Misogynist mindset

Crude remarks by Congress parliamentarian Abhijit Mukherjee, who is the son of President Pranab Mukherjee, describing women protesting the recent gang rape in Delhi as “dented and painted” women lays bare yet again the misogynist mindset of our political class. Mukherjee’s sexist remarks are part of a long line of offensive comments that politicians cutting across party lines have made about women, especially those who dare to speak their mind, question their authority, or pose a threat however mild to their power and position. Few would have forgotten Mulayam Singh Yadav’s comment about rural women never getting a chance to get ahead in life because they are ‘not that attractive’ or Narendra Modi’s comments on Congress parliamentarian Shashi Tharoor’s ‘Rs 50-crore girlfriend.’ Being sexually offensive is not restricted to remarks but extends to the actions of our politicians. Remember how 125 CPI-M activists greeted Medha Patkar by exposing their buttocks when she visited Nandigram at the height of the crisis there? A misogynist mindset is always of concern. It is more so when the holder of that mindset is a legislator. After all, it is Parliament that is tasked with enacting laws to prevent rapes or domestic violence. When those sitting in our legislatures have medieval mindset, we cannot expect laws to prevent violence against women.

Studies show that sexual violence gains endorsement from scriptures, popular songs and movies that celebrate sexual harassment and ‘taming’ of ‘arrogant, assertive’ women or violent computer games that involve virtual rape, culminating in the creation of a rape culture. People like Mukherjee and Modi who talk down to women and portray them as sexual objects are legitimising this culture of sexual violence. Sexual remarks, ‘eve-teasing’ etc are mere steps away from rape.

Preventing rape requires more than pushing the police to reform themselves. It needs changing mindsets of all sections of our society. It involves getting rid of a culture that sees masculinity as synonymous with subjugation of women and believes that  ‘modern’ women should be ‘taught a lesson.’ We must bear in mind that misogyny is not a male prerogative; women too carry deep gender-related prejudices. It is important too that we address sexual violence targeting not just women but also men, as well as transgenders.