Beyond Trending: What is patriarchal bargain?
Many women took to the streets after reports of sexual violence, including in Delhi, demanding safe public spaces, improved public transport, and accountability. How does this reflect on the idea of patriarchal bargain?
Following reports of sexual violence, including in Delhi, many women and girls took to the streets to demand safe public spaces, improved public transport, and accountability. Alongside their assertion of women’s rights, freedom and dignity, playful slogans (such as “Ek Kachori, Do Samosa, Inn Mardon Ka Kya Bharosa?”) raised during the protests have caught wider attention.
After such incidents, state and society often respond by seeking to restrict women’s mobility. For instance, following the alleged gangrape of a minor girl by three men posing as police officers at a park in Delhi last month, classes at DU’s Lady Shri Ram College were moved online.
But how do protesting women challenge this rulebook and refuse to engage in a trade-off it implies: accept restrictions in exchange for protection? How does this reflect on the idea of patriarchal bargain?
