er-caste cishet men. Men who do not fall into this category — such as men within the LGBTQ+ community — don’t enjoy all the privileges of hegemonic masculine identity but are still complicit beneficiaries.
Hence, a woman’ in this world is affected by all the little discriminations interwoven with the systems around us.
However, we can’t say that all men have it easier than all women. This is where intersectionality comes in. For example, an upper-caste woman will still have caste privilege over a man from a marginalized caste. Her gender will not erase that oppression.
Thus, we cannot deny the gender privilege that men have over women, but we also have to consider all little aspects of identity in singular cases.
It is important to recognize that being a woman is a unique experience for each. It consists of everyone who identifies with the term ‘woman’ in any capacity. This also means that everyone’s self-care needs are different. It is important to make different resources available for nuanced self-care needs. It is important to remember that self-care is not a weakness but the basic right of every person that must be accessed without any shame.
The most important discussion is not about if women have it all. Rather, it is about whether or not women know that it is okay to not have it all. It is okay to give up on things, choose one thing over another, make mistakes, be confused, and stumble through this extraordinary miracle called life.
It is okay to just be you. That is all the reason you need to take care of yourself with your head held high.