‘Nirbhaya rape accused should not be given undue importance’

While the society is waking up to the Nirbhaya documentary that went viral on the Internet recently, the country is ushering in Women’s Day with a heightened resolve to prevent the abuse and objectification of women. In this backdrop, FPJ spoke to a successful bureaucrat, Supriya Devasthali (in pic), a director at the Forward Markets’ Commission, which falls under the Union Ministry of Finance, on the objectification of women, financial literacy among women and more. Excerpts: In the wake of the recent controversy where a Nirbhaya rape-accused made an irresponsible statement, do you believe women are still seen as objects and sexual prey?

I think it is too much to expect any kind of responsibility from the Nirbhaya rape-accused. He has already exhibited his irresponsible, inhuman, callous and brutal attitude towards women. Perhaps talking about the statement is giving undue importance to the person. Let the course of law bring justice to Nirbhaya, her family and all the women in the country. Meanwhile, we should channelise our energies into changing people’s attitudes towards women. But where do you think women stand in 21st century Indian society, in terms of education, healthcare, careers, political awareness and social standing?

We talk about India being one of the few countries to have reached Mars but at the same time, many girl children are prevented from being born. Their struggle for survival starts right at birth. Even after being born, at every stage of their lives they face discrimination. I sincerely believe that there is a lot more to be done for bringing women on a par with men in terms of access to education, healthcare, career opportunities etc. We have a habit of quoting the examples of a select few women and boasting about their progress. But let us not forget that these are a select few and that there are a large number of women for whom finding their daily bread is a struggle. As an expert on finance, don’t you think women are discouraged from earning and saving money, assets and property despite being excellent at saving small amounts? How do you think their financial literacy can be developed?

I feel women are not discouraged from saving but they have limited financial freedom in terms of job opportunities. Besides, women are bound by family responsibilities. Hence, there is a disparity between the incomes of men and women. Even women who earn well are not aware about investment possibilities. Many women themselves don’t take interest in managing their finances. Decisions related to savings and investments are taken by the male members of the family, even in the case of working women. Many of them don’t even have a separate bank account. On one side, we have women who are educated but financially illiterate and on the other hand, we have women whose earnings are limited and financial awareness also limited. Indians as a society have a habit of saving. So what we need is to channelise these savings into investments through innovative means. How does the 21st century woman balance her personal life and an ambitious career? What sacrifices does she have to make?

Many women do the tightrope walk of a family life and a career. I believe all women who are working have to continuously endeavour to strike this balance. Women are best at multitasking, but this workhome balance is achieved at the cost of their physical and psychological health. Not being able to give sufficient time to family, especially children, leads to guilt and they end up making unhappy compromises. Not having the time to take care of one’s health, not being able to pursue hobbies or passions, and not having a personal life or freedom are some of the sacrifices women make on a daily basis. Bigger sacrifices are in terms of foregoing ambitions about a career and even giving up their career to take care of their family.