Because a lot of people still have a lot of misunderstanding about feminism, it is necessary that we explain it again and again.Before explaining feminism I wish to remember and pay my tributes to all our feminist foremothers and fore-sisters on whose shoulders we stand tall. Whatever we have achieved as women and girls, is a result of their struggles and courage.
Some people, including some young, strong and bright women, feel feminism is no more necessary. It is a thing of the past because girls and women have equal rights now. I wish it was so. On the one hand women have broken many barriers, they have proven themselves in every area of work and life, we have pretty good laws and policies, but at the same time violence against women is not less, if not more and this is so all over the world; in India the female male ratio continues to dip. For the first time in human history, there are fewer women than men on this planet thanks mainly to gynocide (killing of women) in India and China. The employment rate of women in India in the formal sector has been going down while the GDP has been rising. Our religions, customs and traditions, our languages not just in India but everywhere, continue to be patriarchal. The media and advertisements are filled with misogynistic (woman hating) images, stories and item numbers. Therefore, for me feminism is still relevant and required.
