Country Director for Gender at Work India, Sudarsana Kundu shares what persuaded her to devote herself to the cause of equality
There has been an increase in violence against women globally, which is alarming,” said Sudarsana Kundu who shared that these are some of the factors that persuaded her to devote herself for the cause of equality.
Co-Executive Director for Gender at Work Global and Country Director for Gender at Work India, Sudarsana works with a range of organisations to drive institutional change for gender equality and women empowerment. Through her work with UN Women’s programmes on gender and governance, she has worked with governments and CSOs across the globe, providing recommendations on enhancing service delivery for women.
“Gender at Work works pan-India and globally with organisations at various levels to help them plan and strategize policies. For instance, we helped in policy making of Oxfam when it came under heavy criticism for sexual offences. We have advised numerous organisations on developing strategies that ensure public and private sector actors have a stronger social and economic impact, particularly with respect to gender equality, ” explained Sudarsana who has worked with some 150 organisations for the cause.
“While working in Uttar Pradesh with MGNREGA programme we observed that Dalit women couldn’t have access to the scheme. We worked with local bodies and ensured them their right to work,” she added. Recalling her past experiences, she shared, “In my early career, I faced misogyny when I wasn’t on friendly terms with my male supervisor. He intentionally gave me bad performance review and I felt unfair. Our rituals are also to be blamed for supporting patriarchy.
I remember when my father passed away, my aunts were excluded from his last rites. If you read, you will find many other traditions where woman faces discrimination every single day. Social norm governs what women can or cannot do. Discrimination starts from home itself where females are held responsible for house work. In India, a woman does 350 minutes of household chores while man devotes roughly 52 minutes a day.”
Financial independence of women is not the only thing for Sudarsana. “In many cases, husband takes over whatever a woman manages to earn. What is more important is that women must have control over their income. According to me, the two major things that contribute towards women empowerment are — a woman must be able to make choices and exercise consent.”
Sudarshana is also an active board member of Nayi Disha, a not-for-profit focused on empowering parents who have children with intellectual and developmental disabilities. “We provide parents with resources and necessary support to help their children. Our annual event Abhivyakti encourages such children to showcase their talent and perform on an open stage which is empowering in itself,” she said.
Article Credit: telanganatoday
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