ET Women's Forum: Sportswomen should be respected for merit, skills

BENGALURU: Bollywood sports drama 'Dangal' is a film loosely based on the real life story of two of India’s foremost female wrestlers and their struggle to get to the top.

Mahavir Singh Phogat, an amateur wrestler played by Aamir Khan, trains his daughters Geeta Phogat and Babita Kumari who go on to win gold medals at the Commonwealth Games for India. Should Geeta and Babita be celebrated because they are women, or should they be celebrated for their skill/achievement?

The topic of discussion during the recent debate at Mount Carmel College, Bangalore was ‘Should India’s sportswomen be celebrated more than sportsmen because they have to fight patriarchy as well?’. This was part of a series of debates in the run-up to The Economic Times Women’s Forum, which will be held in Mumbai on March 16.


Also read: ET Women's Forum - complete coverage

This is the first year of The Economic Times Women’s Forum. Partnered by Facebook, the event will see over 50 international and Indian speakers come together on topics such as gender diversity in boardrooms to parliaments as well as women’s participation in the workforce.

The debate held in Bengaluru on February 25 saw students engaging both for celebration as well as the need for parity in an environment, when women are fighting for equal rights and representation.

The team that won the debate was the one that was in the opposition and argued for sportswomen being respected for merit and their skills than being women. It included Maitrayee Das Majumdar, Swetha Menon and Ritika Varyani. The proposition team was represented by Dhriti Malhotra, Ushua Prashant and Akanksha Nene. Drithi Malhotra was adjudged the best speaker.