As the year draws to a close, I'm back at my writing desk, vigorously writing my last piece for the year. for 3 quarters of this year and the entire last year, I wrote one piece a month on gender, advocating and discussing on all topics gender, at least the ones that touched me personally. And today, when I was thinking of what to write on, instead of topics, a lot of questions crowded my thoughts. Why am I writing on gender? There's so much happening around, why not about those? Will I be able to change anything through my writing? Are the relevant people reading it? Is it making an impact? And honestly, I have no answers. But one thought did strike me-- no matter who reads or doesn't, no matter if things don't change, what's important is I raised my voice, I spoke my heart and I know, if not for others, for me, it definitely matters.

Today, we live in times, when people are happy when they give birth to a daughter. If not all, many people have come to realize that a daughter also is capable of all those, and perhaps more when compared to a son. But this was not the case even 2 decades back. Women in India longed for a son, an heir, to carry forward their lineage. They needed a son to care for them, to look after them when they were old. However, things changed over a period of time and many families are now convinced that it is not a son who completes the family. He may not be a caregiver after all. And how did this change in mindset happen have cha? Primarily because many opened up, wrote, talked, made things known and most importantly, women became brave to do what was considered impossible. Women moved out of their confines to show the world that they can fight patriarchy and pursue what was considered impossible for them.

However, when I say gender, I simply don't march behind women alone, shouting out for empowerment. For me, gender is just a physical difference, an external attribute. All humans are born equal and are capable of achieving anything depending on the resources provided to them. And hence , while we advocate women's rights, let us not aim to achieve that at the expense of men. It is important to understand that equality is for all. Otherwise, it's meaningless. Interestingly, research shows that only 14.4% of seats in Indian Parliament are held by women and 18.4% of women of reproductive age are subject to some form of abuse or violence. So women are neither holding positions of power nor are free from abuse. In a situation like this, it is the men who have to step up and advocate for more for women until a state of equality is established. And while we continue talking about men and women let's not forget the rights of LGBQT who also have rights to be heard and who must be free from discrimination everywhere, whether it is opportunities, work, social life or personal freedom. So, while externally, everything looks all shiny, many more gaps have to be filled. Is someone listening?

Of course, we have miles to go....but the journey has begun. We have made people sit and take notice and we are not afraid anymore. And that is IMPORTANT. I'm glad that I'm raising my voice because for me--gender matters!!

This post is part of #CauseAChatter with Blogchatter. I'm talking about gender issues this quarter through my blog posts. You can view my previous post here. You could be part of this cause too. Besides gender , you could choose to talk about sustainable choices for a greener planet or mental health. Look up here and sign up to for a year of #bloggingwithapurpose. 

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