Nushrat Bharucha: Every woman invariably faces casual sexism at work

She’s been part of the film industry for a few years and has worked with some successful names, too. But, Nushrat Bharucha, like most actresses in movies, has also faced sexism. Sharing her experiences she says, “Today nobody has a problem with a women working, but every woman invariably faces casual

sexism

at work. If I am late, the conclusion is that I must have been too caught up with my makeup. I could have a flat tire or a family crisis. But that’s not even a consideration. We laud the women’s cricket team when they win accolades, but when a regular girl enjoys watching cricket the men look at her and start testing her knowledge about the sport. If a man doesn’t know about the latest trends then that doesn’t mean he is not fashionable. When we call out their sexism, they start questioning us about being too serious. I find this kind of behaviour to be a little too rampant.”

Ask her if she fears being termed as a trouble maker for speaking about

gender inequality

and she adds, “I often hear things and pretend that I didn’t hear them. It is believed that today women have the freedom to voice what they feel and want. But do we really have that freedom? If women speak their mind then they are termed as trouble makers or attention seekers. It takes time to change mind sets, though.”