"Since we have seven girls in our Medicine unit therefore the standard of our tea club would hopefully go up," I still remember these words of our illustrious Professor on our first day of internship. I could still recall the unsaid lack of faith in our professional competency written on the faces of all the registrars and senior doctors escorting us. (Then I was totally unaware of the academic translation of that misplaced and quite a pejorative comment). In spite of feeling not so delighted on such a remark, like the rest six, I too could not protest. I just noted down "TEA" in my daily orders diary and felt frightful about my cookery expertise.

Some ten years later I faced another moment of revelation. That was from one of the senior directors of the organization that I happened to head. He asked me to give my "intellectual in puts" on the Sandwiches that he was thinking of serving in the forth-coming meeting of our Board. I was more interested to know the budget that was being prepared for that meeting. To my utter disbelief, the director could not hide his displeasure on the irrelevance of my unnecessary interest in the budgetary affairs. After all that was not a Woman's cup of tea.

Although on the second occasion, I was theoretically and practically an aware & informed person regarding Gender, I admit that I did not raise my voice in protest. I could have censured but suddenly I realized that activism without substance would not help women. We have to demonstrate our capabilities in the areas considered and perceived as non-woman areas.

Dear folks, here is a small inventory of all those BIG Areas/items/fields where women's entry is Not Recommended by a majority of men and a fair amount of women also.

• Finance/Economy/Budget
• Housing/urban Planning
• Monitoring/Evaluation
• Trade/industry
• Field work
• Transport/Communication
• Sports
• Surgery
• Religion
• Leadership

When would the traditional societies change their mindsets; I do not know. However, I certainly know that if women really want to be empowered, then they should stop expecting concessions for their femaleness and should be ready to give up the convenience of subordination.

Dr. Rakhshinda Perveen