Hyderabad: Do you need to become financially independent to be treated as an equal human being? asked actor-producer Supriya Yarlagadda on Saturday at the fifth edition of the Stand With Her campaign’s panel discussion series. The discussion was based on the theme ‘Equality, Care and Emotional Honesty in Families – Gender Equality and Patriarchal Attitudes’. The Times of India is the media partner for the campaign.The panel discussion, held in the city, brought together Women Safety Wing DG Charu Sinha, professor and dean of School of social sciences Dr K Suneetha Rani, filmmaker Sashi Kiran Tikka, Planetarium Vegan Foundation founder Poornima Deepika, and research scholar Aman Kumar.Speaking at the panel, Supriya said patriarchy places a burden on both women and men. “I feel sorry for the people in power. They carry the burden of patriarchy and the burden of providing,” she said, adding that boys learn about equality the best from their fathers and that families must create space for such conversations. “When some of these stereotypical conditions are removed, there is so much beauty in individuals,” she said.Charu Sinha said the inequality that exists in most families is not dramatic but subtle. “It is a rule book no one has written, but everyone follows,” she said, describing how unwritten norms govern who compromises, who holds authority, and who carries the mental and emotional load at home. “A partner is not a dependent, and a father is not a guest in the house,” she said, urging couples to share responsibilities without waiting to be asked. She also pointed to a rarely spoken about: “The burden of patriarchy and masculinity is actually one of the biggest reasons for suicides among men.”Research scholar Aman Kumar said boys absorb violent ideas of masculinity from childhood, where expressions of kindness are often dismissed as weakness. “Since childhood, violence is there in socialisation. Expressions of kindness are often considered feminine. But that needs to change, beginning at home,” he said.Dr Suneetha Rani said families should nurture, not restrict. “Family is a bonding, not a bondage,” she said, observing that society prefers women to remain silent and then turns that silence against them. “Power holders never willingly give up power. Unless all of us face some discomfort, change will not come,” she said, adding that masculinity, like femininity, is constructed, not natural.Poornima Deepika said women are often celebrated for multitasking without receiving due acknowledgement, even though much of that work is assigned rather than chosen. “It might sound selfish, but don’t deprioritise yourself,” she urged women. Filmmaker Sashi Kiran Tikka called on men to stop leaving these conversations to women. “All men should talk about these things. Only when you talk, it gets resolved,” he said.
