How can you help empower your mothers?
This piece is being written addressing the children of the present generation.
‘Activism begins at home.’ You all must have heard this statement and now, while you go on reading the text that proceeds, you will get to know, how to apply it, especially in the case of implying women empowerment at your homes, by helping in empowering your mother. Well, for someone who is born seeing patriarchy and lived with a title of being the subordinate gender, identifying the unjust oppression by the patriarchal members is likely to ask them for a lot. But for you, who is certainly a generation after your mother, who is educated and being taught not to tolerate the patriarchal ideas, it is rather difficult to see your mothers accept and not withstand for herself. Well, there can be multiple forms in which your mother (or the women of your family so to say) might have been facing issues, including domestic or verbal abuses, restrictions, or even just taunts because they are women, it is something that can severely impact their physical and mental health. While they are not taking the initiative, maybe you can.
Here is how you can help empower Your Mother
1. Make her know that she is not supposed to suffer because she is a woman
The patriarchy has made women grow up with the ideas that she deserves what she has been getting, that she is a less important gender, that she is not the one who is equal to men etc. This particular idea is so inherent that she justifies the situations she is being put into, thinking this is what she deserves. Hence, the first step is to make her forget the idea that oppression is what a woman deserves. Gradually teach her about gender equality, feminist ideas and made her question herself, if she really deserves it.
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2. Help her raise her voice against the oppression
Now that your mother is certainly able to question what she is getting, she would be needing your support in raising her voice. Oppression can be of any form, it can be violence, it can be mental torture, probation, imposing restrictions, and so on. Hence, to help her deal with it, you would be required to support it, be her ally, and help her with the right way for how is she supposed to raise her voice.
3. Help her know her rights
Most of the women, especially the ones who are not very educated are not aware of their rights and the laws. Hence, it becomes your responsibility to educate her about her rights and make her seek a legal route if things are not falling in the right place for her.
4. Support her even if she decides to take a divorce because of the justified reasons
Be your mother’s support even if she chooses to get separated from her husband, her family who were not supporting her rights and dignity. Make her believe that she is not doing anything wrong if choosing herself over anyone else.
5. Encourage her to work, live her dreams
Support your mothers if they wish to work. Sit with her, ask her what are her dreams and aspirations and encourage her to live their dreams, and be herself as she deserves it.
6. Support her financially if you can
Most of the mothers choose to be with their oppressors because they are financially dependent on them. Hence, if you are encouraging her to be independent, try to help her feel believe that you will support her financially until she becomes financially stable.
7. Help her think of restarting her education if she had quit it
If your mother has not completed her education or is not educated, encourage her to get back to the road of learning. Help her in getting enrolled in courses of her choice and make her be informed and educated for herself.
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