Today’s Woman – Sassy, Well-Read, Fierce, Financially Independent, Confident, Smart. But is India keeping up with this Modern Self-Made Woman?

The other day, I went through one of the reels shared on Instagram by a presumably educated woman, which highlighted that ‘God commands Man to provide for his Wife, and for a Woman to take care of the house and the Man Himself’. Now let’s pause for a second here, no, please let’s just PAUSE! 

For years, we have seen or read open discussions on equality, but what does Equality really mean? Across the entire World, Campaigners want people to challenge gender-based stereotypes, call out any sort of discrimination, draw attention to bias and most importantly -- seek out inclusion!

Even today, the birth of a girl child is considered not so ‘Celebration-Worthy’, with words like – ‘Koi Baat Nahi, Laxmi Hui hai Laxmi’. And if the child is a second girl child, ‘Bhagwan ke aage kiski chali hai’. 

‘Accelerate Equality, Break the Bias’ – it is a powerful mantra, but only if we put it into action! As we inch toward celebrating Women's Day, let's take a moment to appreciate the incredible women in our lives - our house help who works tirelessly, our sister who is juggling work and motherhood, and our mother/MIL who never fails to whip up mouth-watering meals despite her achy knees. But let's not forget to take a closer look at the men in our lives, too. The World does not have to be hard for our Ladies just because we are Strong. Simple as that!

It is high time we address the gender gap and the harsh realities faced by women today. We need to empower all women, regardless of their backgrounds or circumstances. We do not need to gift our ladies Flower Arrangements, we need to push them towards Power Arrangements, Flowers would be a plus!

(Pooja Chhangani Manager - Digital Planning Carat India)