Editorial: International Women’s Day, an exercise in consumer ritualism

Catchy slogans like ‘Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao’ may have helped but ground realities pertaining to women’s education, safety, and equal opportunities at workplaces are far from encouraging

In the supermarket of human vanity, every shade of emotion is a neatly classified commodity that has a designated display slot. And, every occasion is a celebration of the market in all its glory. Over the years, International Women’s Day has become all about Archie Cards, discount sales, rhetorical slogans or motivational quotes. Like all other calendar events, it has been reduced to an exercise in consumer ritualism. Ideally, it should be an occasion for an honest reflection on the status of women in society and the challenges that impede their growth and empowerment. In the Indian context, women’s empowerment — economic, social, political and cultural — is still a work in progress. Despite breaking the glass ceilings across the fields — from politics to academia and corporate boardrooms —, women continue to battle a deeply entrenched patriarchal mindset that seeks to diminish their contributions and limit their aspirations. The challenges range from gender-based violence, economic disparities and limited access to education and healthcare. There is a need to close the gender gap across all these spheres. Catchy slogans like ‘Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao’ may have helped in promoting public awareness about the girl child education but the ground realities pertaining to women’s education, safety, security and equal opportunities at workplaces are far from encouraging. The atrocities against women are on the rise while the conviction rate continues to be poor. This year is the 30th anniversary of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, a historic agenda endorsed in 1995 by 189 governments to promote women’s rights worldwide.

Thirty years on, despite remarkable gains, issues like gender-based violence, economic disparities and lack of political representation remain. The theme for 2025 emphasises empowering young women and girls as change agents and responding to new challenges such as climate justice and digital inclusion. The latest United Nations report says that gender discrimination remains deeply embedded in economies and societies. A woman or girl is killed every 10 minutes by a partner or family member and cases of conflict-related sexual violence have increased by 50% since 2022. The report, released ahead of International Women’s Day on March 8, also noted that only 87 countries have ever been led by a woman. Instead of mainstreaming equal rights, what we are seeing is the mainstreaming of misogyny. Academia is often perceived as a progressive space, but even there, gender biases persist. The dominance of male authority figures, the subtle dismissal of women’s opinions in decision-making bodies, and the struggle to break into higher administrative roles are just some of the challenges faced by women educators. At 21%, India has one of the lowest female participation rates in the workforce across the world. It is less than half the global average. No matter which cluster of countries one compares with — high income or low, highly indebted or least developed — India comes off worse.

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