Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): For a 27-year-old working woman, living away from home, a city is not only about offices, traffic or busy markets. It is also about how safe, comfortable and confident she feels while living and working there.
Small things in daily life make a big difference.
Women security guards
For example, seeing women security guards at offices, residential colonies and public buildings creates a strong sense of comfort. It shows that women are not only being protected, they are also part of the security system.
The same feeling comes while travelling. The presence of women cab drivers or well-trained drivers who behave respectfully helps many women feel safer, especially when returning home late from work.
Basic infrastructure
Is this too much to ask for a basic infrastructure?
What is she looking for, is just clean public toilets, well-lit streets and active security in public places. This helps her move around in the city with more confidence. These are just simple facilities, which might have a big difference and impact on daily life.
Safe system to report problems
Where can she go, when she feels helpless? When she is not even aware about what the man sitting beside her is looking at her for?
Therefore, if a woman faces harassment at work or in public, there should be proper support systems to report her problem, so that she can speak up without fear and can continue moving around with confidence and her right.
At the same time, emotional support plays a major role in a woman’s life. Support from colleagues, friends, and family members helps working women deal with stress and balance their personal and professional lives.
Space to build her own identity
Finally, every woman also needs space for her own identity. A city should give her opportunities to work, learn new skills, start businesses, and express her ideas freely.
We, as a society, play a crucial role in how a woman sees herself. In whether she feels valued — or made to feel small.
Too often, a woman is judged for not knowing enough about the world outside, for hesitating while speaking, for interacting with people more with her heart than with a calculated mind.
She is told she is weak for not stepping forward enough.
But have we ever paused to ask why?
Is it because she is incapable, or because we never truly allowed her the space to learn, explore and grow?
Somewhere along the way, we forget a very simple truth — she is a human being too. She can have dreams. She can have ambitions. She can want more from life.
Not every woman wants her world to end in the kitchen. Some want to step outside, work, meet people, understand the world, and become a part of it.
And that desire should not be questioned. It should be respected.
Need for parenting counselling
Early parenting plays an important role is shaping child's mindset, whether it's a girl or a boy. Counselling cells for parents can help them upskill their parenting ways. Such spaces can guide parents on raising both sons and daughters with equal understanding and respect. When parents learn to encourage confidence, independence and open communication, children grow up with healthier thinking.
However, it is also true that society often judges women for their choices, whether it is about their work, lifestyle, or the time they return home.
And, instead of expecting a world with no judgement, many women believe the real strength comes from becoming financially independent and emotionally strong, so that such judgement does not affect their confidence.
For many working women, a truly good city is one where they feel safe, supported, and strong enough to live life on their own terms.
