columns

For as long as girls are taught that marriage is their only goal, they must compromise and a bad husband is better than no husband, they will continue to remain in abusive relationships. Until the monstrosity of his alleged crime, Aaftab Poonawala was your average abusive neighbor. (Anshuman Poyrekar/HT Photo) When R, then 19, fell […]

For too long, too many of us have remained silent about just what it takes to be an employed mother, believing the lie that if we lean in enough, it will all magically work out. It won’t It won’t. If we want workplaces and society to acknowledge, if not understand, what it takes to be

I can’t help but wonder at the depths we have plumbed in the decade since the brutality of the December 16, 2012 gang rape led an outraged nation to demand justice, compelling the then Congress-led government to tighten rape laws. Since 2012, violent crimes against women have only gone up, a reflection perhaps of both

The hijab row is now headed to a larger Supreme Court bench and all eyes will be on the Chief Justice of India. The composition of this bench will be crucial to determine what is at heart a simple question: Do India’s women have the right to choose? Justice Shudhanshu Dhulia’s dissenting opinion trends towards

The choice between the right to education and allowing girls to wear a headscarf with their uniforms is a no-brainer. The girls must be allowed their fundamental right to expression, privacy, and autonomy. There is no contradiction. The fundamental point in both countries is a woman’s right to choose. In Iran, the extraordinary sight of

In an era where seven states have “love jihad” laws, marriage seems like an ambitious project. Just this week, a Dalit man and his Muslim girlfriend were killed in Uttar Pradesh In a country where 93% of urban Indians choose arranged marriages, the course of true love is not always smooth. (Unsplash) Tucked away in a

When a handbag made news this past week, it would not be out of place to remember that sexist attitudes have not changed much since the Gandhi-Thatcher era. In her earlier avatar as an investment banker, Moitra would have been able to afford a designer bag, or three. But few things upset the patriarchy as

It’s been seven years since the PM’s Beti Bachao mission to address the child sex ratio. But, without its corollary, Beti Padhao, reaching its potential, the scheme is incomplete If there was ever a measure of aspiration for young women, it is to be found in the surge in numbers seeking to better their lives

The election of Murmu cannot be an empty symbolic gesture, mere lip service to inclusion. It must signal a new era where it cannot continue to be business as usual National Democratic Alliance presidential candidate Draupadi Murmu in Patna, Bihar, July 5, 2022 (Santosh Kumar/Hindustan Times) At a time when political parties are queuing up

Raj normalized the idea of girls at play in a deeply patriarchal society where the sight of girls on the field is still rare. Kitted out or not, she told these girls and their parents that it was ok for them to kick a ball or twirl a racket Mithali Raj bats during the Women’s

India needs a focused fight that involves government, the private sector, and civil society. The government can pass laws and policies such as expanding paternity leave and providing tax breaks for companies that promote inclusion (Shutterstock) In 2017, when I began a 12-part investigation on women and work, people were surprised when told that Indian