As fires have been burning over the treatment of women in India, as a young female living in a thankfully liberal nation, I’ve come to the realisation that I have to accept my vulnerability to protect myself. Self-awareness of one’s own limitations are paramount for survivial and if you are to succeed in an environment. Though I am lucky that I am of the first generation to truly be on an equal footing with men in society, the fundamental differences between the sexes which will restrict us. Fact. It’s not that we are unequal but we must accept how our differences fundamentally affect us.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2013/jan/14/england-cricketer-sarah-taylor-mens-match
As a female cricketer myself who has played numerous times as the only girl on men’s teams, I’m torn about how I feel about Sarah Taylor, a girl of my age playing professional cricket in this country…having been on a field of male cricketers many times, I know that the presence of a girl undeniably affects the play of every male player on both teams. They may not want it to or argue that it doesn’t, but it does FACT. This materialises in many different ways. Should this be an issue? It depends what kind of cricket you want to play, that, doesn’t it?!
There are some things in life which you have to accept. Some things can be changed, other things have to be accepted as facts. The way things are. Once you accept them you can learn to live with them and find ways around them.
Personally, I’ve come realise that being female makes me vulnerable in a world of men and women. It is not being pathetic, whimpish and anti-feminist. It is a fact. Just like the fact that I can’t easily play basketball or netball against tall people because I am 5’3 and it is a fact that I physically can’t reach the ball when then hold it above my head. Like adults playing with a child. I accept that but it doesn’t stop me playing netball against people nearer my size.
So, I am female. And right now, I am a young female. There are plenty of things I can do without feeling remotely aware of this, shopping, walking, driving. I can hold my own.
However, there are some things I will always feel vulnerable doing. Travelling is one of them. Going abroad. The nature of my sex means that violation of my nature is always a possibility. Unlike a male who generally has greater physical strength, and different organs, I, by the nature of my body, am vulnerable. The eternal vulnerability of the childbearer. A burden hard to bare but one which must be realised.
I think back to travelling around Cambodia, and the naive 18 year old british girl who had no awareness of her vulnerability and went off in evenings with strange men she did not know, to places she wasn’t familiar with. Such blatant disregard of safety and predicament is asking for trouble. Awareness is key.
And so I have gradually reached a level of acceptance. I will happily travel alone abroad. However, I know exactly what my limits are and there are some things which I cannot do alone. That’s not being defeatest. It is being realisitic. There are many more things a female can do compared with just a few decades ago, never mind centuries ago. Yet as long as men exist in the world, women will be vulnerable to the sexual urges which define exisitance. I would not, for example, walk alone along some streets, even in this country. Whereas though a man may also be vulnerable, as a woman the reality of violation is always with me as it is with any woman. My small size somewhat intensifies this reality.
And so, when I look at all the exotic places my money can take me to in this ever shrinking world, I exercise great caution when thinking about visiting parts of Africa and Asia. I must to ensure I keep what I have. I would advocate the same awareness to every other young woman, regardless of the state of their nation’s stance of treatment of women, though for some like those in India, unfortunately they must always be on a heightened sense of alert. That is, until there are some significant cultural changes…
Filed under: Developing World, People, Women, World Tagged: acceptance, cricket, developing world, gender, india, society, thinking, vulnerability, women
