It was partly media hype, but well deserved. That’s the general reaction from across the world to Emma Watson’s recent address to the UN General Assembly in New York. Her powerful ‘He For She’ speech has had quite an impact on people. And yes it’s led to many debates about the meaning of the word feminism. But in no other part of the world does it take on greater meaning than ours. The reason? Well, we’re a culture that has traditionally claimed to respect and honour women – but in reality have not. And we’re also a people on the move – a country and region that wants to get ahead, grow, and strive for prosperity. So, what does this have to do with Emma Watson’s message? Well, we all need to think about how gender equality is so very crucial to achieve these very goals. And that brings me to my point. There are more women in India today who drive or ride their own vehicles than ever before. India has female cab, bus, and even truck drivers. There are women who operate heavy machinery, and, of course, plenty of women are getting behind the wheel of a car, or donning a helmet and going bike crazy. And again you may ask – so? Well, that’s where Ms Watson’s speech left an indelible impression with me. With all these women amongst us in traffic – do we – the men – really make room for them? Sure, the feminist argument for equality suggests that women don’t want or need special treatment, but in our society is that really true – or fair? Here’s the thing – how many of you have seen the driver of a vehicle ahead of you in traffic seem hesitant, or simply getting it wrong – and thought, “Oh God, that’s got to be a woman driving!” Exasperation, criticism, and sometimes even gesturing follows, and you drive off cementing the view that women cannot, and perhaps shouldn’t, drive. I’ve been guilty of this in the past too. Why do women drivers have such a bad name? Is it because they are indeed under confident, unskilled or worse – disinterested drivers? Or is it because, as the cliché goes, they’re too busy chatting, or touching up their makeup to care about what’s going on around them? I believe we need to understand where this view stems from. Most male drivers on the road do NOT accept women drivers. They are often heckled, overtaken, honked at, and, of course, judged as being bad drivers – simply by virtue of being women. Women can’t park, can’t drive, and can’t turn – the list is endless. But is it not a fact that we are a male-dominated society that scoffs at women drivers in the first place, and that in part has led them to being this way? Just to be clear, it’s not my view that all women are bad drivers. I know some very capable women drivers, who could beat the pants off their male counterparts – not in terms of speed, no – I mean in terms of precision, etiquette and sheer skill. There are millions of bad male drivers, but somehow they’re seen as individual idiots and don’t give the whole group a bad name. Why is that? Why the disparity? Even today, men are reluctant to accept that women should drive. How many fathers ‘allow’ their daughters to learn to drive – even after the age of 18? The sons, on the other hand, often learn when they are 14 and drive around their localities illegally! Most women, unfortunately, don’t have female driver role models in their own families. In the 1990’s, it was still a relatively rare sight to see a woman driving. Of course, there were more of them in the big cities, but I’m talking about across India. Today, young women believe it’s a natural transition to learn to ride or drive and get their own set of wheels. Just look at the resurgence in scooter sales in smaller towns. Yet the attitudes persist. So what’s the point I’m really trying to make? Well it is just this – ‘He For She.’ I’m not suggesting that we all make way for women drivers, and treat them with kid gloves. No, that would play into the stereotype completely. All I’m asking is that the male drivers simply stop judging female driver any more than we would a male driver. Just treat every car or bike on the road as just that. Don’t smirk and don’t honk when you see a female driver mess up – or worse – before she messes up! If you offer to help, well, that’s something you should really be doing for any driver. But stop rolling your eyes, and stop berating. Every time you do that the women in the car with you – your own loved ones – read that as an affirmation of your own self-supremacy. And that’s exactly what gender equality is trying to beat, isn’t it? ‘He For She’ on the road, I’ll try and live by it starting this minute. Hopefully at least a few of the men reading this will too...
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