It was a regular morning. A young woman driving down to her college on a moped, thinking about how her day would play out. And suddenly, she notices a four-wheeler in front of her, packed with men, each one of them staring at her in the most nasty way. She could feel a fright run down her spine, and by the time she reached college, her day was already ruined. Ask any woman around you and she has had such experiences in life. She will tell you that the the discomfort does not end at the road but follows you everywhere- at the workplace, in family gatherings, on public transport, walking into a room full of stranger.

 

These are not rare, dramatic incidents. They are quiet, everyday moments that pile up over time and slowly wear a woman down. We talk a lot about women’s empowerment. We celebrate women who lead companies, win elections and break records. And we should. But empowerment also has to reach the ordinary moments of an ordinary day. It has to mean that a woman can speak in a meeting without being interrupted; that she can dress how she wants without being judged; that she can simply exist in a public space without feeling watched or unsafe.

 

The problem is the pattern which so deeply woven into daily life that most people do not even notice it anymore. But women do. They notice it every single day. Change does not only happen through big movements and loud voices. It also happens when we choose to notice the small things, call them out, and refuse to let them become “normal”. Normalise respect, not endurance.