International Women’s Day (which fell on March 8 this year) celebrated the achievements of women and reminded us of the feminists who fought on our behalf to ensure a more just society. While equal rights for women are now guaranteed in most countries by law, personal struggles continue and we find that most women are simply not able to achieve their full potential.
My own experience has taught me that the quest for self-fulfilment and professional success depends heavily on the family and its ethos. On this Women’s Day I chose to celebrate my father, the first feminist in my life, who has supported me at every stage in my life. His life, extraordinary in the public sphere and no less in the private, has been highly inspirational.
Some of my earliest memories are of my father feeding me lunch, putting me to sleep and then heading back to work. I also remember days when I would refuse to take a nap and insist on accompanying him to his office. While he taught, wrote and discussed economic theory with his students, I would fill his blackboard with doodles and numbers, blissful and happy in his presence. At 4 p.m. he would go down to get some coffee and would treat me to a slice of cake! My world was complete. It was almost magical! I never thought of those early years as unusual. I thought all fathers did this for their daughters, learning first-hand that men are also responsible for childcare.
My father believed that women had the right to pursue a purposeful life, unfettered. At home, he encouraged my mother to explore her academic interests. Unlike my father, she had had far less access to formal education in her younger years. So, at age 40 she went back to college. Despite the gaps in her education and the difficulties of being a much older student than others with her, she quickly caught up. But there were days when she did not feel confident or was overwhelmed. My father then stood by her, adjusting his own work schedule and being sensitive to her needs. This is how my mother went from one degree to the next and then enrolled in a Ph.D. programme at the age of 45. Right through, my father was a pillar of support. For him, it was what he ought to do, a case of fair labour.
My father’s relationship with my mother was imbued with love and respect. He had great appreciation for her leadership qualities, deep and innate intelligence and ability to connect with people. He trusted her judgment, her instincts and her faith. As he rose in his profession and went on to bigger and bigger roles, he benefited from the harmony and stability that she provided. There was an easy camaraderie and understanding between them that was apparent to all those whose lives intersected theirs. Their relationship served as a template for my brother and me in the relationships that we later forged with our own spouses.
Together with the pursuit of education, my father was a big believer in financial independence. He encouraged women not to abandon their professional interests once they had children. Instead, he argued, families needed to find ways to balance the personal and professional, for the wife and the husband. My father wanted women to challenge societal stereotypes and assume their rightful place in the world. At the same time, he wanted men to stand up to injustice, speak up and be equal partners to women.
He led by example. I salute you, my father, on this very special day!
A U.S.-trained expert in the field of Antimicrobial Resistance with almost two decades in industry and academia, Dr. Radha Rangarajan is Founder & CEO of Vitas Pharma. Her father Dr. C. Rangarajan is a former Governor of the Reserve Bank of India. radha@vitaspharma.com
