Are woman truly empowered??

when one is asked to define a woman.. its almost certain that they will fall back on the stereotypes and cliches of pink satin, softness, sensuality, who handles relationship, that of a daughter, sister, wife, mother, friend to perfection. it is true that she gives a lot to each relationship. earlier she was the perfect homemaker and now she is the perfect balancer.

Woman's Day is to celebrate the social, political and economic achievements of women. There are Sonia Gandhi, Oprah Winfrey, Chanda Kochar, Kiran Shaw, Shoba De, woman who have accomplished so much, achieved so much, much more than most men. but for everyone of them there are millions of women who wake and sleep, live and die in grief.

We live in the myth of the few thousand successful woman who have broken barriers and rules, gone past the glass ceiling. I'm not talking about the you and me but the millions of other women for whom Patriarchy, discriminatory customs and values are a part of the society where they are seeking a life of dignity.

Each human being is to be cherished for who they are, but more so a woman. for the millions "hers" for whom life is a constant struggle for survival. but they question is "is she ever going to feel cherished?" Are these woman who we call "empowered women"?

I'm not trying to take away anything from those women who have reached their goals in life, who made dreams reality and the impossible possible. the perfect daughters, sisters, wives, mothers, friends, professionals, it is they who remind us that "A woman is the full circle. Within her is the power to create, nurture and transform"