PUNE: Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition and MP Rahul Gandhi engaged with female students during the ‘Chhatraon Ki Goonj’ interaction program on Saturday, emphasizing that women must not be restricted to patriarchal frameworks or defined solely by their familial relationships.
Addressing the gathering, Gandhi stated that India’s 70 crore women constitute the country’s greatest strength. However, he expressed concern over how women’s societal identities remain narrowly circumscribed.
“When I speak about women, there is a problem: they are often limited to three roles—wife, daughter, and mother,” Gandhi said. “While these roles are not wrong in themselves, women’s identities should not end there.”
Criticizing traditional patriarchal mindsets, Gandhi referenced ancient texts like the ‘Manusmriti’, calling concepts that frame women as the property of a father in childhood, a husband in youth, and dependent on children in old age as deeply objectionable.
“These ideas are shameful. Our women must be free. You are not dependent on anyone,” he told the students. “You have relationships with your father, husband, and son, but your identity is not determined by them. You have your own independent identity.”
Clarifying his intent for the session, the Congress leader noted that he was not visiting to deliver a political speech, but rather to listen directly to the perspectives and ambitions of young women.
Students Raise Concerns on Patriarchal Control and Familial Expectations
During the interactive dialogue, Gandhi posed questions directly to the audience, asking why men often seek to exercise control over women and whether patriarchal systems perpetuate this dynamic.
Responding to the leader’s question, one student shared her lived experience with gender stereotyping. “When I look at myself, I know I am a human being. It makes me angry when people say, ‘You are just a woman,'” she said. “I am told, ‘You are a girl and you are beautiful; someone will marry you and you will live a good life.’ However, times are changing, and women are now being given space to build their own careers.”
Another student highlighted economic inequality within domestic structures, specifically addressing how women’s property rights and employment are viewed. She noted that when a brother asks for his share in family assets, it is treated as an absolute right, whereas a daughter making the same request is viewed as asking for a favor.
“Families often just want a woman to do a 9-to-5 job, then come home to handle household chores, cook, and take care of children,” the student observed. “Giving women their rightful share is still viewed as a favor today, which needs to change.”
