Why write on MeToo? For the tagline factor? Or is gender still a relevant topic? In a way, gender (read women’s rights and safety) has always been relevant, yet, never relevant enough.
This month, with the US reversing Roe v Wade, the future of gender and gender rights has come to the forefront again, and that’s why Dr. Tanushree Ghosh, the techie activist who authored Beyond #MeToo (Sage Publications, represented by The Book Bakers Agency), is on the road meeting men and women, speaking on the importance of information. Gender rights can’t be achieved if we don’t educate ourselves on what is out there, how the world is evolving post-gender, what are counter forces, and most importantly – what laws do and don’t cover.
In her Gurgaon talk at the Kunzum café, she and her fellow panelists were joined by an equally enthusiastic audience who passionately discussed how changing surnames post-marriage and not taking steps towards financial independence affects the next generation and the religio-national politics behind gendering of everything – from morality to national identities. The latter was in the context of abortion rights reversal in the US, where the sanctity of life is put at the forefront with deliberate oblivion towards the socio-economic impact it will have on women.
How can these things happen, still? We asked the author, who had just talked about how her book showcases stories and case studies from around the world, from Japan to Latin American and previously Soviet countries, and of course, India and the US, and established the universality of gender struggles. ‘Things like this happen because there is money spent in making things like this happen, and the money is spent because doing so creates and maintains the stronghold of certain groups over others.’
So, are gender rights progressing or regressing? ‘In the big scale of things, there are definite improvements. But there will be regressions, or at least slower than needed progression if we don’t capitalize on the awareness and headwinds movements create. No movement is perfect, but as I have made the case for in Beyond #MeToo – they serve a very important purpose of bringing things to the forefront.
Many feminists have reflected on gender being a cause that’s difficult to rally behind and unite for. It’s too broad. It’s half of the race, and exactly because of that, other identities often provide more relevant and visible association. For example, caste, race, religion, region, and class.’ The book provides an intelligible analysis of this, the author explains, while quoting a line. ‘Inciting incidents have generated movements again and again in India, but gender has consistently come second and become secondary to caste, class, corruption, and other such.’
So if things are not bad enough, are they worth fighting for? ‘Well, this is what my daughter asked me when she was six when I tried to explain to her that I work for establishing equal rights for boys and girls.’ The author quotes. ‘You mean boys and girls are not equal? Why?’ She urges us to think about that question with absolute innocence and try and come up with an answer.
Beyond #MeToo covers a wide scope, bridging the gap between academic depth and a trade read, and explores this question, while providing the reader with facts, stats, laws, indexes, and the economic impact of gender inequality. Can be found on Amazon, Sage, or at select bookstores.
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