July, this year, has been eventful for women across the world.

In the Barbie World: Imagination, life is your creation

Pink has taken over the internet, cinema halls, the UK and US streets, and social media. Yes, you guessed it right. All credit goes to Barbie. Even in Solapur (a city in Maharashtra with a population of ~1 mn), the restaurant near the multiplex was offering a discount if one dressed like a Barbie for the movie. So, I believe the buzz is real, even in India.

Barbie promotions began a couple of months ago and now, we are seeing how the movie is being celebrated for its success. It surpassed Oppenheimer in global box office collections while lagging in Indian markets. But it has been the highest-grossing female-led film ever, which is worth appreciating.

I have not seen the movie yet, but I have read that the movie engages us in the dialogues of identity, purpose in life, matriarchy vs. patriarchy and much more. It is not about girls doing “girly” things. It is beyond that. Thus, its success lights some hopes around the patriarchal mindsets, stereotypes and women’s empowerment.

Mattel, the company behind the Barbie doll, unveiled a new line of diverse dolls. It has male versions, 35 skin tones and 9 body types. The website states, “Barbie recognizes the importance of representation and is committed to doing the work to inspire the next generation.” Although some critics have argued that this is mere tokenism, I believe that such types of toys and dolls can greatly impact the psyche of young boys and girls. This is a welcome sign as it has promoted typical beauty standards for years and now they are course correcting.

Taylornomics: Speak Now, Fandom & Inflation

In the first week of July, Taylor Swift, an American pop star, launched a re-recorded album named ‘Speak Now’. It became the highest single-day streamed album on Spotify in 2023. She is currently on a world tour with her new concert named ‘Eras’, which will become the biggest concert in history.

The Wall Street Journal, in its recent article, has brought attention to what they called ‘Taylornomics’. Let us see why they call it like this. The concert began in the US in March 2023 and the last US show will be on 9th August. The fans have gone crazy and are on a spending spree. People are ready to shell out money for the concert: they are taking flights to watch her, hiring designers to recreate Swift’s looks, waiting to eat Taylor doughnuts (which are nothing but doughnuts with her photos) at a cafe, pumping up demand for hotel rooms and much more.

The Economist predicts that the total spending on ticket fees in the US itself would amount to US$ 600 million. Even the Fed has acknowledged Swift’s role in boosting travel and tourism. Market research firm QuestionPro estimated that the tour could add US$5 billion to the worldwide economy. A couple of weeks ago, tickets for her Singapore show (the only stop in South East Asia) scheduled for March next year, went online. 3,00,000 tickets got sold off within a few hours. This trip is about to boost Singapore’s economy. The same is the case with Australia’s show in February 2024. People from New Zealand are travelling to Australia and the airlines had to add 14 more flights to accommodate more people.

But many people have alleged Swift for adding fuel to the already rising prices. But The Economist argues that this will be a temporary phenomenon. Neither a hotel can charge higher prices all year round nor will people be flocking to a cafe a week after the show. It is fascinating to see how different aspects of our lives can have an impact on economics. Also, we seldom hear that a woman was responsible for boosting the economy. So, even if there is a blip in the inflation trend, I would plead guilty to it happily, if I was Taylor.

Humiliation and Disgrace

After all the happy and delightful news, we come back home, where ‘women empowerment’ words have taken a far back seat. India’s Olympic medallists protested and demanded the arrest of Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, former chief of the Wrestling Federation of India. There are several sexual harassment allegations against him. On 20th July, he was released on bail.

In July, a video went viral where a mob of men paraded a naked woman in Manipur and apparently, the police knew about it but did not act. This incident had been hidden from the outside world because the government had banned the internet in the state. Many commentaries have been made already on various national as well as international platforms criticising the law and order in the state.

Let me also add cases from Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh to show that I am not leaning on any side. If you find this offensive, then you must listen to what Prime Minister Modi said. He chose to include these states and not address the Manipur incident specifically. He wanted to tell other parties that their track record is not great either.

Let us not politicise anything. India, as a nation, has been failing to give dignity, security and equal opportunities to women. But we choose to criticise someone in the neighbourhood for wearing short or inappropriate clothes and not address fundamental issues like patriarchy, parity, etc.

A Global Problem

Speaking of the fundamental issues, the UN released two indices on the same issue in July. The first is the Women’s Empowerment Index (WEI) and the other is the Global Gender Parity Index (GPPI). WEI includes 10 indicators like usage of modern contraception, female population with higher education, female labour force participation rate in households of couples with children, financial account ownership, the share of seats in local governments and parliaments held by women, the share of managerial positions held by women, violence against women, etc. The GPPI includes 8 indicators like the gender gap in life expectancy, education, labour force participation, seats in local governments and parliaments, etc.

Key findings:

• Globally, women are empowered to achieve, on average, only 60% of their full potential.
• Less than 1% of women and girls live in countries with both high women’s empowerment and high performance in achieving gender parity.
• More than 90% of women worldwide live in low or middle countries characterised by WEI and GPPI.
• India’s WEI value is 52% and its GPPI value is 56%. It means women in India are empowered at half of their full potential while the gender gap is almost 44%.

Final Thoughts

Coincidentally, all these incidents happened in this month. These events have both good and bad aspects. The bad aspects comprise cases in India, the UN report and many untold stories. This is a harsh reality. The good aspects comprise the success of female-led movies, female pop stars pumping up the economies and hope that if the 1% of the world’s women can enjoy better lives then others too can. Yes, the journey to that is far, but that should not stop us from hoping that people can change. After all, change is the only constant.

– Swapnil Karkare

More Fascinating Stories of July

Women’s FIFA has begun this month. They are touring Australia and New Zealand. UN and FIFA have joined hands to advance gender equality in football.

Indonesia hosted the women ASEAN football U-19 World Championship.

India’s women’s cricket team is playing against Bangladesh.

All women actors-led Marathi movie called ‘Baipan Bhari Deva’ released on 30th June and became the second highest-grossing Marathi movie ever.

I kickstarted a podcast for Chartered Accountants on 27th July and my first guest was also a woman. Find out more here.