Roman women filled the Capitoline Hill in the 3rd century BCE when Consul Marcus Porcius Cato resisted attempts to squash laws limiting women’s use to expensive goods. “If they are victorious now, as soon as they begin to your equal, they will become your superiors,” he cried. Even after centuries, Cato’s cry has charged the screens and streets of the modern world on every international women’s day across all borders. The bold calls for women’s rights are still being challenged by pamphleteers and polemicists who joined battle over the true nature of womanhood. Women’s choices had been dominated by prejudice and have been overpowered by pride on the entire landscape of women entitlements since ages.
Women are the single largest marginalized segment of the society since prehistoric times to the contemporary world. Although they enjoyed certain freedoms and rights until the Archaic age and ancient Sumerian gave them right to buy, sell and inherit property. Also, women in India enjoyed some status during Vedic period. Women have been treated as an asset, a commodity and an honor symbol since the 19th century in France and parts of Germany.
Despite great strides for women’s rights, they are still married as children, trafficked into forced labor and are bearing the violence. Patriarchy is an established informal system of power and authority and it is deeply embedded in cultural settings and the social fashion of the society. From the year of 1928, when women got the suffrage right through Franchise Act which promised to open the opportunities to women like access to political process, working rights and fair opportunities, their struggle has only inched to success.
There is a direct correlation between development of a nation and women’s inclusion process and there is a bleak possibility of progress when half a chunk of reputation is phenomenally held back. The declaration of equal rights in Beijing convention has paved ways to progress and Sustainable Development Goals 2020 to 2030 claim it as a Decade of Action for women rights. First wave of freedom rights was primarily focused on the right to vote; however, the second wave had touched every area of women’s experience. The core theme of all feminist movements is to re challenge their roles confined to the domestic sphere contrary to public life reserved only for men.
Findings of participatory programs resonate the critical role of women for development. Econometric model validates that majority of women in Pakistan are not literate and cannot work in the formal sector and this singular factor dominates and works against the equilibrium of women empowerment especially in underdeveloped countries. Political economists argue that female employment is linked to growth of women’s political power, participation and parity and without intense inclusive and generational equality, global development will remain an unfulfilled agenda.
Various heated arguments can be heard around Aurat March and the ‘Me too Movement’ initiated by ‘Tarana Burke’ heading with empathy and expression of this oppression spread to dozens of languages and hundreds of nations. Will this movement change the behavior? Is it not a high time to reimagine, reconcile and redistribute the roles? Or to diminish them entirely. Among the most important achievements in the past decade have ushered a strong fight against sexual harassment and violence against women. There is still a long journey to go but in the last decade some brave women changed with their ability to speak up their stories and what they have been subjected to. However, radicalization of this very phenomenon and fair cause
has ample room to damage the true spirit of women rights. Fusion of regional and cultural norms with participatory culture will pave a way for women in this part of the world.
Although there are weak social and criminal justice systems but the silver lining is there, as the case of Noor Muqadam has been concluded, but, thousands of cases like it are still hanging in courts. Movements and special days are working as showcase pseudo platforms as they are not translating their trumpet slogans into inclusive and distributive cultures that guard the rights of women. On This women’s day we must pledge to give voice to otherfolk in redistributive decision making models. Discouraging Patriarchal decision making is the first step in the right direction. Otherwise, ‘Cato cry’ will keep on haunting every women entitlements forum and generational equality endeavor.
In the words of Rupi Kaur, ‘Our backs tell stories no books have the right to carry.’ The women’s rights work should equip the next generation of women to outdo us in every field and this is the legacy of generational equality that we will leave behind. We can only hope and stand in support of ourselves.
The writer is a Public Policy practitioner and women’s rights enthusiast.
