Are the doddering agents of patriarchy conniving to put a padlock on the Women Studies department of Patna University? The intrepid lady professors of the Department of Women’s Studies took umbrage at a report ‘planted’ in a local daily that seemed to suggest that the Master of Arts and Post graduate Diploma Courses in Women’s Studies were on the verge of folding up.

Course Coordinator Prof Padmalata Thakur said, “I don’t know why such lies are circulating. Maybe we haven’t been able to effectively market our Women’s Studies Curriculum, but we have received no indication that the University will shut us down.” With over 200 alumni , many placed in organizations such as the Bill and Melinda gates Foundation, Care India, the Bihar Police and several well known social organisations, opportunities are many. The fact is, however, that not many have opted for the course this year.

Not many know that Patna University offers a Master of Arts degree in Women’s Studies, under the Department of History. A two year course with four semesters, open to men and women who have obtained a bachelor’s degree in any stream. A one year post graduate diploma course is women’s studies is also on offer. The Diploma was introduced in 2007, and the Masters’ degree in 2012.

Men who take up Women’s Studies can become very effective administrators and CEOs, especially in this century where there are so many laws around harassment, eve-teasing, rape, and molestation.

Dr Sharad Kumari points out that Women’s studies are a means of empowering women and sensitizing men towards burning gender issues. “Even though I have been in gender activism for years, the course brought with it fresh insights and helped me a lot,” she affirmed.

“The government should get their officers to take a short course in Women’s Studies. We can offer special courses for different administrative groups suited to their needs”, says Dr Padmalata Thakur, the course coordinator at Patna University.

Padmashree Usha Kiran Khan, who is also associated with the course, says that students find the course highly useful, because it deals with issues women and other family members have to face in day to day living. “It helps one identify the hidden patriarchy in everyday life and in all spheres.”

Reflecting that June was a month that focused on the abuse of older people, Bihar Mahila Samakhya State Project Officer Keerti says,” Elder women are the most prone to destitution, and the government is partly to blame. Why? The way the government has a focus on adolescent girls, and young mothers, but nothing on the same lines for elderly women. So they are interested in women in the reproductive stage, and after that they are abandoned.”

The Women’s Studies Department can play a pivotal role studying the condition of elderly women and publishing a report that will pave the way for government response or a policy level intervention, she said.

Keerti, who has wide experience working with NGOs, affirms that a post graduate degree or diploma in Women’s Studies can work wonders for the career path of men and women interested in entering the CSR sector of the various national and multinational corporations. “What the top class employers are looking for today are professionals who know how to negotiate the gender issues well. And I can say that PU has the most up-to-date syllabus with the right bend of international, national and local issues.”

How about a tag-line for the course? Be a Man, master women’s studies!

  Dateline Bihar, Frank Krishner