Women's health is not a niche issue - it impacts everyone in some way. That is why a collective effort to improve awareness and understanding of menstrual hygiene is key to closing the gender health gap.
In a patriarchal society like ours, women have to fight hard for a seat at the table. Boys are privileged over girls from birth. Equal opportunity and access for both girls and boys must become the norm.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Women often struggle for recognition and opportunities in a society that favors men. It's essential for both genders to have equal access to opportunities.
The quote by Shabana Azmi highlights the struggles that women face in a patriarchal society where they must work harder than their male counterparts to gain recognition and opportunities. It emphasizes the need for a societal shift towards equal access and opportunities for both girls and boys, advocating for a norm where privilege based on gender is eliminated, and equality is promoted from birth.
Themes
In practice
Example use cases
During a panel discussion on gender roles, this quote can serve as a powerful reminder of the challenges women face.
More from Shabana Azmi
All quotes →I grew up in a family that believed that art should be used as an instrument for social change.
We never had money but it was never a problem. The spirit of comradeship, the commitment to gender equality, social justice and a celebration of pluralism and India's composite culture provided the glue that kept us joyous and closely bonded.
My being Muslim is only one part of my identity. But particularly in India and the world over, a concerted effort is being made to diminish all other aspects of identity and only take your religious identity as who you are.
It is accepted the world over that women are an essential part of what makes a society successful, and only through supporting and empowering women can a country truly be strong.
It seems kosher and OK to treat women as objects because the business of cinema is about images and when you have fragmented images of a woman's bosom and her swiveling hip and her twisting navel, it robs the woman of all autonomy and subjects her to the male gaze.
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Women's chains have been forged by men, not by anatomy.
I do not think that the lives of women of my generation, as a class, were blighted by the way the power differentials between men and women operated. We wanted to change those power differentials; we also had a good time.
In the '50s, too many women, even though they were very smart, they tried to make the man feel that he was brainier. It was a sad thing.
All my battles were with male egos. I’m just looking for equality, not to dominate. But I want to be able to control my vision.
This idea of doing it all is the enemy of equality, not the path to do it. It's impossible to do two full-time jobs, and an impossible definition of success is just another way of making women feel like failures... Any definition of success has to include social policies that honor families and men who raise babies as much as women do.
Women will be no longer made the slaves of, or dependent upon men ... They will be equal in education, rights, privileges and personal liberty.