India is one of the most misogynistic countries in the world

India has sadly become infamous for all expressions of sexism from its mild to its most rotten forms. The Manipur incident left me shocked to the core.

https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/politicians-misogynistic-sexist-controversial-comments-2022-recap-2315175-2022-12-30

Hate against women in this country is real. even women are against women. It's just sad.

Women in India face discrimination in almost every aspect of life. In the workplace, they encounter lower pay, limited career growth, and lack of representation in leadership positions. The concept of gendered roles often restricts them to domestic duties, reinforcing the idea that women's primary role is within the household.

Violence against women is another distressing consequence of misogyny. Incidents of domestic violence, sexual harassment, and dowry-related abuse are still prevalent. Moreover, victim-blaming and the stigmatization of survivors discourage many from reporting such crimes, leading to a culture of silence.

Then last but not least Bollywood

Some aspects of Bollywood movies that have been criticized for promoting misogyny include:

Objectification of women: Bollywood films have often portrayed women primarily as objects of desire, reducing their roles to mere eye candy or romantic interests for male protagonists. This portrayal reinforces gender stereotypes and objectifies women's bodies.

Stereotypical characterizations: Women in Bollywood films have been frequently depicted in traditional, one-dimensional roles, such as the damsel in distress, the submissive wife, or the sacrificing mother. These portrayals reinforce regressive gender norms and limit the representation of women in more diverse and empowering roles.

Gender pay gap: Like many other industries, Bollywood has also faced concerns over gender pay disparity, where male actors are paid significantly higher than their female counterparts, despite both contributing to the success of a film.

Lack of female-led narratives: Bollywood has historically produced fewer films with female protagonists or female-centric storylines. This lack of representation limits the opportunities for women to play powerful and complex characters and perpetuates the idea that women's stories are not as commercially viable as male-led ones.

Item songs and vulgarization: Item songs, which often feature provocative dance sequences and lyrics, have been criticized for promoting the objectification of women and normalizing sexual objectification in popular culture.

Lack of female representation behind the scenes: Women's representation in positions of power, such as directors, producers, and writers, has been relatively low in Bollywood. A lack of female perspectives in decision-making roles can perpetuate male-centric narratives and perspectives.

Look at the biggest hit of the year Pathaan. Besharam Rang is an example of the obsessive male gaze, reducing Deepika Padukone to a sex symbol, of course, lapped up by the audience.

https://blogs.koolkanya.com/how-the-male-gaze-in-bollywood-has-created-a-culture-of-casual-sexism/

Thoughts/opinions?

"Bollywood, the heart and soul of Indian cinema, has had its fair share of cringe-worthy moments. From objectifying lyrics to questionable stereotypes, it's been quite a ride.

Toxic masculinity in India was proven with Kabir Singh, one of the biggest hits of the year 2019.

The film received backlash from various quarters for glorifying misogyny and normalizing abusive behavior. Critics and audiences pointed out that it romanticized violence towards women and portrayed the female lead as a mere object of desire and possession, rather than an independent individual with agency.

Despite the criticism, the film's box office success indicated that there was a segment of the audience that resonated with Kabir Singh's character, which raised concerns about the prevalence of toxic masculinity in Indian society."

Originally posted by: mintyblue

Thoughts/opinions?

I wonder that you didn't got it that the movie Pathan just ironically played with exactly what you criticise being prevalent in Hindi Cinema (not only): the male gaze. Deepika's dance was a honey trap...and it was worth every move done to make Pathan follow the bee....

Pathan wasn't a misogynistic movie...in the contrary... (did you watch it, Minty?)

I understand your perspective about "Pathan" using irony and playing with the concept of the male gaze prevalent in Hindi Cinema. It's possible for a movie to use irony and satire to comment on societal issues, including those related to gender and representation. In such cases, a film may present certain elements that seem to perpetuate stereotypes while intending to criticize or subvert them.

But I doubt Besharam Rang was doing that.

And no...I haven't watched Pathaan...was just commenting on the song....

Since may 2023 there have been issues in Manipur

But godiwood woke up now to condemn the incidents

They were waiting for their Delhi master to open his mouth

Oh yes, Besharam (Deepika in her role) did exactly that...the context made it clear (at least I see it this way 😉). The whole interaction SRK-Deepika showed how much of an own agenda D's character had been given.

Btw, not one of those who repeatedly tell what a crap-movie Pathan is in their opinion, really gave many examples why (I doubt that they watched the movie and just enjoyed to bash it repeating what others wrote)

Since millennia, there has been a vast list of atrocities committed against women.

Everyone, from royals to commoners, settles every major historical dispute on women's bodies, in a brutal manner, what a dreadful mindset that is.

Why are women still subjected to such cruelty in the modern era?

Why are women soft targets in all societal or political conflicts?

What happened in Manipur is frightening, sad, and heartbreaking.

Originally posted by: Viswasruti

Since millennia, there has been a vast list of atrocities committed against women.

Everyone, from royals to commoners, settles every major historical dispute on women's bodies, in a brutal manner, what a dreadful mindset that is.

Why are women still subjected to such cruelty in the modern era?

Why are women soft targets in all societal or political conflicts?

What happened in Manipur is frightening, sad, and heartbreaking.

Just like how the rest of the world has become immune, unable to save Ukraine from Russia.

Similarly, rest of India has become immune to whatever is happening in one of the states of India.. as it doesn’t directly affect them.

India has always been a patriarchal society where in preference is given to a male child ie boy baby over a girl child.

Ask any married couple in India belonging to any strata.. most of married women wish of a son so that they aren’t ill-treated by in-laws or taunted by their close relatives for having only girls.

Talking about professional front...

A recent report by the United Nations sheds light on the status of women's empowerment and gender parity around the world.

• The comprehensive analysis, jointly created by UN Women and UN Development Programme, evaluated 114 countries based on the Women's Empowerment Index (WEI) and the Global Gender Parity Index (GGPI).
• The findings emphasize the urgent need for comprehensive policy action to address the existing gaps and propel progress toward a more equitable and inclusive world.

What are the Key Findings of the Report?

• Only 1% of women globally live in countries with high women's empowerment and gender parity.
• Leadership roles and decision-making remain predominantly male-dominated, restricting opportunities for women.
• On average, women achieve only 60% of their full potential, according to the WEI.
• Women lag behind men by 28% across key dimensions of human development, as measured by the GGPI.
• None of the 114 countries analyzed achieved complete women's empowerment or gender parity.
• Over 90% of women worldwide reside in countries with low or middle women's empowerment and low or middle performance in achieving gender parity.
• Gender equality challenges persist even in highly developed countries. Among the 114 countries analyzed, over 85, including more than half in the high or very high human development categories, show low or moderate women's empowerment and gender parity. Economic progress alone does not ensure gender equality.
  • India has low women's empowerment and gender parity despite moderate human development, highlighting the need for concerted efforts to bridge the gender gap and uplift women's status.
• Gender equality alone does not guarantee women's empowerment. The report shows that no country with a gender gap has achieved high women's empowerment.
  • Additionally, about 8% of women live in countries with low empowerment but high gender parity.

UN Women:

• UN Women was established in 2010 by the UN General Assembly to accelerate progress on meeting the needs and rights of women and girls worldwide.
• UN Women supports UN Member States as they set global standards for achieving gender equality and works with governments and civil society to design and implement laws, policies, programs and services that benefit women and girls.
• UN Women focuses on four strategic priorities: women’s leadership and political participation, women’s economic empowerment, ending violence against women, and peace, security and humanitarian action.

What is the Women's Empowerment Index (WEI)?

• The WEI is a composite index developed by UN Women and UNDP.
• It measures women's empowerment across five dimensions: life and good health, education, skill-building and knowledge, labor and financial inclusion, participation in decision-making, and freedom from violence.
• The WEI captures women's power and freedom to make choices and seize life opportunities.
• The development of the WEI marks a significant milestone in evidence-based policymaking and serves as a baseline for monitoring the government's progress towards Sustainable Development Goal 5 (SDG5) on gender equality and empowerment of women and girls.

What is the Global Gender Parity Index (GGPI)?

• The GGPI is a composite index that assesses gender disparities in key dimensions of human development, including health, education, inclusion, and decision-making.
• The GGPI is developed by UN Women and UNDP as part of a new global report titled ‘The Path to Equality: Women’s Empowerment and Gender Parity in Human Development’, which was launched in July 2023.
• The GGPI aims to capture the status of women relative to men across different contexts and dimensions. It also reflects the multidimensional and interrelated nature of gender equality.

Thanks a lot for this report, OB...I'm always happy if I don't have to do the research myself 😊

With regards to the position of women in society, it shows to me that the male fear of getting 'overpowered' by women (their term...mine would be one not dictated by a useless supremacy-thinking) still prevails in education...

I wish, some 'Men-in-Black'-Aliens would come on Earth disguised as super-effective doctors to give shots against stupidity in gender-biased thinking to the newborns (and everybody having developped this defect) in combination with the vaccination against (other) dangerous infections...