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We want to help other women, but don’t know how. Here is a list of online and offline support for women in India for different context.
Very often, we want to help other women, but don’t know how. Here is a list of online and offline support for women in different contexts.
Any feminist worth her salt, knows that the idea that “women are a woman’s worst enemy,” is a lie. Women are often the biggest sources of support and solace for other women.
Sometimes, providing that support lies completely in our hands. We can provide a listening ear, or a shoulder to lean on. We can spend money on women owned businesses, and spread the word about them. Furthermore, we can encourage, celebrate and cheer on.
Sometimes, however, it is not as simple. We may not have the necessary knowledge or resources. Or, our social location and life experiences may diverge so much from theirs, that we may not truly understand what they are going through. At such times, we need to connect them to others who can support them best.
Here are a few contexts in which women may need help, and a list of organizations equipped with the necessary experience and know-how to do so. This is not a comprehensive list of contexts in which women may need support. Nor is this a list of every organization that works to support women – just a few that a quick google search reveals.
To list every situation in which women may need help, or every resource/organization that can provide that help, is beyond the scope of this piece. However, please feel to respond in the comments about the sources that you know about that provide invaluable support for women.
Given how sacred marriage is considered in India, divorce is still seen as a taboo, and often it is women who bear the brunt of it.
Women who are divorced, widowed or have just chosen to remain single, are often faced with the challenge of being a single parent in a society that is always ready to judge them. Here too, support groups can help them find solidarity and help.
For domestic workers in India, who are usually women, caste, class and gender interact to create particularly difficult challenges.
Dalit and Adivasi women are amongst the most vulnerable sections of our population, owing to their social location.
Their women’s forum and a grievance forum, help women identify and prioritize strategies for the issues they face, including but not limited to, domestic violence, trafficking, land rights, girl child education, etc.
People belonging to the LGBTQIA+ community face a great deal of marginalization on a daily basis. For queer women, (lesbian, bisexual, trans women, and women who are aromantic/asexual), who must combat misogyny in addition to homophobia, the fight is tougher.
Sex workers not only face extreme violence and deprivation, but often also don’t get the help they need, because of the stigma against sex work.
Entrepreneurship is rewarding, but it requires a lot of resources to undertake successfully, and for women entrepreneurs, this can be especially difficult as they have to navigate traditionally male dominated spaces to make their mark. Solidarity from other women can be a big step up in such situations.
This article links to several funding schemes for women entrepreneurs in India.
Women returning to work after a break face many challenges, but they are capable and committed. There are many corporate programmes, nowadays, that help women get the upskilling or mentoring they need to make a smooth transition.
Some women, especially the most vulnerable, are still underserved. We can offer our support for women indirectly, by donating to or volunteering for the few organizations that serve them, allowing them to widen their reach.
We must petition the central and local government bodies to adopt policies and create the infrastructure necessary to support women.
Image source: arvndvisual on Pixabay
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Neena was the sole caregiver of Amma and though one would think that Amma was dependent on her, Neena felt otherwise.
Neena inhaled the aroma that emanated from the pan and took a deep breath. The aroma of cumin interspersed with butter transported her back to the modest kitchen in her native village. She could picture her father standing in the kitchen wearing his white crisp kurta as he made delectable concoctions for his only daughter.
Neena grew up in a home where both her parents worked together in tandem to keep the house up and running. She had a blissful childhood in her modest two-room house. The house was small but every nook and cranny gave her memories of a lifetime. Neena’s young heart imagined that her life would follow the same cheerful course. But how wrong she was!
When she was sixteen, the catastrophic clutches of destiny snatched away her parents. They passed away in a road accident and Neena was devastated. Relatives thronged her now gloomy house and soon it was decided that she should be married off.
Women today don’t want to be in a partnership that complicates their lives further. They need an equal partner with whom they can figure out life as a team, playing by each other’s strengths.
We all are familiar with that one annoying aunty who is more interested in our marital status than in the dessert counter at a wedding. But these aunties have somehow become obsolete now. Now they are replaced by men we have in our lives. Friends, family, and even work colleagues. It’s the men who are worried about why we are not saying yes to one among their clans. What is wrong with us? Aren’t we scared of dying alone? Like them?
A recent interaction with a guy friend of mine turned sour when he lectured me about how I would regret not getting married at the right time. He lectured that every event in our lives needs to be completed within a certain timeframe set by society else we are doomed. I wasn’t angry. I was just disappointed to realize that annoying aunties are rapidly doubling in our society. And they don’t just appear at weddings or family functions anymore. They are everywhere. They are the real pandemic.
Let’s examine this a little closer.
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