
Unnati Mishra
Supreme Court LawyerCan you be more ladylike?
Growing up isn’t common for all women in every house and most certainly not outside of it. Often women require encouragement along with an opportunity to move forward
I grew up in a house that was rooted in matriarchy.Thinking that to be the norm, never quite understanding the power and influence of women, I saw growing up wasn't common for all women in every house and most certainly not outside of it. Women require encouragement too, along with opportunity to move forward and there's not always plentiful of that coming for us. I began to examine inequity in gender roles more consciously once I began my counsel practice, where I have often found myself held back in a male dominated profession who did and do much better when it comes to things like scoring new clients and are inhibited by a lot less in comparison to a woman. I cannot entertain a client like a man can.
The boundaries that exist for me don't exist for a man. A lady advocate is not appreciated if she is more aggressive in courtroom than her male counterpart. That's just not ladylike!
The rules are different for us. They are different for us even in the world of dating and that’s why debates, this campaign, the marches world over and all the rebellion has real meaning because the cause is very real and is borne of unfair and unjust terms that have always been meted to women. It’s not said to be a man’s world for nothing, you know that even more when you're trying to play alongside them.
About the Author
Unnati is a practising lawyer at the Supreme Court of India. She has done her law degree from I.L.S. Law College, Pune, and Maharashtra.