At a programme titled Celebrating Status Single Women who are single shared their experiences of a world that discriminates against them, labels them and frowns upon them for their status.
Doma Wang is the founder and owner of Blue Poppy, a chain of restaurants that she runs with her two daughters and niece. With Anindita Sarbadhicari, filmmaker and single mother through IVF, and Paromita Chakravarti, professor of English at Jadavpur University Wang was speaking at a session titled the Face of Singlehood.
The recurrent narrative at the programme was the need for financial independence while women shared their experiences and challenges.
“I have never stopped working. I always believed that I have to be financially independent. I have never asked my ex-husband for money,” said Wang.
The community’s founder, writer Sreemoyee Kundu, said that as per the 2011 census, 39 per cent of the women in India are single — which is 71.4 million women.
“Despite so many single women, we are still somewhat an anomaly. Especially, since in India, marriage and motherhood are given a premium place. So many women battle physical, emotional and financial abuse, discrimination and isolation at many levels from their peers, families and society,” said Kundu.
“No matter how successful a woman is, her marital status is a huge point of discussion, gossip, exploitation, abuse, harassment and workplace politics. There is no sensitisation towards single women because we assume a woman naturally progresses from her father to her husband,” she said.
“One of the basis of patriarchy is to put men as the context and everything else in relation to them.… Feminism is not about men, it is about us. Feminism is not about wearing the pants in the family. It is not about anybody else,” said Mallika Sarabhai, artist, human rights and justice activist and single mother.
