I have grown up privileged my entire life. I live my life in a small, enclosed bubble: in a gated community, and attend a private school, surrounded by peers and family who are as well off as I am. This bubble has shielded me and left me a little oblivious to the horrors of the real world, especially about the horrors associated with being a girl or woman.
Inside my bubble, there’s less exposure to men on the street, and their staring, catcalling, and groping in public spaces. I move around my bubble not by public transport, but in the comfort of cars and the school bus. Living in a gated community protects me from the reality of the world outside it.
Gender equality is a reality inside this bubble, and not some far away concept. I’m surrounded by more forward-thinking individuals, who are more likely to view women as equals to men. Hence, I am given the same equal opportunities in terms of education, etc. as a boy from a similar background. My opinion and voice are valued in the same way a boy’s is, inside my bubble.
My home life, and my family comprises of parents where the father and grandfather are very respectful of the mother and grandmother. They believe in promoting gender equality and making it the reality of our world. My father believes in providing opportunities for his daughters- the same opportunities he would have provided us with if we had been his sons. There’s an absence of domestic violence, abuse, and many other cruel truths of the real world.
The real world is nothing like my bubble. Not every girl or woman is as lucky as I am. Not every girl or woman is shielded from the problems of catcalling, rape, domestic violence, and inequality on every front. The bubble acts as a blueprint. It represents the direction in which the world should be moving towards, where all women are treated with the equality and respect that only girls and women currently living in it have the blessing to experience.
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