An unexpected lesson on neoliberalism

"The impunity of every citadel of patriarchy is intact -- family, marriage, public servants, army, police," observes Dr. Amrita Chhachhi, Professor at the International Institute of Social Studies at Erasmus University, during her keynote presentation themed Neoliberalism, Sexual Violence, the State and the Women's Movement in India, which was arguably one of the best sessions I attended at the International Conference on Gender, Diversity and Development (ICGDD).

Dr. Chhachhi's speech was filled with boldness, acute insight and passion. She spoke eloquently --although in an impromptu manner-- without losing track of the topic at hand. Most importantly however, it was what Dr. Chhachhi spoke about rather than how that was most captivating. Leaving the theoretical part of it aside, Dr. Chhachhi spoke simply and effortlessly about the convergence of neoliberalism and feminism by providing real life, tangible examples. 

Neoliberalism, at the core of which lies a capitalist doctrine, gives way to a system of governance centered around a profit-making model. Deregulisation, privatisation and liberalisation of trade and finance are inherent parts of the concept of neoliberalism. Dr. Chhachhi argues that this kind of governance maintains and reinforces "multiple" patriarchies (army, police, court). The same ideals which birthed feminism are now being used to further capitalist exploitation creating new forms of inequality in the process. 

To put this into perspective, consider the newest viral Vogue Empower ad starring Deepika Padukone. What message is a fashion magazine --that literally cashes in on unrealistic body images of women to stay in the game-- trying to send when it takes on one of Bollywood's (an industry that routinely commodifies women) most bankable actresses to speak about women's 'empowerment'? This is not to undermine Vogue or Padukone's genuineness or sincerity (if any) towards this issue, but I think Dr. Chhachhi would agree with me when I say that at the end of the day, it's an advertisement which appropriates feminist ideals for capitalist gains... Umm, Vogue Empower merchandise, anyone?

Dr. Chhachhi further substantiates the "dangerous liaison" between neoliberalism and feminism by providing examples of 'special sales' or 'bonus offers' available on International Women's Day. A random day chosen by god-knows-who to 'celebrate' women (whatever that means) is actually just another profit-making tool for money-hungry opportunists. 

She goes on to elaborate on the term "economic empowerment" of women that is often used by world leaders and NGOs to inspire women to work to achieve "autonomy". She forces one to question the hidden meaning behind the worn out term. One wonders, as the relationship between the economic role and empowerment of women gets stronger and the rich continue to pocket most of the earnings, who does women's work actually serve, let alone empower? 

During the one hour allotted to her, Dr. Chhachhi raised many other eye-opening points that would have made anyone in that room leave with more complex questions than he/she may previously have had. I was disappointed to see that not a single person had raised their hand to pose questions to Dr. Chhachhi during the Q&A session following the end of her speech. Was her presentation too complex or too pedagogic to understand? I wonder. 

I, for one, was left with a slight feeling of dismay at the end of the session given my renewed sense of understanding of the state of affairs facing the world of "feminism," a term whose meaning seems to have been distorted beyond recognition going by some people's twisted definition of it. Although I have no doubt that the fight for equality is one worth fighting for, it is another question altogether whether we will ever win. Does this mean that as women, we will have to keep "proving" for the rest of eternity that we are just as human as the male species? I mean, what will it take?

The writer is a journalist at The Daily Star.