Aheli Moitra
‘Equality is not something you aspire to; it is the ground on which you walk’
The Nagaland Baptist Church Council (NBCC) made an exemplary statement during its 82nd Annual Council held from February 1-3, 2019, at the NBCC Convention Centre in Kohima. In a list of resolutions made at its Council, it called for space to be made for women to take part in policy making. It acknowledged the role of women in church and society, reiterated the credit and privileges due to women and, most importantly, asked for patriarchy to be done away with.
The NBCC has done what few male-dominated institutions have done, to call out the power imbalance that is created in patriarchal societies. In such societies, even work spaces reflect this power imbalance and undermine the full self-determination of women and people of other genders.
But how do we ‘do away with’ patriarchy?
At a meeting, also held from February 1-3, the Network of Women in Media, India (NWMI), discussed gender based violence at the workplace resulting from the abuse of power. Designed as a voluntary, informal, non-hierarchical, participatory collective, the Network of variously aged media women from across the Indian Union met to arrive at specific issues affecting women, and women in media, and to organize a way forward. With no chairperson, convener or institutional head, it made sure that all decisions were made in a collective manner. Founding members of the Network remained kind enough to mentor and guide new members but kept discussions open, honest, pinning responsibility when required, letting go when required. They created a safe space where media women could share and seek answers from all members on questions that do not have ready made answers. Those who shared narratives and perspectives, with ready translations by fellow members for those who spoke in mother languages, did so without fear. It created that equality-enabling environment in a space (of mostly strangers as many members of the Network, drawn from across the country, do not know each other) that many workers have no access to till date due to the overbearing power of various hierarchies—gender, caste, tribe, creed, class. No doubt, what emerged from the NWMI’s 14th national meet held at Delhi’s Jamia Milia Islamia was nothing short of fantastic—fantastic solidarity, tearful sharing, representational dialogue, understandable disagreements, difficult questions, reasonable answers, clear future direction, meaningful statements and astute reflection. It was an exercise in building the democratic space we often dream of.
At a public meeting on creating safe work spaces for media women, held on February 2, a discussion ensued on how it made many men uncomfortable to have policies, like the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013, that ensure women can come into work without being abused for being on the other side of power (for instance, comments on women’s clothing, ambition, capacity, mental or physical harassment that limit the potential for work). Lawyer Naina Kapur pointed out that men and women ought to be equal in the workplace. Since society is not designed for this, an enabling environment has to be created for women to work to their full potential. Policies have been made to produce this equality at the workplace. “Equality is not something you aspire to, it is the ground on which you walk,” she asserted, driving out scope for discomfort with the subject.
If newsrooms can begin to 'do away with' patriarchy successfully by building skill and capacity to exercise existing laws and policies/mechanisms that facilitate the same, perhaps society will follow suit, as envisaged by the NBCC.
Discussion points are welcome at moitramail@yahoo.com