The main topic I noticed in the book, playing with fire, was an issue of maltreatment of women and young girls. I cannot recall the mention of any men or young boys receiving any level of maltreatment. The book, Playing with Fire, does not paint a positive picture for the treatment of women and young girls in India. There are a few prominent images that come to mind, but one in particular stands out the most. One of the diary authors wrote about her grandmother having received such frequent beatings from her husband that she had turned permanently blue from the waist down – that is awful! Physical aggression towards woman in this culture is frequent and often women do not speak up for themselves in fear of risking their family’s honor.
Playing with Fire, turns that idea of risking their family’s honor on its head. In an act of advancement of women’s rights, seven women wrote a compilation of diary entries for Playing with Fire to speak out against the maltreatment and suppression of women rights. They often spoke of caste systems, and different degrees of purdah (seclusion or isolation from outside of the home) with the caste they were associated with. The women also spoke of how their parents wanted to marry them off young as possible for an exchange of dowry. Among these experiences, including physical violence not limited to sexual abuse, the authors also spoke about their husbands being frequent gamblers, alcoholics, jobless, or not wanting to provide for their sasural (woman’s parent in-laws home she lives in).
As a student who is a psychology major, has an interest in studying culture, and is currently taking a social work class, I find many aspects of the culture represented in Playing with Fire problematic. I am more than certain for those of you that have read Playing with Fire do as well. However, I have the impression from reading Playing with Fire much of India has previously failed to see/acknowledge the maltreatment of the women and young girls of their society.
I have a belief, because much of Indian culture is androcentric, male figures within families fear to lose their positions of power. To maintain their power, the idea of not damaging a family’s honor is in place. Much of the responsibility of keeping a family’s honor is in the female gender role, where it seems the male role has no responsibility to maintain the family’s honor. This gives freedom to men to do as they please.
In my social work class, we were recently discussing domestic violence and the means by which abusers use certain methods to maintain power over the abused individual in or outside a family dynamic. Our class was shown this picture which illustrates the different methods an abuser may use to maintain power and control over an individual(s). Here in the United States everything within the spokes of the wheel will not result in the abuser being prosecuted or being sent to jail. Though, physical violence and sexual assault which is outside the spokes can result in prosecution/jail sentence.
However, In India prior to to 2005 before the instatement of the, Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act, 2005 (No. 43 of 2005),there were few protections for women who were victims of domestic violence or sexual assault. For example, previously under Penal Code 498A women would not have been protected from domestic violence or sexual assaults. Instead the act of domestic violence or sexual assault would likely have been written off as a case of maintenance of the house hold (Patherya, 2017). My hope is, with the instatement of Act No.43 of 2005, women and young girls of India will feel and be safer to live their lives as freely as they wish. I hope this recently instated act will help to deter the abuse of young girls and women of India, and that those who do, receive a proper prosecution/jail sentence.
Written by:
Aria Newell-Sowash
Written by:
Aria Newell-Sowash
Patherya, K. (2017). "Domestic Violence and the Indian Women's Movement: A Short History." Inquiries Journal, 9(11). Retrieved from http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/a?id=1702
Thank you for sharing! I did not know and have not heard about the instatement Act that was put into place in 2005 to protect women who were victims of violence and sexual assault in India. I have the same wishes for women and girls in India as you do. Hopefully this instatement will allow for women to stand up and speak out for what they believe in, even if they are afraid to do so. I really enjoyed reading the book Playing With Fire and hope others in the class did as well. It helped me to open my eyes and realize how much privilege I have in the world today. Something so simple as stepping outside, showing my face, and riding my bike are things that I take for granted. Reading each woman's diary helped me to understand more about their culture and the injustices that women like themselves in India face. If I was in their position, I do not believe that I would have the courage to be as brave as them and share my story. I feel that each of these women are a hero in some way. They did a wonderful job sharing their experiences.
ReplyDelete-Molly
You had a very interesting take on this book especially coming from a psychological background. Reading this book from a journalistic point of view, I was most interested in the storytelling, and the importance of that tool. But I never stopped to think more into the concept of how these women were held hostage psychologically by forcing women to hold all the responsibility in maintaining the family honor. The physical abuse and restrictions painted a picture that my journalistic lense tended to focus on. In the end though, however you viewed the book, we can all agree that these women were incredibly courageous to share their stories and fight against the inequality and abuse. Thankfully, as you shared, India is actively putting laws in place to help women put their abusers in jail, hopefully making them feel safer. Playing with fire was a book that opened my eyes to not only the daily struggles of the women in India but made me more aware of the simple things I take for granted. I am not responsible for my family's honor, and I am not forced into a marriage or expected to pay dowry. The amount of respect I have for the women fighting for change and equality is immense.
ReplyDelete-Maire Simpson
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ReplyDeleteI love that you are applying your skills as a psychology student to your observations and insights about Playing with Fire. I, too, took note of the extreme violence and abuse that these women and young girls in India experience throughout the text. Your emphasis on the psychology of these happenings is a unique and very important take on the situation. Your explanation that there was no mention of men being abused as severely women throughout the book is very interesting.
ReplyDeleteIt makes me think, though, about the gender roles that exist because of this abuse. How the expectations of behavior of these women in India clash with the expectations of behavior for men. Throughout the book, it is mentioned that these women grew up watching their mothers get abused by their husbands throughout generations. It makes me wonder how engrained abuse is into the male role and psyche and how that transcends into the treatment of women in India.
These gendered abuses emphasize gendered roles that exist in India; men holding more power than women, which transcends into the abuse that exists. I wonder how this expectation of men needing to hold the power, influences the psychology of both the men and the women in India.
Thank you for bringing up the psychological perspective of this issue. It really made me think about the psychological norms that may be engrained in Indian society and how that affects the women within the country.
I really enjoyed this blog post because of the psychological perspective you took on gendered violence and domestic abuse. As a social work major, this is something that I hear about all the time and am passionate about, so while reading Playing with Fire I was really struck by the extent of the abuse the women described. Even without specifics, it’s hard to read and think about but that’s what makes it more important to discuss. I did not know about the Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act put in place in 2005 prior to reading this blog post (so thank you!) but I hope that it is effective in deterring abuse an violence. Hopefully this will also help others come forward about their experiences and find peace and healing.
ReplyDeleteRecalling the fact that domestic abuse and violence go hand in hand with a power dynamic makes it more amazing to me that the Sangtin writers had the courage to share their stories. Sometimes I wonder/worry about any consequences they might have faced at home for coming forward about their pasts.
-Gabriela
I really like how you took your choice of major and discussed how that impacted your personal interpretation of the novel. In addition, I had not previously known about the Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act, which I do think could potentially have a big impact on the way that women are treated throughout India.
ReplyDeleteThrough reading the novel, one of the main things I took away was the caste system throughout India and how people were treated with varying amounts of respect due to their class. While I like to think that this act could have a major impact on India, I also think it's important to consider the institution of this caste system. Women who are from lower classes may not be able to afford to get legal representation within court, and there could still be intense pressure to stay with their husband to keep honor within the family. In addition, many of these women did not get a high level of education, and much of the focus of this education was being able to maintain a household. Due to this, they may still feel like they don’t really have any power because they wouldn’t know where to go without their husbands. So, while I think this act reflects good intentions, I do worry over how effective this act will really be in protecting these women from domestic violence.
-Erika Johnson