In the weeks since a young woman was brutally attacked, raped, and left for dead in streets of New Delhi, India, a global conversation has emerged over gender roles and whether India, along with many other countries, needs to reflect inwards on how we are raising our children to treat and respect women and vulnerable populations.
But for a country like India, where gender roles are deeply within entrenched societal standards and within family life, changing negative attitudes towards women can seem like an almost impossible task. In a rare testimony, writer and author Mira Kamdar recounts her own experience with conservative views towards women, even as a young girl in India. Though she grew up in the United States, Kamdar was taught by her Indian grandfather that as a female, she should remain invisible.
Kamdar is an associate fellow at the the Asia Society and author of the book, “Planet India: The Turbulent Rise of the Largest Democracy and the Future of our World.”