On 78th Independence Day, Here's Looking At 78 Freedoms Women Need

It has been 78 years now. 78 years of fighting against colonisation. 78 years of drafting and setting up the government and constitution of India. 78 years of providing every citizen with the freedom to live, earn and retire on their own accord. But why weren't these 78 years enough to ensure the safety and respect of women? Why couldn’t the 78 years of India’s independence erase the reign of patriarchy on women’s lives? When will the day come when every woman can proudly say “I am free and safe".

On the completion of 78 years of Independence, every eye will be focused on the hoisting of the flag. Sagas of the fight for independence will be told on repeat. But what will still remain the same is the policing of women, their sexual harassment, unpaid labour and lack of freedom to stand on their own feet.

This Independence day does not feel festive as it comes days after a doctor in Kolkata got raped and murdered. Protests against the exploitation of doctors especially women are happening around the country. Students are out for candle march holding banners to oppose oppression and demand the right to safety and justice.

We have had it enough.

On the 78^th Independence Day, we women want these 78 freedoms in our lives

1. According to United Nations India accounts for 45.8 million of 142.6 females missing in the world over the last 50 years. When will women gain independence from female infanticide and foeticide and have a life?
2. Even today gendered parenting is a norm in many families. Women are always taught things that are suitable for their gender. When will we be free from gender roles intercepting our rights to follow our passion and interest?
3. The female literacy rate in India is 70.3 per cent and the male literacy rate is 84.70 per cent according to National Family Health Survey 5. India stands lowest in the world literacy rate index. The female literacy rate in India is lower than the average literacy rate of the world which is 87 per cent in 2022. Independence of India happened 78 years ago. Why still there is a difference in men's and women's literacy rates? When will women have the freedom to educate themselves and be empowered?
4. 96 per cent of girls enrol in government schools but as they reach class 10^th, the rate drops to 50 per cent in 11^th. When will women get the right to choose education over housework and marriage?
5. When a daughter strikes her marriageable age, she is constantly reminded to get married. She is made to believe that marriage is her destiny and biggest achievement. When will we get freedom from the constant pressure of marriage?
6. Female workforce participation in India dwindles to 37 per cent in India, even though it has increased in the past few years. Working women can contribute a lot to the Indian economy and shoot up the GDP. Why still women do not have the freedom to earn a job and salary?
7. One out of five women drop out of school due to menstruation. The reason behind this is a lack of toilets, lack of menstrual hygiene, period taboos and no knowledge about menstruation. When will menstruating women get freedom from taboos and lack of awareness about period hygiene?
8. In an Indian household, families choose what career is suitable for women. The choice is made not entirely for the welfare of women but for keeping women safe in the eyes of patriarchy. When will women be free to work in the field of their interest and not patriarchy?
9. Three girls get married every minute in India before they turn 18 but the conviction rate for this crime was only 11 per cent in 2022. According to the 2011 Census, 16 lakh child marriages take place every year which means 4,000 marriages in a day. According to NCRB reports till 2022, more than 23 per cent of women were married before 18. When will girls in India have the freedom to do something in life rather than succumbing to the evil practice of child marriage?
10. According to the data released by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), the number of reported cases of crimes against women stood at 445,256 in 2022 alone. This means, 51 reports every hour. When will women be free from sexual predators? When will their sexuality be the deciding factor of their individuality and safety?
11. Marriage is seen as a defining factor of the morality of a woman. If she marries, she is sanskari and if not then there is definitely some problem with her upbringing. When will women get the freedom to choose whether they want to marry or not?
12. Women who do not want kids are shamed for being selfish. When will women have the right to decide whether they want to conceive a child or not?
13. Women who work are shamed for being greedy and selfish but when she stays at home, she is considered orthodox. When will women have the independence to decide how they want to be in life?
14. Most of the sexual harassment cases against women happen at home or at the hands of men they know. When will women be safe within their houses?
15. In 2022, 63,414 cases of sexually assaulting minors were reported. Out of these a staggering 38,030 cases were of girls. When will a girl child have the freedom to not be scared and subjected to such heinous crimes?
16. 75 per cent of women face violence on the streets, 19 per cent on bus stops and 25 per cent face sexual harassment daily till 2022. When will women be safe on the street?
17. 29.3 per cent of crime against women of age group 18 and 49 have faced Domestic violence but it is still not taken seriously. When will women have a marriage in which they are safe and independent?
18. Intimate partner violence is one of the main reasons why many women die by suicide. According to NFHS-5, 25,309 homemakers died by suicide in 2022. When will women’s lives and sanity be valued over the patriarchal conception that women must be submissive in marriage?
19. The latest National Family Health Survey-5 data revealed that most women justify domestic violence. The survey that was conducted across states asked women and men if it was justified for a man to beat his wife and the answer was not negative. When will Indian women be free from the internalisation that domestic violence is normal in marriages?
20. Up to 80 per cent of women face sexual harassment in the workplace. Do women not even have the freedom to work efficiently?
21. Around 90 per cent of women perform unpaid work. Even employed women worked six times more as unpaid labourers or caregivers than men. When will women get independence from the belief that housework and caregiving are their duty and not paid work?
22. Only 32 per cent of married women in India are working according to NFHS-5. Why are married women forced to quit their jobs after marriage? When will women get the independence to work and earn after marriage rather than confining themselves to unpaid domestic duties?
23. Bahus are always villainized in houses for being unsanskari. Sometimes they are even blamed for the death of the elder ones in the house. When will women get independent from moral policing after marriage? Why are women alone held responsible for the duties at home?
24. Many women are slut-shamed for having premarital sex. When will women have sexual agency?
25. Many women are policed for the clothes they wear and are victim-blamed for provoking men to harass them. Some women are policed for being too traditional in their dress choices. Why should a woman’s clothing determine whether they deserve safety or not? Why should clothes determine how modern a woman is?
26. Women are often body-shamed and expected to look good all the time. When will women have the independence to own their bodies? When will they have bodily autonomy?
27. Women are shamed for having male friends. When will they be free from the misconception that ladka ladki kabhi dost nhi ho sakte?
28. Women are labelled characterless for having a boyfriend, especially when the couples’ communities are different. When will women be free from society’s scrutinising eyes over their dating life?
29. When women become widows, they are outcasted by society and considered a bad omen. Why don’t widows have the freedom to live their life normally?
30. Women are forced to stay in a bad marriage rather than call for divorce. The divorce rate in India is less than or equal to 1 per cent. When will women have the freedom to seek divorce and walk out of an unhappy marriage?
31. Sex in a patriarchal society is all about male pleasure. Women neither get orgasms nor men think about female orgasms and pleasure. When will women have the right to orgasm?
32. Marital rape in our society is not wrong but when women ask for sex she is termed immoral. When will women have the agency to choose how their sex life should be? When will women have the freedom to own their bodies and their needs?
33. Women are never expected to take care of their health. They are pedestalled for sacrificing their health and doing unpaid work for their family members. When will women have the freedom to take care of their health?
34. When will housewives get the freedom to take sick leave or leave on Sunday?
35. When will women be able to go on trips without lying or being tracked by parents? In 2020, a global index named the Women's Danger Index declared India as the ninth most dangerous country for women solo travellers.
36. When will women have the freedom to abort a child during an unwanted pregnancy? In 2018-2019, 48,500,000 pregnancies were reported in India out of which  21,500,000 were unintended and only 16,600,000 were aborted.
37. When will women be independent enough to make the financial decisions for the family?
38. When will women be considered as an individual and not sacrificial or rebellious Devi, vote bank or token?
39. When will women have the freedom to join the parliament and lead the laws in the country? Until when will women be a reservation? Now Women's Reservation Bill has passed but howling before it turns into action?
40. No matter whether a woman is earning or is a homemaker, why aren’t women ever made in charge of the family or house?
41. When will women be free from the evils of dowry and dowry harassment?
42. When will women’s worth be measured in terms of gold and money?
43. When will society stop calling out women alone for being gold diggers when they marry rich husbands? Why aren’t men called the same when they demand dowry?
44. When will society stop considering women an object or dhan that is donated in marriage? When will women marry as an individual and not an object?
45. Until when will women be seen as sexual objects who sleep their way to the top? When will women be valued for their talent and achievements?
46. When will society stop double discriminating against women from the marginalised community?
47. When will women have the freedom in real life to inherit the family business equally?
48. When will women be free of victim-blaming when they are raped? When will they be forced to marry their rapists or keep the child conceived through rape?
49. Until when will female actors be judged for their looks and clothes and not their talent in acting?
50. When women will be free enough to pose naked and still not be policed for obscenity?
51. When will women be free to interpret goddesses and gods and scriptures as per their thought process?
52. When will women be free from being judged as per scriptures that have been written by patriarchal minds?
53. When will women be free from sexist comments like beauty with brains and you are different from other girls disguised as compliments?
54. When will women have the freedom to work till late at night and earn promotions at work?
55. When will women get equality in the way adultery is treated in our society? Why women are forced to undergo harsher punishments than men?
56. When will women be allowed to be opinionated and speak their minds without inviting any slut-shaming and misogynist comments?
57. When will women gain safety from online sexual harassment?
58. When will women be openly able to post anything on their social media accounts and not be judged by anyone?
59. When will women be free to have social media accounts without blocking their family members?
60. When will women entrepreneurs be taken seriously and their pitch be valued?
61. When will women be free to own their sexuality without fearing moral policing and slut shaming?
62. When will objectification of women in Bollywood films stop?
63. Why are women forced to stay in unhappy marriages and try to fix their husbands? Why does the responsibility of sustaining the marriage fall on women alone?
64. When will women be free to sit whenever, wherever and however they want?
65. When will women have the freedom to express any emotions they want- be it happiness or anger?
66. When will society stop determining what is the right way for women to laugh?
67. When will women be free of the prejudices that women are bad drivers when research shows exactly the opposite?
68. When will women be free to handle their own finances?
69. Until when will society bind women with the myth that women cannot climb mountains, ride bikes, lift heavy weights and do everything that a man can do?
70. When will women be free to consume intoxicants without the fear of being ‘caught’ or shamed or judged?
71. When will women have the freedom to tell their partners to use condoms? Why do many men still feel that using condoms is not masculine?
72. When will women be a part of discussions a home and not only a part of the kitchen?
73. Until when will women be downplayed using double standards?
74. When will women be free to breastfeed in public?
75. When will women be considered citizens of the country and not pawns of society?
76. Until when will a woman be blamed for toxic relationships? Why are they expected to stay in such bonds and improve their partners?
77. When will women be allowed to love themselves?
78. When will women be free of cultural inscriptions on their bodies that decide their lives? Who made the laws? And who said that the laws are right?

The views expressed are the author's own.