Two important things every woman must do!

 


 Hello there!

 Since I have promised to post here regularly, here I am with another post. I hope to post here at least twice a week. [Or maybe thrice if you leave me loads of nice and engaging comments 😛 ]
 

March 8th is international women's day. The day always begins with a slew of Whatsapp forwards wishing me a 'Happy Women's Day'. While the wishes might be genuine [even if it's forwarded with the click of a button without even bothering to write my name or ask how I am 😉]  I do feel women in our country have a raw deal.

Most of us have been programmed by patriarchal upbringing that we don't even notice it when women aren't treated right. We accept that this is how things are.

A few days back, a young girl jumped to her death in Kolkata, allegedly because of Dowry harassment. If you haven't read it, do read  about it here.  

 

 I had tweeted about it:


I do think parents should be strong enough to not bow down to the societal pressure and should support the girl in whatever she wants to pursue.  The heroine of my book The Rule Breakers faces a similar situation. She is a meek, sensitive, soft spoken girl who cannot say no to her father, and hence sacrifices her dreams and agrees to get married.



 The story deals with Veda's journey. If you wish to read the book, you can order it here.

 

 Some days back, a newspaper had interviewed me asking me two important questions. Here's what they had asked, and my replies too.

The One advice I wish I had heard while starting out:


Today I am living my dream. I have worked extremely hard for it, struggled, faced rejections and have now  accomplished whatever I have so far, on my own. There was no one to guide me or give me advice or hold my hand or pick up the pieces when I was down. Hence the question of ‘I wish I had heard this’ doesn’t arise!

 However, I  do have one piece of advice for anyone who is starting out. There will be a hundred people who tell you that it cannot be done. If you tell anyone your dream, it is likely they will not perceive it the way you do. So be your own best friend. Reach inside yourself and find that reservoir of courage. Set it free, and immerse yourself in it. Fight, fight hard for your dreams. If you don’t do it, no one will do it for you.

  

What should woman should demand in her life?

Financial independence is the one thing every woman should have. Women constitute 48.1 percent of the population. Yet women account for only 19.9 percent of the labour force, which means over 80 percent of the women depend on a man for their livelihood. This would definitely cause an imbalance in the relationship. The person who holds the purse-strings does hold the power. Your man might be the nicest person; He might not ‘object’ to your spending. You might not even have to ‘ask him’. But the very idea of depending on a man should change. If you are unable to take up a full time job, do something just for yourself. Don’t spend your entire time just for the family.

 

 

 

What are your thoughts on Women's day? If you are a woman, what do you wish for the most? What do you really want?

 

If you are a man, how are you planning to celebrate women's day?

 

 

 

 

Tell me in my comments! I'd love to know.

 (If you are reading this in your inbox, do head over to my comment box)


Love
Preeti

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Photo by Nadi Whatisdelirium on Unsplash

 

 

Comments

  1. Very nicely put. Your blog posts are always inspiring😊

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  4. From one and a half year I became independent ,so I became powerful,now I can give my opinion stronger than before.yes there are struggles to become independent but I gained strength on my own at each and every step.
    And my WISH is__freedom to live my life with my rules and more equality and respect from society.

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    1. So glad to hear that. Yes, we all deserve equal treatment!

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  5. I do agree with the financial independence of women. And, I wish that she be treated with equal respect with men in all fronts! Women deserve it and no gender bias should be shown!

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  6. My days always becomes better after reading your posts. I am so so happy to hear that you will be posting twice a week. That means 2 days of my week are gonna be great. For the rest I will try harder. Now coming to the post, this is a great input for all women. Our parents specially my mom sacrificed her entire life upto her death just to ensure we four daughters become financially independent and thats one thing I am never gonna give up no matter the tough times.

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    1. I shall try! Your mom sounds like an amazing person.

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  7. Ma'am, your posts always cheer me up. And this post speaks to me directly as I am a woman in my mid-20s trying to fight the society's standard - get married and have kids asap stage. Thats why every single word of this post makes sense to me. Thank you ma'am for this, I needed to hear it from someone I respect and admire and you were just the person.

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    1. I am so glad my posts helped! Thank you.

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  8. My fiance left me (or his exact words "you created this situation and you're solely responsible for it") just because I am getting a salary higher than what he earns. As this affects a male ego, he created numerous reasons for declaring me wrong and left me. This women's day I want to take a pledge to help every woman who suffers from domestic issues and problems especially related to dignity and financial independence because I know that if I was not independent and depended on him for everything, then after breakup or a divorce better you can day, I could have been a miserable state.

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  9. My fiance left me (or his exact words "you created this situation and you're solely responsible for it") just because I am getting a salary higher than what he earns. As this affects a male ego, he created numerous reasons for declaring me wrong and left me. This women's day I want to take a pledge to help every woman who suffers from domestic issues and problems especially related to dignity and financial independence because I know that if I was not independent and depended on him for everything, then after breakup or a divorce better you can day, I could have been a miserable state.

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    1. Women earning higher than their male counterparts is an issue that's been there for a while now. I am so glad you emerged stronger. More power to you! <3

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  10. My fiance left me (or his exact words "you created this situation and you're solely responsible for it") just because I am getting a salary higher than what he earns. As this affects a male ego, he created numerous reasons for declaring me wrong and left me. This women's day I want to take a pledge to help every woman who suffers from domestic issues and problems especially related to dignity and financial independence because I know that if I was not independent and depended on him for everything, then after breakup or a divorce better you can day, I could have been a miserable state.

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  11. First of all let me wish you a very very happy women's day Preeti. Looking forward for more of your works. Best wishes for all your future works. Financial independence of women is a growing concern now a days. Happy being one among the 19.90 percent labour force. Just like many other working women I do feel strong in the society, I don't hesitate to speak out, I feel secured and happy about it. I totally accept with you on this. Happy blogging.
    Love
    Sunandha

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  12. Hello Preeti, first of all Happy women's day in advance. I became a regular reader of your works. I can sense the gravity of the present topic as I am currently reading 'The Rule Breakers'. Now I am curious how veda deals with life. I do believe that there should be gender equality in the society. Hoping for the best to happen in society. Thank you for sharing your thoughts on financial independence. And once again happy Women's in advance.

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    1. I hope you enjoy the book! Thank you so much for leaving a comment.

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  13. Women need to be celebrated everyday not just be reserved to one day in a year.Of course parents should stop giving dowry because they are giving away their most beautiful self in the form of their daughter.Dowry,gift or financial love should stop but for that to happen boys must really become Men and have self respect and respect for women who are the nurturers of their families...Men.. please Man up 🙏🙏.
    Yes financial independence of women is also extremely important but more than that a sense of self belief is important coz I have seen even financially successful ladies suffer in silence and when I advised one of my friends to walk out from her oppressive marriage I was accused by people of trying to break her home where she was getting broken bones instead of the love and respect she truly deserved....Women love yourself please

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    1. Agree with you one hundred percent! And brave of you to support your friend, knowing that the society will talk.

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  14. Great blog as always Preetiji.You continue to outdo yourself.I am posting one more nice comment....Coz I am selfish and more you blog the more I want so thrice a week seems a nice idea.....I won't say daily coz that would be me being ultra selfish....Stay healthy and Happy Mam..Lots of love and Respect to you.🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏

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    1. Hey--your comments help me too :)
      So no selfishness in that one! :)

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