Sir,
The International Women’ Day has very little meaning if it is not followed by State action which gives women their space in decision-making, particularly in politics. The BJD Government in Odisha is an all-male club. This time, only 11 female MLAS could come through out of which we have two women Ministers. This is the irony of Odisha which still considers women more suited for the domestic and social space. Interestingly, all male candidates relied heavily on their women supporters to go from door to door to campaign for them during elections. It would, therefore, appear that women will still have to play a subordinate role to men in politics although women here have broken many glass ceilings. And the fact that the present dispensation did not even consider it important to have at least another woman Minister shows how gender unequal and iniquitous this society continues to be!
Hence, it is pointless to observe International Women’s Day when women have not made progress in key areas of decision-making. Elections in Odisha and elsewhere have become a power game where men set the rules of the game. If women join this game, they have to play by these same rules. So, it’s money and muscle all the way. In fact, elections in India are very women-unfriendly. They are a patriarchal bastion where women can only play secondary roles as elections demand limitless resources of which money tops the list. Until the rules of the game are changed through State action, women will continue to remain out of the realm of political decision-making.
K Ravi, E-237, GGP Colony, Bhubaneswar-751025, Mob: 9437616497