In a thought provoking chat, Shalu Manan, Vice president, People Functions at Genpact, India and Bidisha Banerjee, Chief Talent Development at the Future Group discuss if the ‘Queen Bee Syndrome’ is a myth or reality- in conversation with Bhavna Toor and Shonali Advani.
I don’t think anyone, with any degree of intellectual honesty, can say women hold equal status to men in India. And yet, the need for feminism is strongly contested by men and women alike. Let’s look at the 5 main arguments against it.
Representation matters. It means having role models, people we can relate to and emulate. It creates awareness, cultural shifts, and policy changes. Let us highlight leaders like Priya Babu and Akkai Padmashali, and let us focus on our shared humanity.
If we want more men to support women and feminism, we need to clarify a key point. Feminism is for women. It looks to solve the issues women face, and endeavors to create more equitable opportunities. But, feminism also benefits men. Society doesn’t just place restrictive gender norms on women, men are also expected to meet unrealistic and unfair expectations based on their gender. It’s society’s outdated understanding of manhood that inhibits men from being able to feel and express their full range of emotions. It places worth on a man’s ability to earn a living, over his ability to love and care for his family. It perpetuates violence against women, as it believes men are too animalistic and barbaric to control their baser urges. This system blames women, and in the same breath ignores male victims of abuse and sexual assault. We live in a system that dehumanizes and belittles men. Feminism says men are much more than this.