According to research analysts, this was the result of womenâÂÂs low participation in the economy and a reflection of the stark inequality in the workforce
Last year, India dropped 21 places in the World Economic Forum’s Global Gender Gap index. According to research analysts, this was the result of women’s low participation in the economy and a reflection of the stark inequality in the workforce. In other words, the gap is gaping.
The large and unsettling discrepancy in our society lies at the crux of Mind the Gap — a day-long event featuring artists, professionals and performers who will address the issue, using their art and body of work as a vehicle for building a gender-equal society. The event will feature talks, film-screenings, stand-up acts and musical performances.
In 2016, Khrisha Shah, 27, along with brother Mishal, 30, founded Dysco — short for discover — a professional networking platform and community. Mind the Gap has been curated and organised by them, in collaboration with MIXX, a platform that tackles gender issues through various products and experiences.
Khrisha and Mishal Shah
"There’s a lot of interest in topics like feminism and gender equality in our community so, we decided to create an event around that. Also, conversations on gender tend to be academic and very heavy-handed, which turns away a lot of interested people who may not know about it in depth. An event with known faces will allow us to make it more inclusive. So, somebody might actually come for the music or the stand-up and in turn, learn about the existing gender gap in our society," Khrisha
Some of the artists, panellists and performers who will be present at the event share their views.
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Nush Lewis, harpist
"We have been fighting gender inequality for years, but now, thanks to social media, it’s become more visual and in-your-face. So, for me, it was a no-brainer to be involved in this event because it’s a cause that’s close to my heart. I played at an all-women’s gig which is featured once a month and while it’s a great property, do we need to have just one night when we focus on women? Why can’t women be featured on other times as well and simply because of their work?"
Ayesha Billamoria, athlete
"I will be talking about my journey as an athlete and the obstacles I overcame, whether it was gender discrimination, low pay or no pay or other impediments. I will also be talking about gender equality in general with regard to sports and fitness and how women today are empowering other women by encouraging each other to take up sports and be fit."
Nikhil D, filmmaker
"[The film] Boys of Safdarjung, which will be screened at the event, is simply about the lives of some of the people who I lived close to in Delhi’s Humayunpur. They were all my friends who were gay. The point of making the film was never educational even though it’s being looked at that way. It was more a short narrative on my friends and about self-expression. I made the film with Tsungdue Phunkhang and tried to capture the way we live, dress and party."
Riddhi Parekh, photographer
"The series that I will be showcasing this Sunday is themed around women doing odd jobs, for which I profiled women Metro drivers. When I spoke to some of the female drivers I photographed and asked them if they felt they were treated differently, one of them told me it took both them and their male counterparts the same time to complete a journey and that they did not understand what all the fuss was about."
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