Anupria Goenka: There are many stereotypes attached to women even today in our workplace, pay disparity being one

On the occasion of International Women’s Day, actor Anupria Goenka talks about why there still exists an equality gap between males and females.

Actor Anupria Goenka has seen both the corporate and film world from close quarters, and the one conclusion she has come to is that there still appears to be an imbalance between men and women.

Actor Anupria Goenka was recently seen in the web show Criminal Justice: Behind Closed Doors.

“There are many issues close to my heart, related to equality between both sexes, how women are thought to be the lesser sex, how they are not given equal opportunities. There are many stereotypes attached to them, even today in our workplace, pay disparity being one,” she admits.

She goes on to add that women are thought to be weak, and need to ‘protect themselves’, coupled with other restrictions even in a world today where we talk about progress.

Goenka says, “We are still thought to mind how we talk, dress, behave in society, so as to not give away wrong cues. The idea is to start teaching our men to respect women, treat them as an equal entity, rather than telling them to be circumspective and cautious. The whole shift has to happen and start from our homes. From the very time we start teaching our boys when they are young, to respect each other. It holds true for both sexes.”

The actor’s recent project, the web show Criminal Justice: Behind Closed Doors, too talked about the horror many women have to face inside the confines of their homes: domestic abuse. She says taking up such a project was crucial for her. “I want to try and inculcate, raise questions through my craft. Which is why I played the role of a lawyer, Nikhat, and we dealt with the potent issue not talked about in our country just yet. We saw a rise in the number of cases during the pandemic and lockdown. It’s been there for a very long time, and almost normalized in our society. I am glad through this show and my character, we put it forward as a team. A lot of discussion has taken place, people are more aware than before. Domestic abuse is a constant, potent threat to our society,” she says.