That time of the year when politicians portray themselves as champions of women’s cause by talking about gender equality and highlighting government schemes for girls, while crimes against women continue unabated; and when scholars, activists, feminists and civil society leaders speak about their unattended plight besides celebrating their achievements, is here. Gender equality will take centre stage again on Friday, March 8, as NGOs, societies and educational institutions organise varied events to commemorate International Women’s Day. Sadly, displays of outrage at discriminatory practices and Women’s Day messages will fade eventually. In the context of the Nagas, much-debated issues like inheritance rights, alimony, custody of children after divorce, mental and physical abuse, crime against women, etc., keep resurfacing during this time of the year before everything falls back to its original positions unresolved. Much talk on the surface without visible change on the ground has made Women’s Day speeches predictable and repetitive. We should acknowledge the little progress made in terms of gender equality over the years. The election of two women to the Nagaland Legislative Assembly last year, the first in the history of the state, is one such instance- a significant leap in the political arena of the state. At the same time, we should accept the fact that social resistance towards allowing women to enjoy their basic rights is obstructing them from growing and that change is limited due to the formidable weight of culture and patriarchal mindset. Our society is very much aware of this but unwilling to change. It’s like trying to wake up a person who is pretending to be asleep. And it’s time to shed this pretension.
Talks about women empowerment and gender equality are pointless in the presence of overtly discriminatory social practices that are detrimental to the growth of women as individuals and as professionals. The fact reminds us that Naga women who have excelled in various fields are also bound by patriarchal norms, rendering them hapless when it comes to decision making on various matters — social, economic and political — that will affect them. The existence of Women’s Day is in itself a reminder that the journey towards gender equality is still a work in progress, while the repetitive message during the occasion indicates the failure to shed the patriarchal mindset to this day. With no financial security in place, compounded by a lack of social support for those speaking up against discrimination, most women choose to suffer physical and mental torture silently. The existence of unfair social traditions is an impediment to the theme ‘Invest in Women: Accelerate Progress’ for this year’s International Women’s Day.
