Over the years, your support has made Women’s Web the leading resource for women in India. Now, it is our turn to ask, how can we make this even more useful for you? Please take our short 5 minute questionnaire – your feedback is important to us!
Do gender stereotypes silence the true voices of men too? On bringing up the boy child in India
Arundhati Venkatesh describes herself as a kid-lit enthusiast, an observer of life and people, a feminist, a minimalist and a compulsive maker of lists! An engineer by degree, and an IT professional in her previous life, she is now an aspiring writer. Arundhati works for an NGO.
The voices of women suffering abuse and oppression can be heard now. Finally.
What about the voices of men?
The voices of men call out to me. I have a father, a brother, a husband, a son, cousins, friends…
I hear them say, ‘We suffer too. Maybe not as much as you. But we do too.’
I know. I know they do.
Boys don’t cry.
Be a man.
Boys don’t talk.
Don’t be a sissy.
You have to be the breadwinner.
When you see a little boy sniffling, don’t tell him that boys don’t cry.
Don’t tell him to be a man. He is not. He’s a child.
Don’t let him hear anyone say ‘boys don’t talk’.
Give him a chance. Share. Be there.
When he says he wants to take up history, or research, or teach, don’t tell him he can’t.
Don’t tell him he has to be the breadwinner.
Don’t tell him what he should do, and what not to do.
When he gets emotional, don’t tell him he’s being a sissy.
Give him a shoulder to cry on, a hug, a listening ear, comforting words…
Don’t expect him to be a superhero. Let him be human.
Guest Bloggers are those who want to share their ideas/experiences, but do not have a profile here. Write to us at [email protected] if you have a special situation (for e.g. want read more...
Women's Web is an open platform that publishes a diversity of views, individual posts do not necessarily represent the platform's views and opinions at all times.
Stay updated with our Weekly Newsletter or Daily Summary - or both!
Many women have lost their lives to this darkness. It's high time we raise awareness, and make maternal mental health screening a part of the routine check ups.
Trigger Warning: This deals with severe postpartum depression, and may be triggering for survivors.
Motherhood is considered a beautiful blessing. Being able to create a new life is indeed beautiful and divine. We have seen in movies, advertisements, stories, everywhere… where motherhood is glorified and a mother is considered an epitome of tolerance and sacrifice.
But no one talks about the downside of it. No one talks about the emotional changes a woman experiences while giving birth and after it.
Whether it is spunky Lali or wise and profound Baai, overbearing Sui or a gracefully ageing Dilbar, sensitive Saiba or a quietly ambitious Latika, this webseries showcases women characters who are as complex, compassionate and conflicted as real women.
The first short film in the latest Amazon Prime anthology – Modern Love Mumbai( inspired by the much acclaimed Modern love column of New York Times) is titled “Raat Rani” deriving it’s name from the fragrant night-blooming jasmine flower.
*A few spoilers
Director Shonali Bose uses this flower as not just a plot point but also a metaphor for her protagonist Lalzari (a fiesty Fatima Sana Shiekh), a Muslim migrant worker from Kashmir who has eloped with her husband Lutfi to the city of dreams, Mumbai. She works as a cook-cum-nanny and her husband as a watchman in a Mumbai high-rise. After work they spend time with each other gazing at the sea, sharing ice-cream and taking a scooter ride back home, to their kholi, on which they have spent all their earnings.