Denigration of women — Why is rampant in politics, and we need to stop this first?

When Mulayam said boys will be boys on rising cases of rape and molestation, we look the other way.

When Mamta Banerjee dismissed the Park Street rape as sajano ghatona (a concocted story), we

smile

When Asaram Bapu said that the victim should have treated the rapist as her brother, we are

dismissive about it

When Siddaramaiya said to a news channel “Is rape the only news you have”, it just raised a

storm in the teacup.

When Mohan Bhagwat said “Rapes Happen only in India, not Bharat” we are probably even

supportive

When Syed Bukhari tells Shabana Azmi to live on TV that he will not speak to a dancer and actor, we

has some indignation

When Manohar Khattar says “If a girl is dressed decently, a boy will not look at her in a wrong

way”, he even goes on to become Chief Minister.

Or even the sitting PM can get away with catcalls and cheer for it.

But when the BBC makes a documentary on the Nirbhaya case, the whole country is up in arms.

It becomes a conspiracy against the country, to show it in a poor light.

Or when there a honest discussions of the incident, we get into a moral stupor — like how can show the bad examples of the society, or show the gory details (this is when at times even the minister himself has given out the name of the minor victim — with no associated consequences whatsoever).

We are okay with two-finger tests (how obnoxious we can be?), a social spectacle of victims in

courts (hundreds of people land up to see the Tamasha), and courts regularly deliberate

whether the victims had “loose character”. We are okay with research that shows that 10 crore

girls have vanished between being conceived and born (resulting in an abject sex ratio).

We are okay to have an investigation that wakes up only when thousands of youth are on the

street. We are okay with a legal system that will take years to decide the fate of the ones who

have accepted their guilt. We are okay with high and mighty regularly demeaning women in all

forums possible.

How did it happen? How did we come to this?

We all can understand the politicians doing it. Politics is a deeply contested space, with at the highest level only so many MPs we can elect. And there is only one PM — the most coveted of all positions. If 50% of the potential competitors are discouraged from even entering the fray by projecting a toxic masculine culture, half the battle is won. And there is an unwritten consensus to build high entry barriers for women in politics — we can see how the Women’s Reservation Bill is consistently being kicked down the road.

But why do women politicians support this? Well at times it helps them politically (as it helped Mamata Banerjee as a CM), but in most cases, it helps them survive in a deeply patriarchal political system. Most men do not like a strong woman with an opinion, even if they have no direct interest. Don’t we see agitated drivers all the time when they see a lady driving on the road? And most women politicians are ready to pay the price of either being docile or being a votary of ant-women politics to survive and thrive.

That brings it to the civil society, and there we see the silver lining. A very large segment of the society today are aware and vocal. And though the significant majority is either a prisoner of a patriarchal mindset (including women who have been indoctrinated over generations), a very significant minority is now calling out every instance of misogyny masqueraded as a comment.

And we need to start the battle in the arena of politics. Why?
1. Because politicians are closest to the people, especially the underserved people. And what they say or do becomes an example for others to emulate. And it gets magnified when it is action with a slippery slope.
2. Politicians are doing it with a purpose, to prevent women from coming up and becoming part of electoral politics and governance. Exactly what we need to do most for women’s emancipation.
3. Politicians are accountable and held responsible through the votes. And if they lose, they lose most of what they have — politics is a zero-sum game. So if enough noise is made, they will listen.

Let us focus on this aspect, for better governance. All around us.