Issue 82: Why Women’s Day
The performative and the productive
Every year, on Women’s Day, my WhatsApp windows are hit with forwards about my strength, resilience, and courage. And, every year, unfailingly, I am left wondering whether those are traits unique to women, are we supposed to be the custodians of all the (quiet) strength in the world?
My my. That’s a huge responsibility and a lopsided one at that.
Every year, I wonder why we celebrate Women’s Day. And every year, I see the point for what it is.
It is a great day to remember all the good work that has happened in a bid towards equity and equality, and to take pause and think about all the work that is yet to be done. For instance, the UK had a marriage bar in many industries till the 1960s, a policy that barred married women from having certain jobs. Barely 70 years back, this wasn’t considered discrimination.
It’s that time of the year when we get intentional about finding and talking about women achievers. The first lady doctor, the first lady pilot etc etc. If a month and day makes us commemorate women who would have otherwise got crowded out of our daily social media feeds, why not that day and month.
It is also a day when many corporations think and design policies driving affirmative action to hire and retain more women at the workplace, target women consumers with products that really work for them and so on. One can get cynical and call all of it performative. Or, one can see it for what it is. A small (or big step) towards building an inclusive world.
Can the Women’s Day wishes, images, and gifs get better in quality rather than still go through the trope of the multi-handed woman juggling home and work? Of course yes.
Are those forwards such a big bother that we diss Women’s Day altogether? Of course not.
Happy Women’s Day!
#accelerateaction