Thank you, next!
Hello world…
We are Shruti and Divya, marketers from the Tech industry, yes… one of those industries, struggling to open its wings to accommodate more women in its workforce. But that’s a discussion for later.
So, what’s new with us? We were having coffee together one day, talking about our everyday life at work and otherwise.
And guess what, our life is not a cake walk. I mean, everyone knows the kind of environment that the world has created for women (or the way they make us believe — we brought it on ourselves). So this particular day, while talking about women’s participation in events, we had multiple questions. Is it actually that difficult to ensure equal participation? Do we ask too much? Are we not good enough? What’s the root cause and how do we solve this?
We stumbled upon this word called ‘manels’ defining these ‘all male panels’ (wait, what?). Yes, they do have a word for that. Wow, that narrows it down! We know there is a problem, a big one. There are people talking about it, a lot of action being taken at different parts of the world, which is a good sign. But, you know what? The problem still exists.
We see a lot of people patting their backs saying they have 33% women representation. Congratulations, you just redefined equality for us! No, that is not equality. That is not diversity.
Now there are two folds to this problem (actually multiple, but we are targeting two). One, women participation is all about attaining gender representation targets (sad reality), not otherwise; and two, there are some kick-ass women leaders out there who are not easily accessible.
We want to solve both these problems. We want to make equality a norm, a reality, and not about numbers, targets, and promotions.
First step towards solving this is to stop the manels — or rather the mentality of having manels. We are going to start doing this by talking or rather writing about this. Easier said than done, you think? We promise you that we are going to do more than just talking. We’ll soon let you know about our tangible solution.
We don’t want to overwhelm you with details. We just want to start writing about the issues for now.
With so much that we’ve said so far, what better day to start this initiative? Yes, women’s day!
“Happy women’s day” to the ‘she’, the ‘he’, and the ‘they’.
#wejustlearntthis Did you know? March 8th. This day was catalysed in the 1900's by labour movements in New York City that protested against poor working conditions. It was strengthened by food shortage and wild inflation rates protests by the women in Russia that led to the abdication of its government and giving women in the country the right to vote. The day was subsequently recognized by the United Nations in 1975 to campaign for gender equality.
The theme for Women’s Day 2019 is #BalanceForBetter ー “a call-to-action for driving gender balance across the world”, according to the United Nations. Keeping this vision in mind, we are launching ‘Stop The Manels’ today (yaaay!).
We hope our initiative can bring about some kind of a change in this world, however small or big.
So with a big hi and an even bigger hug, we welcome you to ‘Stop the Manels’.
Since this is our first post, we wanted to start this on a happy note, something that promotes girl power. Read along…
March 8th has a rich and fierce history ー with lessons on camaraderie and the vigour to bring change.
But like most years in the recent times, it has been brought down to become an influx of noise. There are billboards, radio ads, and emails with marked up prices, resto bars and food joints selling BOGOs, and social media introducing hashtags and emojis.
In between all the chaos, red roses, and chocolate boxes, we rarely express an emotion that is categorical to fixing a large amount of mess in the world today. An emotion that holds the power to emanate positivity and swallow hypocrisy.
Gratitude — hey, we actually meant ‘Thank you, we are looking forward to the next step’, not Ariana Grande’s version. Sorry if you were expecting ‘hate’.
We are fortunate to have abundant inspiration and fortitude around us — in the form of authors, activists, zines, entrepreneurs, and books.
All we did was seek and listen.
Here is thanking the women who inspire us everyday and telling them that they are remarkable and extraordinary.
Audre Lorde
The Ladies Finger
While most thought it was all anti-men, this online zine gave away the most fluid definition on feminism.
Rituparna Chatterjee
For giving a platform to the #MeTooIndia movement — for amplifying the voices, for the stories, for the truth.
Gender Log
Thank you, for introducing the world to a new voice and a new subject week after week.
Girls at Dhabas
For a one-of-a-kind initiative that stood up for reclaiming public spaces ー by women.
Amy Sherman-Palladino
Two fierce woman protagonists. Miriam Maisel and Lorelai Gilmore. One fierce creator.
Michelle Obama
For writing a book that was devoured night after night — for quitting the high end law firm to follow your heart.
Kruttika Susarla
Who draws on bodily integrity, language reform, anti-dowry, and the LGBTQA movement in a 36 days of type project? She did.
Sanitary Panels
Thank you, for the life lessons in a 3-panel comic.
Reshma Saujani
The “Girl who Code” founder for asking women to be brave, not perfect.
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
For writing “We should all be feminists” ーfor including men in the conversation.
Sarah Kay
Thank you, for The Type. Thank you, for the poetry.
Sheryl Sandberg
Thanks for standing up, for saying the words, for being a leader. Thanks for giving women the courage to lean in. You are an inspiration!
Shonda Rhymes
For making great stories with strong women leads. We watched, rewatched and got inspired by the characters in your show. Wait, it’s not just them, you’re pretty badass as well. Loved your Ted talk on saying ‘yes’ to things. What a great way of pushing limits!
Ashwini Asokan
Thanks for bringing together a bunch of women in tech, starting a community in Chennai (first of it’s kind, we’re sure) and making us talk! We know that building and growing a company was not a cake walk, but you did it, and you did it with style and strength. Thanks for being a mentor and an inspiration.
Amy Cuddy
Thank you for changing our lives with your Ted talk on body language and introducing me to the verse ‘fake it till you make it’. Nothing has been the same, since then (in a good way).
Patty Mc Cord
For defining the best workplace set up and talking about how 33 percent women representation does not mean equal representation
Brene Brown
Thank you for making us believe in the strength of vulnerability. “Life is messy, clean it up, organize it and put it in a bento box” — love your courage and humor.
Elizabeth Nyamayaro
For rallying men as advocates and change agents in ending the persisting inequalities faced by women and girls globally. Thank you for making this about both the genders.
P.S — This is not an exhaustive list. Thank you, to all the amazing people who inspire us, everyday ー at home, at work, our friends, our co-workers, our confidants, our critics ー in moments of doubt and anxiety and in bouts of hysteria.
You know who you are.
Thank you!!
