Just two days ago, on March 8th, we celebrated International Women’s Day, which got me thinking about what truly empowers women. India has a long history of women who have embodied empowerment, such as Rani Lakshmi Bai, Savitribai Phule, and Dr. Anandi Gopal Joshi, the first female physician in India. There have been countless other women whose lives have been sources of inspiration and whose actions have empowered many others, especially women in Indian society.
We’ve also seen women rise to great success in the corporate world, like Kiran Mazumdar Shaw of Biocon, the Reddy sisters of the Apollo Group, and Indira Nooyi, who, born in India, went on to lead PepsiCo as CEO for several years. These women are all incredible role models.
However, the paradox I want to highlight is this: On one hand, we see women breaking the glass ceiling and achieving tremendous success, yet on the other hand, there are women – both in rural and urban areas – who are still denied what they truly deserve. Many are expected to manage household chores, as depicted in the recent movie Mrs. – a remake of the Malayalam film The Great Indian Kitchen. It’s painful to see women being reduced to such roles, but unfortunately, it remains a reality even in modern-day India. In the film, the protagonist, despite having a doctor father-in-law, is expected to handle the daily household chores, squashing her aspirations of becoming a dancer. She’s pressured to cook and care for the home because the men feel their earnings alone should suffice for the family. This raises a crucial question: Is life merely about earning money, or is it about gaining confidence and proving one’s professional abilities? Ultimately, this issue comes down to the mindset of families and society.
Wherever families have supported women, we’ve seen them thrive and grow in ways that empower not just themselves but others around them. In my own family, my mother and her sister were raised with a focus on education, despite living in a society that was heavily patriarchal at the time. My maternal grandparents never considered having a son. They poured their energy into empowering their two daughters. As a result, my mother was able to pursue education and, in turn, instilled the same values in my sister Swati and me. Our accomplishments today are a direct result of the dedication my parents invested in our education.
Support also plays a crucial role when a girl gets married into a new family. As a medical doctor, I’ve noticed that while many girls enter medical education, the number of women actually practicing as doctors tends to fall drastically after marriage. This often happens due to the lack of support from the family they marry into. I believe it’s essential that we educate young boys to actively support the women in their lives—whether it’s their wives, mothers, or sisters—so that women can feel empowered to pursue their dreams.
Education is key to uplifting society and empowering women. A girl is the heart of her family, nurturing both her maternal family and the one she marries into. When a girl is empowered, she will, in turn, empower her children and everyone around her.
Let’s use every International Women’s Day as an opportunity to reflect on what we can learn from the iconic women of the past and strive to emulate their strength so that we, too, can reach greater heights in our own lives.