Union Textiles Minister Smriti Irani, in a freewheeling chat organised by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry on Thursday, spoke about a range of subjects, including gender roles in society, feminism and challenges working women face.
“I never liked being known as a woman first and human being later. I cannot be judged on how well I stitch or cook, I am more than that. Now when I look back I feel I sounded like a feminist,” Ms. Irani said.
Ms. Irani, who was a Miss India finalist in 1998, recalled how her fellow contestants would come to her for general knowledge. “ I developed a habit of reading the newspaper since a young age, courtesy of my family. It was hard to believe why a person would not know what’s going on in the world.”
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Ms. Irani also spoke about harassment of women at workplaces, and her experiences as a woman in Parliament. “Women do not go to work to be harassed. Why are they asked to negotiate their self-respect when they chose to work? There are bullies in all stratas of society, no matter where you work. Vilest of comments have been made on me by the members of the Opposition. Sexist remarks were made when I held a position of power. You have to learn to look the bully in the eye and prove them wrong,” she said.
On whether she felt guilty for being a working mother, Ms. Irani asked why a man is not asked the same question. “There is no magic formula in relationships. You are simultaneously a professional, mother, wife or daughter at all times of the day. The idea is to be responsible for the choices you make, When you are old and have time at hand, you will realise that the people you spared time for have none for you now,” she said.
Refusing to be called a feminist she said, there should be no nomenclatures to state something right. “It’s humanism to speak for the right thing. Just because someone is speaking for women doesn’t mean you label them. They are speaking up for what is right as a human,” Ms. Irani said.
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