when that would be. Maybe tomorrow, maybe today, maybe now? A sense of humility and gratitude pervaded the length and breadth, or rather circumference of our beautiful World. We finally acknowledged that we are simply a grain of sand in this ocean of the Universe and that our irrelevance didn’t hurt our egos as they previously did. Most realized that they studied things they didn’t care about, to get a degree that means nothing to them, to get a job they absolutely hate, to earn money which are simply digits on their net banking screens, to impress people they don’t even know. Maturity finally set in for those who took the time to ponder upon things and look back at some unsolved puzzles. The dots finally seemed to be connecting. We realized as humanity that mother Earth is a Trust and that we are its Trustees, our children being its Beneficiaries, who would themselves turn into Trustees, and so on and so forth, by the time we fulfill our respective duties and leave for the heavens.

By Rupane Goyat 

Gender inequality subsists in Indian economy and prevails in all sectors of life like health, education, economics and politics. Men have always had the upper hand in these fields, depicting how deeply patriarchy is entrenched in India. Even though gender equality soars to great heights in post-independence era, many steps have been taken in various sectors of life to bridge the gap between men and women and to bring them up to the same level.

Women have been actively involved in economic activities and labor force in contemporary times. In the agriculture sector for instance, 74% of the labor force consists of women. Yet, the wage gap between men and women across the Indian economy despite the active involvement of reformists and feminists who have been fighting for equal pay.

Women are also discriminated in terms of credit lending and property ownership. This situation can be again drawn back to the patriarchal system prevalent in the Indian economy: women have always been disbanded from share in the properties as it is believed that men are the ones who actually carry their generation forward and earn bread and butter for the family, while women would just sustain upon the money earned by men.

Women also lack behind the corporate and government sectors. Various government programs and schemes have been launched in an attempt to provide equal opportunities for men and women. Reservations have helped to rise the number of jobs of women in government sector. This growing trend also lead to changes in the corporate sector. Earlier, not a single woman was to be seen in the top tier of the corporate world. Today, there has been escalation in the number of woman in these top sectors. Even though there have been reforms and number of women have increased in jobs but still they lag behind in the total percentage of jobs.

These issues are very debatable why women still lag behind men despite the increase in the number of opportunities and affirmative action programs. These debates in my opinion would always lead to the issue of patriarchy. Patriarchy, according to me is so entrenched in the Indian society that even though one may try their hardest to uplift women to the level of men, patriarchy would pull them down. I believe until and unless patriarchy is removed, nothing can bring equality among men and women.

References

• Parashar, A. “Gender Inequality and Religious Personal Laws in India.” The Brown Journal of World Affairs 14, no. 2 (2008): 103-12. 
• Ajit, D., Donkner, H., Saxena, R. “Corporate Boards in India: Blocked by Caste?” Economic and Political Weekly 47, no. 32 (2012): 39-43. 
• Ghosh, R. “Human Rights and Sexism in Indian Education.” India International Centre Quarterly 13, no. 3/4 (1986): 57-76. 

She was twenty-seven, high on fever as she sat near the bed tired of a full day’s work. The bed as if looking back at her, gave her justifying reasons to lie her weary head and tired limbs on it. Yet, she refused to give in to her desperation for rest and looked the other side. Just near the sofa where she was sitting slept her one-year old son who had minor cold. The clock struck twelve in the night, her fever began to get worse, yet she never ceased to rush to the kitchen to refill the bottle of hot milk whenever she heard her son’s cries.

She was twelve years old and had a ton of homework for school, yet she put aside at-least a few hours’ time for her younger brother to teach him geometry for he had been sleeping through his class and needed her help.

She was twenty-one years old, working overtime, doing multiple jobs one of which included teaching art to keep her family going. The boy she taught spent less time in paying attention to her teaching and more on making fun of -what he referred to as her strange accent- yet she didn’t mind. She had to do her work, she needed to keep her family going. Besides, she wondered, he is only a kid and just smiled softly at his remarks.

She was nineteen-year-old when she gave her heart to the boy who said he would love her forever. She tried to do everything for that to be true. She let him have his way with her body even when she was not comfortable with it. She was at his side, calming him down of many of his frustration as he bragged about how his life is miserable and how his hard work is never appreciated. All this she did, just to hear him say “You and I are not meant to be, you just…. ask too much of my time…you never understood my pain!”

Little did he know, without her constant support through his tough times he would have fallen into depression within a couple of days.

The boy is now twenty-two years old, a recent graduate with decent grades. He goes to a nearby bar with a few of his friends to celebrate. After taking few shots of vodka, his eyes fall on a girl, or rather on her uncovered legs. He sees that the boy she is with is the topper of his batch. He quickly nudges to his friend next to him and says, that the girl he saw is nothing but a social climber. He feels rather proud as all the eyes of the group are on him now. He proceeds to say, more like a philosopher giving a valuable teaching to his disciples. “Why do girls always date a guy after he is successful or rich!” He calls the girls of his class a bunch of gold diggers. He claims that all the women in his life never supported him on his tough times, instead they only made his life hard for him. Few of his group members clap, others sit quietly and shake their heads. He finally concludes his enlightening speech by shouting “My success is a result of my hard work alone, I am a man who doesn’t need a bitch in my life.”

The Indian education system endows a great deal of respect on teachers. Do not question them. Do not defy them. Accept whatever they say as if it is the Holy Grail. They are given the status of God. They can do no wrong. After being subjected to such a mindset, which became especially difficult to handle in high school, it felt like a breath of fresh air to interact with some professors in JGU who at least attempt to depart from such an attitude.

One of my professors in the first semester always said “You are not supposed to behave like sponges anymore so don’t just absorb whatever I say Analyze everything. Then question it.” He did not want us to ever agree or disagree to any concept or ideology unless we had sound logic to back up our stand. This is an antithesis to how my school teachers approached teaching. With them, any kind of discussion inevitably ended with “Stop disturbing me with frivolous questions” or “Stop arguing with me”. Creative questioning was seen as a threat rather than a sign of a sharp mind.

Naturally, it was a happy surprise attending the first few classes here of professors who advocated the more open kind of teaching. They forced us to actually think. By think I do not mean recall, but formulate an informed opinion of why a certain thing happened, as opposed to simply when and where it happened. When was the last time a teacher had us do that in order to arrive at an answer? “Read. Memorize. Reproduce. Repeat” was a mantra that most teachers in my school supported and suggested us to follow, if we wanted to make it to our dream colleges with sky-high cut offs.

I have been fortunate enough to be taught by some amazing faculty members. Even though a particular topic might have been as interesting as a dismal bowl of mess food, we are expected to debate and maybe counter what the professor says and not merely jot it down, thus resulting in the development of critical thinking skills. The professors really engage us here.

In both my semesters, English was taught in an engaging manner. “What did the author mean….?” is a common question but the difference between the ways in which it is dealt within my school (and in most other colleges) and here in college is glaring. For me, the best thing about reading a story or poem is coming up with my own interpretations of what the author/poet meant in a particular line or verse. In school, we were told that there is just one acceptable answer, which we have to stick to. Luckily, both the English professors in my first year would leave it open to the depths of our imagination. They encouraged us to be creative and not worry about the “correct” answer.

For me, to have been assigned certain professors who did not look down upon out-of-the-box thinking and felt the need to widen our parochial minds was a much-needed change. It has made the courses fun and changed my outlook towards studying. Here’s to hoping this continues and my professors next year also push me to learn new things and help me break away from the traditional “school” way of doing things. Here’s to not being a sponge anymore.

This is the second poem in a series of poems that explore what the commonplace objects in a student’s life would say if they underwent an Enid Blyton-esque change overnight, and could speak. This one is written in the form of a Haiku.

You would hear nothing

If college students’ books spoke

‘Cause they don’t exist –

A college student

Who takes notes in notebooks can

Only be found in myths.

Kashif Saeed shares his opinions on work-life balance, where big data is heading, and what JSOM students can do to stay ahead of the game.Kashif Saeed shares his opinions on work-life balance, where big data is heading, and what JSOM students can do to stay ahead of the game.Kashif Saeed shares his opinions on work-life balance, where big data is heading, and what JSOM students can do to stay ahead of the game.Kashif Saeed shares his opinions on work-life balance, where big data is heading, and what JSOM students can do to stay ahead of the game.Kashif Saeed shares his opinions on work-life balance, where big data is heading, and what JSOM students can do to stay ahead of the game.Kashif Saeed shares his opinions on work-life balance, where big data is heading, and what JSOM students can do to stay ahead of the game.Kashif Saeed shares his opinions on work-life balance, where big data is heading, and what JSOM students can do to stay ahead of the game.Kashif Saeed shares his opinions on work-life balance, where big data is heading, and what JSOM students can do to stay ahead of the game.Kashif Saeed shares his opinions on work-life balance, where big data is heading, and what JSOM students can do to stay ahead of the game.Kashif Saeed shares his opinions on work-life balance, where big data is heading, and what JSOM students can do to stay ahead of the game.Kashif Saeed shares his opinions on work-life balance, where big data is heading, and what JSOM students can do to stay ahead of the game.Kashif Saeed shares his opinions on work-life balance, where big data is heading, and what JSOM students can do to stay ahead of the game.Kashif Saeed shares his opinions on work-life balance, where big data is heading, and what JSOM students can do to stay ahead of the game.Kashif Saeed shares his opinions on work-life balance, where big data is heading, and what JSOM students can do to stay ahead of the game.Kashif Saeed shares his opinions on work-life balance, where big data is heading, and what JSOM students can do to stay ahead of the game.Kashif Saeed shares his opinions on work-life balance, where big data is heading, and what JSOM students can do to stay ahead of the game.

The word “feminism” was first seen in the in the nineteenth and early twentieth century in the U.S. and the U.K. as a synonym for the promotion of equal contract, marriage, parenting, and property rights for women. Later in time, the term was further employed in debates on sexual, reproductive and economic rights. Looking from a political aspect, as is the case in International Relations, “feminism” contains a distinct definition.

Feminism is to challenge structures of powers established by the males to benefit them. Power is a kind of power over; if we speak of the structures or mechanisms of power, it is supposed that certain people exercise power over the others. In a patriarchal world, with a historically entrenched male class, political institutions are dominated by men, and power is thus exercised by them. Feminism thus seeks to rectify this uneven balance of power by attempting to challenge such institutions and by making them more equal and fair.

The relationship between gender and feminism has been the most important in International Relations. When we think about gender, we think about the ways in which gender is categorized i.e. masculinity and feminine. We think about the ways in which these categories operate in terms of hierarchy as well as how they institutionalize and perpetualize inequalities in some ways. Thus, one can say that feminism aims to realize fundamental transformations in gender relations by shifting existing power relations in favor of women. It is about seeing the gender dimension where it is not obvious. An example of this is wars. Since the advent of feminism, war casualties are not only looked at in terms of the number of deaths of soldiers but also the number of women rapes. The practice of war has been gendered in divisions of labor, the languages in which war is justified, legitimated to use gendered kinds of categories.

Often people mistake women’s rights as human rights. But they are two different things. Human rights usually focus on three kinds of laws: civil, social, rights of people. Women’s rights deal with more fragility than the human rights, which are and should be provided to every individual irrespective of gender. Human rights are more centric towards an individual whereas women’s rights revolve around the aspects of women realizing her very own “feminine” rights.

All human rights are based on the same traditional flaws. They are built on the typical male life experiences and in the current scenarios do not respond to the pressing risks women face today. For many women out there who don not feel comfortable in their own houses, some set of political and economic rights can provide no justice. The tone is very suppressed when it comes to the issue of domestic violence. One such example where this case is most prevalent is in our own country – India.

Feminism is not just a word to create awareness among women, but a word to be most importantly echoed amongst the men. It is an issue that the men of our society should be aware of because, at the end, we as humans run this world and not on the basis of a single gender.

References

• Wroath, J., 1998. Until They are Seven: The Origins of Women’s Legal Rights: The Origins of Women’s Legal Rights. Waterside Press.
• Squires, J. and Weldes, J., 2007. Beyond Being Marginal: Gender and International Relations in Britain. The British Journal of Politics and International Relations, 9(2), pp.185-203.
• International Relations – Feminism and International Relations (4/7), 2014, Hutchings, K., OpenLearn from the Open Learn University
• Squires, J. and Weldes, J., 2007. Beyond Being Marginal: Gender and International Relations in Britain. The British Journal of Politics and International Relations, 9(2), pp.185-203.
• Freedman, E., 2007. No turning back: The history of feminism and the future of women. Ballantine Books.