Women Having Agency and Children Feeling Safe Are Indicators of Modernity

Watch how people of varied genders think, walk, speak, and conduct themselves in a family or society, and you will unmistakably know which gender enjoys the freedom to earn, save, and spend.

Agency is considered as a core component of the broader concept of empowerment, whether for women, men, or others of the spectrum; be it children, elderly, and other vulnerable adults. It is their ability to define and act on goals, make decisions that matter to them, realise their aspirations, and participate in the economy and public life. Albert Bandura, renowned social learning theorist and psychologist, clarifies that “to be an agent is to intention- ally make things happen by one’s actions.” Often, in our societies, the male adult assumes agency and act captaincy, not even taking time to think of other alternatives. On a lighter note, this anecdote perhaps be in place. Barack Obama, as the president of the United States, was touring the far off states with his family. They were hungry; but for the president to halt to eat they had to have required security arrangements. In order to escape public attention and security drills, they quietly stopped at a small restaurant. After a while the chef sought permission to meet Michelle Obama, the first lady. Michelle obliged to meet. And after the meeting when she returned she looked shocked; and announced to her husband that the chef of this restaurant was her boyfriend in school. Mr Obama smiled and said, ‘If life was different you could have been the owner of this restaurant.’ The family had a hearty giggle. Then Michelle thoughtfully said, ‘No, Barack, if life had turned out to be a bit different the chef here would have been the president of the United States.’ The world often takes for granted women’s agency.

Earnings and Confidence Go Hand in Hand

The efforts and demands of women (like the efforts and demands of them for education) to have a paid (not in smiles and affections only) job, have income, and have own savings often mistakenly comes across as challenging men, family, social convictions, and the status quo. UN Women, the United Nations entity that promotes gender equality and the empowerment of women says, women’s economic empowerment is essential to achieving women’s rights and gender equality. It underlines the fact that when more women work, economies grow. Women’s economic empowerment increases economic diversification and income equality, which promotes gender equality. It has economic objectives too; it is estimated that closing the gender gap in work could give the global economy a USD 7-trillion boost.

Own earnings give persons a sense of freedom and foster self-confidence. Watch how people of varied genders think, walk, speak, and conduct themselves in a family or society, and you will unmistakably know which gender enjoys the freedom to earn, save, and spend. Worryingly, millions of women in India, even in well-to-do contexts, do not enjoy own income and savings, or a bank account. Any family, community or establishments that endorses hierarchical and patriarchal financial dependency is a danger to modernity and progress.

Respect is won and dignity is earned. Everyone must have the possibility of winning and earning them. Enjoying a recognised and countable income/productivity of one’s own helps one to be dignified; don’t spiritualise it, your productivity and the respect and dignity that you enjoy are interlinked. Establish and endorse equality of work and income, and there would be less need to overarch to the other and act as agents of others’ happiness and contentment. Let me state it, without undermining the great support lots of guardians and spouses provide for those living in dependence, a depended life is a lesser life. I have seen people giving up wealth and income as a choice; but in order for one to let go, one must have it first. That fundamental right to have it first is called respect, equality, dignity, and agency. Women who have agency create opportunities for change. Or again, I have heard of many men who once had land, wealth, and power leaving all that and going wandering into a domain of holiness; and that is considered even today as an accepted path to holiness. I have seldom heard about it of women. Yes, men retain even the land, wealth and power to holiness.

Normal and normalcy are all deceiving us. Internalising one’s misfortune shrinks one to the size that they are expected to con- form and fit into. Environment often is stronger than willpower and talents. One begins to internalise the patterns and values found in the air one breathes. If you stay in an environment where people don’t value you, your gifts shrink, your values shrink, your abilities shrink, your dreams shrink, and you shrink to the level of your environment. Walk, run, fly—cross that frontier and be your size.

Bubbling Children and Floating Balloons

Perhaps there has not been any other cross-cultural symbol of childhood and play than the image balloons, or children happily looking upward and enjoying the control they have on their balloons in the air. And it is not a rare sight to see kids whimpering for their burst and lost balloons. The pseudonymous England-based street artist and political activist, Banksy’s Girl with Balloon (ironically, the picture portrays a girl without a balloon?) represents the burden of childhood in a world where adult brutalities on children is on the increase.

It is Christmas, and our attentions move out to the margins; to the people who are at the receiving edge of an unkind and brutal world. Among many unfortunate people on the margins of society because of their religion and economic class, the women and children have been at the receiving end in all and every civilisation, or must I call it ‘under-civilisation’.

Even the richest of countries are not spared. The US recently had its presidential elections; and it is Trump again. On 30 April, 1789, George Washington, standing on the balcony of Federal Hall on Wall Street in New York, took his oath of office as the first President of the United States. Till today, 46 presidents have served 58 presidential four-year terms; but US, which generously boasts of gender equality and liberty, never ever have elected a woman to the Oval Office. That is, anecdotally, a 235-year-long wait.

Written as editorial for Together magazine.

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