The Woman and the Idea of the Safe City

It has often been repeated by noted intellectuals in the West that the institution of patriarchy as it exists today is a function of pre-capitalist economical structures that the society has absorbed. In India, notably, pre-capitalist ideologies existed in the form of feudal, caste and class systems. Unlike developed countries, India is still to rid itself of these structures that merit patriarchy with so much gusto. The khap panchayats, the moral policing of the neighbors, the whispers- they all in some way form a part of the imposition of the patriarchal hand on the woman.
Where on the one hand, there is certainly some merit to the argument that these pre-capitalistic structures lead to mystification of the woman's role in society. On the other hand, it will be unfair to entirely blame ONLY the pre-capitalistic structures for the same. The idea of capitalism, at its very core, engenders the role of the reproducer to the woman and in effect enslaves her. In the division of labour, it has been assumed that the reproductive role shall be assigned to the woman. This role is inclusive of not only the actual act of birthing, but also the other activities widely regarded as "women's work." The further mystification of the woman's role in the society and the many moral walls built around her are a deliberate attempt in justifying the false assumption of her as the reproductive branch of the society.
Carrying with her the additional burden of morality, a woman conforms to societal do's and don'ts from the moment she's born. If she's at all allowed to do that. The magic of this conformity is such, that even the woman finds herself at times lost. Her role in the society, just like every other good, has been assigned by the alpha male. It is after all a matter of exchange between the men. The value of a woman, in their words, is calculated carefully by her reproductive ability and her conformity to the moral code imposed on her since birth. Luce Irigaray in her essay When The Goods Get Together explores the inter-related layers between patriarchy and capitalism. At its very core, our society as it exists today, is in every way just as primitive as from the times of the cave men. When the value of a woman was gauged carefully from her waist to hip ratio (hence her birthing capacity.) Even developed nations today, even the ones that offer state welfare programs to assist working mothers do so with the underlined principle that it is women's work after all. Female sexuality is viewed through the biased glasses of the male gaze. It is either reproductive or for the pleasure of the phallus.
While this is how the state perceives the woman, in recent times (especially the last decade) there has been a growing unrest among the urban women of India. To them, the engenderment of the public space is of primary importance. The globalization and fast-developing city infrastructure have created public spaces that have rendered the the society vulnerable. The city is where the many layers of the society intersect, the public space expose itself raw to the many conflicts of class, caste and gender. And like every other story in history, this change will also be written on the body of the woman.
The idea of the Safe City is a utopian ideal, one that is much cherished. It is not to be confused with its falsely disguised counterpart that begs the "protection" of the woman. The woman in the public space constantly hears advice, wringing in her ears. It comes from a father, a concerned grandparent, a brother, a mother. It is sometimes a reprimand, sometimes an excuse to justify an already occurred incident. "Don't be out too late!" "What was she doing alone with that boy?" "This is no place for a woman." " This is not time for stroll in the park with a cigarette." "Don't jog in the park, your breasts move too much."
This counterpart is a product of denial, of concern, of some panic, and lastly (and most importantly) reinforced patriarchy. The idea of Safe City explores a public space where defense is not the first strategy. Where the woman isn't an object of some pre-defined value, but a fellow human. It is a world where women smile at strangers, drive autos, work late.
Activist Jasmeen Patheja has commented on the same with a series of social experiments where she makes an attempt at dissolving the engendered boundaries of our society. Her project Blank Noise seeks to record the testimonies of sexual harassment in public spaces and seek to form the idea of the Safe City. The Pink Chaddi campaign also made strong remarks on the Mangalore pub-incident and the continuing sphere of moral policing.
The 16th December, 2012 gang-rape of a 23-year-old medical student sent chills down the spines of the young Indian. This was not the first time they had heard of savage rapes- the Suryanelli rape case, Manorama rape, Bhanwari Devi allegations and many more had already created furore. But this time the matter landed close to heart, because the victim was what one might call one of us. The complexities of the caste and class struggle were not valid here. So the urbanite could not come to terms with it. This decade has seen the city come together to uphold a form of social justice. Candle light marches, protests at Jantar Mantar, blocked roads- are the norm. The passivity of the news coverage given to repeated reportage of news stories was opposed. But the hard question we still need to ask ourselves is- how much has the public space changed? how much have WE changed the idea of the Safe City?