March; Mothers and India...

March I dare say, is a month for women (If such a thing really exists).  It is the month we celebrate two iconic days both, International Women’s Day and Mother Day. In light of this, I felt it appropriate that my blog be dedicated to women.  International Women’s Day is now an official holiday in countries across the globe including Afghanistan, China (for women only) and Russia.In addition to this grand gesture most of the world makes to women March is also the month we celebrate Mother’s Day.  Acknowledging the sacrifices, love and care our Mother’s make dates back to 1908 following the campaign of a young Ana Jarvis who wished to reunite families after the civil war.

        The role of a mother in our lives was articulated most honestly by Washington Irving (1783-1859)

‘A mother is the truest friend we have, when trials, heavy and sudden, fall upon us; when adversity takes the place of prosperity; when friends who rejoice with us in our sunshine, desert us when troubles thicken around us, still will she cling to us, and endeavour by her kind precepts and counsels to dissipate the clouds of darkness, and cause peace to return to our hearts’.

 What’s more with prominent  female figures such as Baroness Hale, the first female Law Lord appointed recently to the UK Supreme Court; Ana Botin the CEO of Santander and the Foreign Secretary Theresa May one could argue females in society today are far more than nurturing MOTHERS. In business, politics and law females really are undertaking meaningful roles. It begs the question therefore, as to whether inequality still exists? The most blunt answer being, is it does. 

Ana Botin CEO of Santander

While celebrating this March, let us not be mislead into assuming for mothers, sisters, daughters and females alike, life is identical to that of their male counter-parts. India is an example of where gender inequality is rife. With a long established history of patriarchy; in 2012 the damaging effects of this damning inequality stunned the world when the story of a young girl being raped on a moving bus spread across the world’s media.-Fortunately the men were trialled and hug. The figures of rape crimes are startling more than half (54.7%) of victims were aged between 18 and 30. Most disturbingly, according to police records, the offenders were known to their victims in more than 94% of the cases. Neighbours accounted for a third of the offenders, while parents and other relatives were also involved. Delhi accounted for over 17% of the total number of rape cases in the country. India must recognise, legislate and change the views and attitudes it has towards women. The excuse of such inequality and disregard for women is no longer, and I doubt has ever been, valid. As Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie beautifully outlines, ‘some people will say that a woman being subordinate to a man is our culture. But culture is constantly changing'. It is important for us all to remember...

' Culture does not make people... People make Culture'  - Chimanda Ngozi Adichie