Women on the verge defending life against the global patriarchy
What if, compañera and sister, we learn not only to scream out of pain, but to find the way, place, and time to scream a new world into being? Just think, sister…
Patriarchy
Rajasthan Rising: Movement of young girls challenging patriarchy
by Neha Saigal & Saumya Shrivastava Earlier this year, on a pleasant afternoon we made our way from the walled and very beautiful city of Jaipur to the narrow and…
The Unabated Oppression of Women under Capitalism
According to International Labour Organization’s (ILO) July 2021 policy brief, “Building Forward Fairer: Women’s rights to work and at work at the core of the COVID-19 recovery”: “Globally, between 2019…
Olympics, Sexism and Patriarchy
Bikinis are a mandatory part of female handball players’ dress code. In contrast, male players wear shorts. Similar sexist discrimination prevails almost in all events. Helen Jefferson Lenskyj, a retired…
Walls in the Cathedral
As I write this piece ,what lingers in my mind is the picture of the Indian women’s hockey team entering the women’s hockey semi finals for the first time in…
German Gynasts, Unitard And Patriarchy
German women’s gymnastics team’s stand to wear unitard once again opens up the debate on agency and choice In Tokyo Olympics 2020, the German women’s gymnastics team decided to not…
Pornography: Studies And Activists Warn About Neglected Aspect of Violence Against Women
“ As a result of our efforts violence against women was decreasing in villages here. But ever since this new menace of ashlilta on phone ( porn available on…
#FreeBrittney and all Saudi Women too!
By Ariel Gold and Medea Benjamin One week after Brittney Spears sent shockwaves across the world by relaying the conditions she has lived under for the past 13 years, a…
Circa,modern day thoughtfulness
This morning, I woke up to two beep sounds of my instagram notification the vibration felt like a thunderbolt ringing my lousy brain cells in bleak mid-dawn. I immediately unlocked…
Changing the Way the Military Handles Sexual Assault
Given the more than 60 Democratic and Republican votes lined up, the Senate is poised to move forward with a new bill that would change the way the military handles sexual assault…
Strengthening our Struggles through Zero Tolerance to Patriarchal Violence
Public Statement on the Sexual Assault and Abduction of a Young Woman Activist at Tikri Border We deeply mourn the death of a 26-year old activist from APDR (Sreerampur) in…
Make Movement Spaces Safe for Women!
Women against Sexual Violence and State Repression (WSS) stands firmly and unconditionally with survivors from various movement spaces, who have come forward with their testimonies of sexual assault, harassment and other…
A Taste of Patriarchy in Speech: Language and Gender
"Language is the road map of a culture. It tells you where its people come from and where they are going." Rita Mae Brown The words that we weave each…
Why I am not a Hindu woman: A personal story
Why I am not a Hindu woman: a personal story by Wandana Sonalkar, New Delhi: Women Unlimited, 2021, pp 169. Wandana Sonalkar is a self-proclaimed atheist and in this…
Protests against Pakistan Prime Minister’s comment linking rape to how women dress
Pakistan rights campaigners have accused the country’s Prime Minister Imran Khan of "baffling ignorance" after the former cricketer linked how women dress to cause a rise in rape cases. In…
Social Media & Women!
Of late, a new importance is being accorded to “social media.” The so-called “social media” is allegedly playing an extremely negative role in spread of “socially-approved” abuses targeting weaker sections,…
Turkey quits treaty on violence against women and transgender religious school opens in Pakistan
Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan has pulled Turkey out of an international accord designed to protect women, according to an official notice. The Council of Europe accord, better known as the…
Neoliberal Education and Free-market Feminism in India
In The German Ideology, Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels stated: “The ideas of the ruling class are in every epoch the ruling ideas, i.e. the class which is the ruling…
Status of Women in Islam
In order to understand the edicts of a religion in an objective fashion, one has to look at the norms of the times the religion was offered. Islam was…
Feminist Week of Resistance: Gender & Livelihoods: Farm & Labour Sectors
8th March, 2021: Through the Feminist Week of Resistance and Reflections (7th to 14th March), marking International Women’s Day and remembering Savitribai Phule, National Alliance of People’s Movements (NAPM) is…
His Master’s Voice or His Mistress’s Voice- An Essay on Dog
On the occasion of Women’s Day, it might appear surprising to see an essay on Dog.…
The Horrible Dowry System and Its Wider Manifestation in India
Nearly 60 years have passed since the dowry abolition system legislation was passed in India but we still have the cruel reality of 20 dowry deaths a day in the…
Your Honour/ My Lord – Women are Humans Too
‘Enough is enough. Your words, scandalise and lower the authority of the Court…..Propriety demands that you step down from the post of CJI without a moment of delay” – An…
To Be Empowered Is A Choice Than Fait Accompli….
Adam and Eve descended together on this planet. They coexisted and evolved through time, struggling for domination and power constantly. Then why, after thousands of years of cohabitation women are…
Violence against women in India has cultural aspect and need to be pondered over seriously
A man walks to the police station in Hardoi, Uttar Pradesh, with a severed head of his 17 years old daughter. He admitted openly that he disliked her relationship with…
CJI Bobde Must Step Down Now for Asking Rapist to Marry Victim, and Condoning Marital Rape!
Just days before International Women’s Day, 4000+ eminent and concerned citizens, women’s rights and progressive groups raise a strong collective voice Deeply distressed by the regressive statements of the CJI asking…
‘Have a seat but shut up please’: Whither equality?
'Dumb dolls' may soon be adorning board meetings of Japan's ruling party. As per a news report, in response to criticisms that its board is dominated by men, Japan's ruling…
Religions, Female Virginity and Fidelity
Violence against women has been a universal phenomenon in the East and the West. In the West measures have been taken against it. They have met a certain degree of…
Marital rape- Why still not a crime in India
To Indian ladies above 15: ‘Think before you marry’ – By section 375 exception 2 of IPC When I searched for the status of marital rape in India, the first…
Break the silence: Ending gender-based violence is a human rights imperative
"There is a global epidemic of violence against women - both within conflict zones and within societies at peace - and it is still treated as a lesser crime and…
Critical Feminist Pedagogy: A Magic Bullet to End Patriarchy
Across ages, we have seen a persistent gender-based discrimination in India. This discrimination manifests in the form of gender-based violence (40% of women have experienced domestic violence), trafficking of women,…
Patriarchy’s Engines: Toxic Masculinity, Desire, Sexual Violence
Prefatory Note Before I begin with the issues that are properly the concern of this article, I would like to make some clarifications. Firstly, with this article, I would like…
‘May you be the mother of many sons…’
...so goes an old common blessing given to an Indian bride, talks of gender equality notwithstanding. While the small family norm slogan of 'hum do, hamare do' (we two, ours…
Dalit patriarchy- is the concept sustainable?
Feminism arose as a counterpose to patriarchy. Dalit feminism can presuppose both Dalit patriarchy and 'Brahmin' feminism. Before we venture into defining Dalit patriarchy we must be clear about what…
Growing up as a girl in rural India: What does it mean?
Adolescence or teenage is that critical phase when one transitions from childhood to adulthood. It is marked by important biological changes and the onset of puberty. This 'growing up'…
What is really radical in sex/gender politics?
The political left, and much of mainstream feminism, is characterized by an analysis of how systems and institutions shape our choices, a critique of capitalist media, and a commitment to…
The Patriarch Country
Unjust social system that subordinates, discriminates or is oppressive to women.The society is where men hold the control and make all the rules and women stay home and care for…
Ideological logic around the validity of “Dalit Patriarchy “
Of late, I am coming across on the strange discussion on “ Dalit Patriarchy “ . I see a lot of confusion around this concept and this write up tries…
Do We Also Owe An Internal Apology? A Reflection on Racism, Gender and Stereotyping in Response to Web series ‘Paatal Lok’
A particular scene in Paatal Lok, which is a series in Amazon Prime used a racist and a sexist remark on a Khasi woman calling her a “Nepali whore” (in…
The End of Patriarchy: Radical Feminism for Men | Mickey Z. interviews Robert Jensen
“It seemed that there was a need for a book that laid out the problem of patriarchy in plain language.” (Robert Jensen) While we’ve never met in person, Robert Jensen…
Facing Grim Reality On International Day For The Elimination of Violence Against Women
Each year on November 25, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women is commemorated. A commemoration in essence is an opportunity to reflect on the challenges, prove…
Time To Acknowledge Indian Women Farmers
The Indian women farmer, almost never publicly acknowledged, reviled by superstition and patriarchy, and increasingly troubled by entrenched social and cultural mores and taboos bears the real burden of farm…
#HappyToBleed Campaign Is Back
Nikita Azad is back with #HappyToBleed campaign once again. Last year, on November 21, 2015, #HappyToBleed campaign was launched as a counter attack against the sexist statement given by Devaswom…
Rising Divorces In India
When a marriage is no longer sacrosanct, can assisting in getting a divorce be called profane?
Masculinity Goes To The Movies…
Recently, I was tagged on Facebook to participate in something called the “80s Music Challenge.” I excitedly agreed but such social media shenanigans did not come without an ugly lesson.…
Battered Women Syndrome: Applying This Legal Doctrine In The Indian Context
Over the last decade, a shift in approach towards domestic violence has taken place and several legal reforms have been directed to assist the survivors. The Protection of Women Against…
Gang Rape Survivor Gang Raped By The Same Accused Again
In a rule of law jurisdiction, the story of a victim of gang rape being raped by the same accused against whom court proceedings continue, might be outlandish. But, in…
The Two Child Norm Conundrum
There was a small news item in the Times of India dated 3rd July, 2016.It related to Bhopal .It read , " 3 peons breach MPs-2 child norm ,sacked." It stated that…
Towards Recognition And Identity: The Plight Of Transsexuals in Kerala
The allegations came recently in newspapers that two transsexuals are brutally attacked by the police in Kochi. This is the current situation of transgender life in Kerala albeit the existence…
In The Days Of My Youth, I Was Told What It Means To Be A Man
Over the years, I’ve written a fair amount of autobiographical pieces but it’s only recently that I’ve begun to re-explore some of these episodes from a more critical, radical perspective.…
Feminist Socialism And The Commons
Hilary Wainwright, of the Transnational Institute and co-editor of Red Pepper magazine, made a lasting impression on the Commons Transition/P2P Foundation team with her panel presentation at the recent Commons…
Dowry Deaths: India’s Shame
What the Women and Child Development Minister Ms. Maneka Gandhi, admitted on the floor of the Lok Sabha was startling, between 2012 and 2014, around 25,000 women either committed suicide…
A Quest For Identity: From Personal To Political
By J Nigam and Shalu Nigam Mature men and some women in mysterious black coats, a weary face listening, though with little attention, to these two segments arguing, fighting, abusing…
Stop Victim Shaming: No Tolerance To Misogyny At SRFTI
Being female in this world means having been robbed of the potential for human choice by men who love to hate us. One does not make choices in freedom.…
Girls Should Have Equal Access To Education For Making An Egalitarian Society
On achieving independence in 1947, it was expected and believed that India will become a nation wherein there will be no place for any kind of seclusion, exclusion and suppression…
Sex , Sexuality And Sex Education In Punjab in 21st Century
Punjab is a predominantly patriarchal agrarian society . Men head the family and women playing a subordinate role . Sikhism and Hinduism are the major religions , with Muslims and…
The Concept Of Women In Communal Ideologies: A Study Into The ideologies Of RSS And Jamat-e-Islami
A communal organization derives its ideology, base and support from religion and tradition, that is, from the past or the existing social order, and functions as a bridge between religion…
Normalisation Of Rape Culture In India: Eroticised Regressive Nationalism
There is a fine line between prevention and normalisation of any entity. When an event manifests itself through the acceptance of society , passively as an everyday occurrence or something…
Genetically MODIfied Babies In Gujarat?
By Shobha Aggarwal & Dr. P.S. Sahni “If there are two daughters born in the home, and the third child born is also a daughter, then she is told, now…
A Critique of Human Society Since The Neolithic Revolution
There is a long history of social critics and progressive thinkers offering critiques of human society. Among those who are better known, Karl Marx offered a critique of capitalism, anarchists…
Annual Subscription
Join Countercurrents Annual Fund Raising Campaign and help us
