Intersectionality and the Spectrum of Autonomy !

Dikumoni Hazarika

I’m not well-versed in feminist theory; I am just sharing what I have noticed in my daily life. And from that observation, I remain skeptical about the current narrative of gender equality. We often hear that women today are empowered. They are caregivers and also active participants in the job market. They are doctors, engineers, professors, police officers, politicians, and entrepreneurs, and they are engaged in many other fields. On paper, this looks like progress. But through this write-up, I want to discuss how women negotiate their lives, how they are often stuck between the choices they want to make for themselves and the options available to them.

An intersectional analysis reveals that “choice” in India is never a vacuum. It is a highly stratified resource, where the degree of self-determination is inversely proportional to the number of marginalised identities an individual inhabits.

Take the example of childbirth. In many marriages, giving birth to a child is not presented as a choice but as a predetermining factor. For some women, motherhood may truly be a choice. For others, it may not. Yet they are often given no real option. Childbirth becomes a criterion of being a ‘good spouse’. A woman who delays pregnancy for education or career is questioned. A woman who chooses not to have children is judged. The decision is rarely treated as her independent right over her own body and life. Instead, it becomes a family decision, sometimes even a community decision.

So where is the choice? Is it freedom if the outcome is already socially fixed?

Consider another example: a young woman who wants to join the military or the police force. It may be her choice, her passion. But often her parents do not allow her to pursue that choice because such professions are perceived to be male-centric. The options available to her may include joining a nearby college, pursuing an MBA, or pursuing a law degree, all of which are considered safer or more suitable.

On the surface, education is encouraged. But the question remains: is she choosing freely, or choosing from a restricted list? This difference between male-centric jobs and female-centric jobs continues to shape aspirations. Construction work, army service, long-distance driving, and high-risk policing are still imagined as male domains. Teaching, nursing, clerical work, or certain “soft” professions are labelled female-friendly.

Later, we ask: why is women’s participation low in all spheres? The answer may lie in the early control over choices.

Even in the sphere of politics, women’s choices are often socially murdered. There is an existing prejudice that women who join politics are of “low character.” Such narratives are used subtly to curb their decision-making power.A man in politics is ambitious. A woman in politics is often viewed with suspicion. A man networking late at night is strategic. A woman doing the same is questioned. This moral judgement becomes a strong weapon of control.

Moreover, not much has changed in the number of free, unpaid household jobs done out of a sense of responsibility. A working woman may return home after office hours only to begin her second shift cooking, cleaning, caregiving, and emotional management of the family.

In some cases, in urban centres, while the corporate professional females face the “glass ceiling, “their domestic worker faces a “sticky floor,” with her “choice” to work in many households motivated by a lack of family land ownership and systemic exclusion from formal schooling. In this scenario, the professional’s autonomy is strengthened by her class and caste advantage, but the domestic worker’s liberty is limited by the need to survive.

How many women have been kept away from learning new skills, discovering new passions, or exploring hobbies in the name of household maintenance? How many have postponed higher studies, artistic interests, travel, or entrepreneurship because family comes first?

There is often no leisure, no entertainment, no personal time. And yet we speak of the right to live a good life. Does equality only mean access to employment? Or does it also mean access to rest, creativity, and joy?

Violence against women and daily harassment cases are not unknown to us. A girl growing up in a family with a brother and father often internalises limits early in life. She may lose choices even before she realises they were hers. She may be told: Don’t stay out late, Don’t speak too loudly, Don’t argue, Don’t choose that career, Don’t bring shame. Gradually, “don’t” becomes a structure of life.

Yes, things are changing. Women are entering universities in large numbers. They are appearing for competitive exams. They are becoming entrepreneurs and leaders. But change is not abrupt. It is layered and negotiated.

Many women are not simply choosing; they are negotiating with family expectations, cultural norms, career choices, and moral judgements. Equality, therefore, is not a completed achievement but an ongoing process. If we truly want gender equality, we must move beyond symbolic representation.

Women need support to grow equally, not only legal rights but also social acceptance. Not only opportunities but respect. Not only participation but freedom from judgment. A society with no harsh moral policing, no character assassination, and no rigid division between male-centric and female-centric roles is essential.

Until then, the narrative of equality will remain incomplete, and women will continue to negotiate between what they want and what they are allowed.

DIKUMONI HAZARIKA, PhD. Research Scholar (Political Science), Panjab University

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