Aside from the obvious rhetoric of the question, I’ve kept thinking about it. Inspired by a recent experience, “fun” became a topic of reflection as a woman in India. I wonder how accessible it is for most women in a country like ours where even basic access to public transport and options is pathetically low?
Fun means something different to each individual, but for many women in India today it still has to involve care and pleasure Security. For most young urban Indians, a “fun-filled public space” can be anything from beaches, parks, malls, trade fairs, cinemas, concerts, pubs and big event parties to tourist destinations. But how accessible are these spaces for women, not just in big cities but also in small towns?
Public vs. pseudo-public spaces: Access shaped by class
Even today, it is still largely normal for women to be at home or in public only with the specific purpose of going somewhere. Be that as it may, most women are taught to feel a sense of belonging only at their destination (home/work) and never when traveling or in places where they go on leisure trips, whether for safety reasons or a general feeling of exclusion.
Even today, it is still largely normal for women to be at home or in public only with the specific purpose of going somewhere. Be that as it may, most women are taught to feel a sense of belonging only at their destination (home/work) and never when traveling or in places where they go on leisure trips, whether for safety reasons or a general feeling of exclusion.
In her book Why Loiter? “Women and risk on the streets of Mumbai,” emphasize authors Shilpa Phadke, Sameera Khan and Shilpa Ranade Exclusion that women have to endure in most public spaces. “Security is the obvious reason why women are denied access to the public,” they say.
On the surface, the idea of “safety” is about protecting women from the threat of stranger violence. However, it also includes an underlying fear of women interacting with “undesirable” men, which can threaten the systemic control that families seek over their daughters or wives.
The book analyzes the difference between “real” public spaces such as buses, trains and streets and privatized leisure facilities such as shopping centers and pubs, which function as pseudo-public spaces for middle-class consumers. But even these constructed leisure paradises are concentrated in highly urbanized areas and are only accessible if you can afford them. The exceptions are countless women who earn just enough to survive and not to treat themselves.
“The rhetoric of Consumer Citizenship “has all but drowned out the weak voices claiming citizenship based on inalienable rights to public space in the city,” the book adds. The greater your ability to consume or pay, the more you are considered a worthy citizen, this structure claims.
The Social Costs of Fun and Loitering
In the book, the authors also discuss why loitering – a fairly affordable way to spend time – is largely a male hobby. Women who loiter are often referred to as “loose,” a label that has historically been used to police any woman who goes beyond the narrow definitions of “respectability.”
This stigma limits the most democratic and simplest form of public presence: the right of women to be on streets and in parks without looking, resting, or being. When public spaces are subject to these moral codes, they are no longer accessible and, more importantly, public.
However, it is important to recognize that men from a lower economic class and social standing are more likely to be perceived as a “threat” or “harassment” (the authors use the term “unaffiliated”). “The disadvantaged are the poor who are thrown into the role of ungrateful migrants and occupy the city’s spatial assets without officially documented compensation.” While loitering is common across all classes, men from higher castes/classes are more often viewed as less of a threat and a more legitimate presence in public places.
Possibility of entry vs. access
Equal opportunity is not the same as equal access. There is a subtle but clear difference between whether a place is accessible and whether it is “inclusive” or “accessible.”
Let’s break it down. When we are given the opportunity to participate in a conversation, that is equal opportunity. If we’re not included or considered in the conversation, there’s a good chance we won’t speak – that’s unequal access. When we see someone else like us given the opportunity to speak up, we feel encouraged to join in – it allows access.
Even today, it is still largely normal for women to be at home or in public only with the specific purpose of going somewhere.
Visibility is important and necessary. When women see other women taking up space, it signals safety and opportunity. A woman walking down a dark street will not feel compelled to change her path if she spots another woman. This small feeling of ease extends to every place: the more women you see, the more welcome you feel.
Girls also want to have fun: a personal snapshot
I find that fun. Recently I was in a pub in a big city in South India that was located in a large hotel. It had beautiful decor, good food and music so loud even Beethoven could hear it. Everything was nice except the atmosphere. The DJ loudly played numbers (from all languages and continents) on a large screen that were so vulgar that even the men with female companions began to squirm in their seats.
The important thing here is that I wasn’t alone and from my perspective it still felt isolating. Interestingly, a group of men from the next table started dancing and enjoying themselves as they should. And that’s when I realized that even a seemingly upscale place can offer two different experiences to two customers. It was a paid room that admitted women but never gave them the “fun” that was promised.
Visibility is important and necessary. When women see other women taking up space, it signals safety and opportunity. A woman walking down a dark street will not feel compelled to change her path if she spots another woman. This small feeling of ease extends to every place: the more women you see, the more welcome you feel.
I understand this does not reflect all pubs. But like me, most women feel a palpable discomfort in places where “everyone” is supposed to have “fun.” Now add a layer of economic class; How much fewer are the number of these options?
Where do the women (who work themselves to the bone) have fun? Fairs, temples, parks? And most importantly: How safe are these places so that you can relax undisturbed?
Safety, visibility and the recovery of space for pleasure
The presence of women in public life leads to even more presence – mothers taking their daughters to parks, young women riding bikes after dark, and women organizing and participating in community festivals. These acts of occupation are small but can be powerful affirmations; They normalize women’s visibility and remove the stigma of women taking up space in the public eye.
We always associate feminism with the right to work, equal pay and all serious things. But “fun” and access to it are too important feminist Ideology, because “the right to pleasure” must always include “the right to a life without violence.”
Inclusion isn’t just about opening doors – it’s about changing the music videos, making room at the table and rewriting the rules. If we truly strive for an equal society, we must ensure that fun (joy, rest, curiosity and play) is not a luxury for a few, but a right for all. Only then will India’s public life reflect the loud, chaotic and beautiful presence of half its population.