Category Women Empowement

Here are some incredible tales of women who dared to enter the man’s world disguised as men!

Today, women are making a mark in various fields all over the world. But until as late as the 19th Century they had to struggle to get education even in the progressive western countries. However, many spirited women of the 18th and 19th Century donned men’s attire and set out to achieve what was denied to them simply because they belonged to the fairer sex. Some disguised themselves as soldiers while some, bitten by the wanderlust, set sail as sailors or cabin boys. Some concealed their feminine identity to earn a living – women were either not allowed to do certain jobs or were paid less.

Jeanne Baret

French woman Jeanne Baret was the first woman to circumnavigate the globe albeit in a man’s disguise.

Jeanne had a deep knowledge of plants, especially their medicinal properties. In 1766, she accompanied botanist Philibert Commerson on a French naval expedition by disguising herself as his young male assistant.

Over the next two years, the duo collected thousands of plant samples from across the world. Baret faced untold hardships on the ship but remained undaunted and focused on her research. She is credited with introducing the colourful bougainvillea vine to the western world. The vine was named after the commander of the ship.

Upon her return, Baret received recognition as a naturalist and the French government granted her a pension.

Deborah Sampson

Many courageous women masqueraded as men to join the army during the American Revolutionary War in the late 18th Century. The trend continued hundred years later as women were still barred from the battleground.

Deborah Sampson was the first American lady to don a soldier’s uniform. Deborah came from a very humble background and had to work hard from early childhood. At 21, she enlisted in the army by carefully transforming herself into Robert Shurtleff, her tall frame and years of hard labour helping in her disguise. After she was sent to the war front, the church excommunicated her on the strong suspicion that she was a man!

Deborah was injured several times but she would bravely tend to her own wounds to protect her identity. Eventually, the doctor treating her for fever discovered her secret and Deborah was honourably discharged from the army. Deborah had to fight a long public battle with the American establishment to get a decent pension.

Deborah Sampson was the first American lady to don a soldier’s uniform and went by the name Robert Shurtleff.

James Barry

The incredible life story of Dr James Barry was probably the best kept secret of the 19th Century. James Barry was born Margaret Ann Bulkley in 1792 in Ireland. Young Margaret was encouraged by her progressive uncles and mother to take up the overwhelming challenge of studying medicine at the Edinburgh University. So Margaret became James Barry and sailed to Edinburgh with her mother.

After graduation, James Barry joined the British Army and retired after 40 years as a top-ranking medical officer. Dr Barry was an outstanding doctor with fine surgical skills who became the first British doctor to perform a successful Caesarean section long before the advent of antiseptics and anaesthetics.

Dr Barry served in various British colonies throughout the world including India carrying out revolutionary work for the welfare of soldiers, and inmates of lunatic asylums. Barry’s work on hygiene and preventive medicine paved the way for new methods in treatment.

Dr Barry’s death left everyone stunned, for it was only then that everybody including her closest colleagues realised her true identity.

Margaret Ann Bulkley who lived as Dr Barry all her life was the first British doctor to perform a successful Caesarean section long before the advent of antiseptics and anaesthetics.

Hannah Snell

Hannah was born in 1723 in England. Though she hailed from a family of soldiers and military officers, little did anyone imagine that Hannah would become a soldier one day and fight battles! When Hannah’s husband deserted her a few months after marriage, she borrowed her brother-in-law’s suit, assumed his name James Grey and joined the Royal Marines in search of her husband.

Throughout her career as a soldier, Hannah was wounded 11 times but managed to conceal her identity. She revealed her secret only after returning to England. She was honourably discharged and even granted a pension.

Throughout her career as a soldier, Hannah Snell was wounded 11 times but managed to conceal her identity.

Billy Tipton

Billy Tipton was a well-known American jazz musician and saxophonist of the 1930s. It was only in 1989 when Billy died that the musician’s identify was revealed – Billy was actually a woman named Dorothy Tipton! Dorothy began dressing as a man in order to get an opportunity to perform in jazz bands and the disguise lasted a lifetime.

Dorothy began dressing as a man in order to get an opportunity to perform in jazz bands and the disguise lasted a lifetime.

DID YOU KNOW?

• Many women writers of the 19th century published their work under a male pseudonym as a woman’s work was not taken seriously those days. Notable examples are Mary Ann Evans alias George Eliot and the Bronte sisters – Emily. Charlotte and Ann each of whom had a male pen name.
• English journalist Dorothy Lawrence wanted to cover the WWI as a reporter. But was unable to get a posting on the front because of her gender. So, she connived with two soldiers, forged documents, smuggled a uniform and managed to join the army as Dennis Smith But the stress of working at the warfront proved too much for her and she gave herself up within a week. Her story is now part of an exhibition on women at war in the Imperial War Museum in London.

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Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women is a semi-autobiographical American coming-of-age story about four sisters. A critique of the unrealistic perception of blissful female domesticity, this novel has never once been out of print since it was first published in 1868, and has even been adapted for the big screen seven times to date. Let’s revisit the classic and look at what makes it relevant even today.

About the author

Louisa May Alcott was the second of four daughters born to Amos Bronson Alcott and Abigail May on November 29, 1839. Her father was an autodidact, which means he taught himself how to read and write. He eventually became a progressive educator and founded the temple school, where he introduced subjects such as art music nature studies, and physical education into the curriculum, in the hope of providing holistic education to the students. However, the school was shut down as most parents at the time were neither familiar nor happy with these subjects. Bronson Alcott’s unconventional teaching methods were the reasons why he could never establish a steady source of income and brought his family to the verge of poverty.

Growing up, Louisa’s way of thinking was not only shaped by her father’s teaching but also by close interactions with his friends, American authors Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau, whom the family befriended upon moving to Concord.

Distressed by her family’s financial status, 15-year-old Louisa wrote in her diary “I will do something by and by. Don’t care what, teach, sew, act, write anything to help the family and I’ll be rich and famous and happy before I die, see if I won’t. And she was able to fulfil this, thanks to the massive success of her semi-autobiographical novel Little Women, which was initially published in two parts Little Women (1868) and The Good Wives (1869).

Fortunate accidents

Louisa May Alcott never wanted to write Little Women, as it went against all of her impulses to be taken seriously as a writer and an equal to her male contemporaries but ended up penning the iconic story as a consequence of a series of fortunate accidents.

She was 36 years old and had already published a few books under the pen name A.M. Barnard when her publisher Thomas Niles insisted that her next novel should be about the domestic sphere and cater to young women. Enticing her further, Niles suggested that he would willingly Mr Alcott’s philosophy book too if Louisa agreed to this.

Just for the sake of her father, she agreed and wrote what would become her most celebrated book in a 10-week flurry, drawing from her own childhood experiences.

Little Women

The novel chronicles the lives of the Four March sisters: Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy as they grow up during the American Civil War, wrestling with the limitations placed on women in the 19th Century. It critiques how women are forced to make cruelly imposed compromises between self-fulfilment and economic and social necessity.

What makes it a classic?

The blueprint of a family

This work of children’s fiction has a didactic tone that sets it apart from most of the literature that appeared before it. Louisa’s realistic characters and sentimental themes explore how social reform must start at home. Little Women functions as a blueprint of what it takes to have a healthy relationship with your family. Although the story is set in the tumultuous background of the civil war and the scarlet fever outbreak, the connection that the flawed and vulnerable March sisters have and share with the people that surround them is what makes them more life-like, relatable, and relevant. The book celebrates their diverse takes on difficult situations, individual struggles with poverty, and different aspirations in life, highlighting how no two individuals can be the same even if they are raised under the same roof with the same resources.

The matriarch

Through the strong and self-reliant character of Marmee, the author challenges the prevailing assumptions of 19th Century society that saw women as domestic goddesses that were best kept indoors tending to every need of the family.

Marmee is a source of awe and inspiration to her children, who have witnessed her single-handedly manage the household and make a living while their father is away at war. Her unconventional way of thinking, which suggests self-respect, peace, and true love must hold more importance than money and even marriage, motivates her daughters to dream big and accomplish more in their lives.

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Meet Fariya Maryam from Gurgaon, Haryana, founder of Project Inclusion and Ayka – For The People. These organisations have been working through art, volunteers, and workshops to help less privileged people in areas such as education, mental health, mentrual health, etc.

How did you embark on a journey of social work?

I’ve been interested in social work from a young age and excited about starting something new. It just so happened that started pursuing my interests in Class XI, during the pandemic. It all started with Project Inclusion, which I launched to raise awareness about mental health and neurodiversity. I think it was the pressure and mental health issues affecting so many people in the pandemic that pushed me to do something about it. I decided to make this a priority and started organising weekly support groups to help people deal with their mental pressures. Then, I started connecting with people with similar interests to broaden my initiative. Expanding my interests and skills in social work led me to start Ayka – For The People, an organisation that aspires to provide skill development opportunities and access to holistic education to less privileged children. We started with painting murals in rural areas and organising nationwide donation drives for the less privileged. Furthermore, I took a lot of interest in teaching subjects such as Maths and English. The progress the students made motivated me to continue my journey.

Tell us about your non-profit organisation. What kind of impact does it hope to create?

I founded Project Inclusion in 2020 with the aim of destigmatising mental health issues. We have been raising awareness about autism and learning disorders such as dyslexia, and for the last two years been working round the clock to provide free, accessible mental health resources to all strata of society. We offer weekly workshops on anxiety, depression, and stress, and have taken up the responsibility to connect a person in dire need of help with a mental health professional for a fee. Apart from that, we’ve been educating less privileged children about mental health to deal with the pressure of examinations, bullying, etc., and less privileged women about Premenstrual Syndrome (PMS), a topic that menstrual hygiene workshops often don’t cover. So our central aim is to educate people on significantly downplayed but important topics.

How do you perceive art?

Calling art a medium of expression is an understatement. It is the means through which you get the freedom to make something of your will and show it to a large audience. It’s open to interpretation, that’s the most unique thing about art that I love. I think my art is rebellious in the sense that I have made it my aim to break stereotypes and prejudices against marginalised groups of society. I believe that art has a voice of its own and I love raising awareness through art. I understand that my art may seem provocative, but that is not my intention.

What made you start Ayka – For The People.

I started Ayka when I was 15. I was painting the walls at my grandmother’s in Jamshedpur, and our domestic help watched it in awe and wanted me to paint her house. Then, as word spread about the basic flower design I had painted, more and more people approached me to paint their walls. I started painting in several houses and then moved on to local schools wherein I created art on social and environmental issues. I also brought together a community of art students. We started painting murals and then went on to focus on improving the quality of education for less privileged children. We wanted to cultivate in students a sense of creativity. We started organising lessons on communication, art, and general knowledge. We are now around 500 people across the country, and have five branches: Delhi, Mumbai, Pune, Kolkata, and Bengaluru. So far, we’ve completed 50 wall paintings and a plethora of workshops. We are passionate about what we do. I believe when you start enjoying social work, the difference you can make is huge.

Any tips for fellow teens to keep a check on their mental health?

I’m not a professional, but I can share my experience. I think if you’re not taking care of your mental health, then you’re jeopardising your future. When I didn’t pay heed to mental health, my productivity was plummeting. But mental well-being is not all that complex. It could be as simple as going out for a walk, taking care of a plant, or practising meditation and mindfulness. These things may come off as silly for teens, but trust me, they are important.

What are your future plans?

I’m planning to pursue a degree in health sciences followed by an MBA. I want to work on developing innovative and robust solutions to deal with mental health illnesses, and I think taking up an interdisciplinary subject that explores psychology, biology, and health will certainly help me in achieving my goals.

How do you manage your time?

I am always doing something or the other. I have a habit of writing down any pending tasks and completing them one by one until I’m done with all of them. I work when I have random bursts of energy and motivation, and do not prefer a timetable-like approach.

If there is something you’d like to change in society, what would that be?

Gende stereotypes. I want to break the patriarchal social construct in India. I think discrimination would never end but improvement is certainly possible through the younger generations. All genders must fight stereotypes together for the well-being of humanity. Many people think awareness campaigns on mental health wouldn’t bring tangible results, but I think otherwise. I’ve helped many people who didn’t even know they were struggling, and I would say mental health awareness has been instrumental in their ongoing recovery.

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