Are women rights human rights? What does ‘Feminism’ aim to accomplish? Listen to Dr Preety Choudhari as she delves deeper into the finer intricacies of ‘Feminism’ and draws the current trajectory of the women’s movement, starting right from the suffrage struggles.
Brief history of the feminist movement
She starts at the very beginning, “Feminism has had a long history and trajectory. When we talk about the academic discourse, the movement shows its origin in the West with a clamorous, emphatic voice that rose in USA, the seeds of which were sown in the 17-18th centuries.
Basically, the First Wave of Feminism occurred in the late 19th and early 20th centuries throughout the West. The ultimate objective? To open up opportunities for women, with a key focus on suffrage (right to vote in political elections).
Dr Choudhari continues, “However, when we speak of oriental societies like India, feminism can be seen in motifs of folk songs, in the legacy of Mirabai and so on. One can find seeds of feminism in women’s longing for freedom.”
While the Second Wave of Feminism (1960s-1980s) of the West focussed on more serious concerns of inequality and discrimination. The debate broadened to include crucial issues of sexuality, family, rape crises, the workplace, reproductive rights, legal and de facto inequalities, among others.
Similarly, the Third Wave of Feminism started in the early 1990s and focussed on intersectionality, bodily autonomy and gender deconstruction.
Important questions to ask
But, the question remains — is feminism anti-men? More so, should you take pride in calling yourself a feminist? Men, women, and anyone who’s reading this — you absolutely should! Feminism talks of equal rights and opportunities for all genders.
“For a very long period of time, feminism has been shown to be the culprit and has been deemed as ‘anti-men’, which is the biggest misconception of all. The question is “are women’s rights human rights?” — because that’s where the movement is rooted,” Dr Choudhari states.
“So, then, the actual matter is of gender justice, which is the fundamental basis of feminism. We talk of special rights for those who’ve been deprived of basic rights for thousands of years so that they’re finally given justice,” Dr Choudhari explains further.
There are certain communities that have even suffered double discrimination of both race and gender, like Afro-Americans, Dalit women and other marginalised communities.
Women have been subjugated on the basis of gender for ages. So “whenever we discuss feminism, alertness and sensitivity is required. Because women struggles have not been of a similar kind,” she says. Social conditioning, women’s inferior place in the decision-making spaces, among others, are some of the reasons why there’s still a wide gender gap.
About Dr Preety Choudhari
A political science professor by profession, Preety Choudhari is a published writer and a literature enthusiast. She has written stories and literary criticisms which have been featured in well-known publications such as Tadbhav, Hans, Kathakram and India Today. She has also authored the popular book, “Deh Dhare Ko Dand”.
Additionally, Dr Choudhari is a poet and has performed her poems at the reputed Bharat Bhavan. Some of her poetries have been published in esteemed magazines like Tadbhav, Naya Gyanodaya, Friday and Jansandesh Times newspaper. With an interest on socio-political subjects, she has produced a great number of well-known articles, the most memorable of which have been featured in Banas Jan, Sakhi and Mantavya.
Notably, Dr Choudhari has collected various accolades, including the prestigious Sahitya Gaurav Award and Hari Krishna Trivedi Yuva Writing Award along with the Lok Sabha Fellowship.
Feminism Unfiltered | Insights into women’s struggle in modern society, archaic gender roles & more
