Fatima breaks down patriarchy

Fatima Sana Shaikh opens up about patriarchy, societal conditioning and the pressure women face to prove themselves in every space

Priyam Tripathi

Actress Fatima Sana Shaikh opened up about patriarchy and the conditioning women face in society while speaking at the trailer launch of JioHotstar’s upcoming web series Hunkkaar: The Roar. The series stars Aneet Padda, Fatima Sana Shaikh, Raghubir Yadav, Zoya Hussain and Zeeshan Ayyub. The Free Press Journal was present at the trailer launch of the web series on Thursday in Mumbai.

Speaking about how patriarchy continues to influence women’s lives, Fatima said that women often have to begin by proving themselves, regardless of their position or achievements.

“You know, unfortunately, this is our truth as women, that we start from two steps back. So, no matter which room you are in, no matter what position you are in, power, in a hierarchy, it doesn’t matter. Because this is the conditioning of society,” she said.

Fatima further explained that the issue is not about women lacking intelligence or knowing what they want, but about the way society is structured. “It’s not that we are not deserving, we don’t know what we want, we are intelligent. But society is wired in such a way that it doesn’t give you a chance, it tells you to wait a minute, first prove yourself,” she added.

The actress also stressed that patriarchy cannot solely be blamed on men, as women too can internalise the same conditioning. “Patriarchy is not just the fault of men, it also includes women, it internalizes them. And we are all born under the same conditioning, and we have to fight it. It’s deeply ingrained,” Fatima said.

Sharing a personal experience, she recalled being in meetings where a project was described as female-oriented and focused on women’s empowerment, only to find herself as the only woman in the room. Fatima also spoke about how women’s perspectives are sometimes dismissed or explained to them, even when the subject directly concerns their experiences. She said that eventually, women learn to stand up for themselves and fight against such conditioning.