by Aindri Basu, 13
"I'm going to enter politics."
How many times have you heard these five words from a young girl in India?
This is a message for all teenage girls who aspire to join politics but aren't able to because they're discouraged by society as well as their friends and family.
In 2019, only 14% of the parliament in India consisted of women, but why?
Why aren't young girls aspiring to have a career in politics?
I asked a few people of different backgrounds and ages this brain-throbbing question to understand.
"Girls should consider a career in politics. But girls always have to do domestic work, and they usually devote their time to the welfare of their family."
This was the answer of an 81-year-old man from Shantinektan, a town in West Bengal.
A 43-year-old lady from Kolkata, West Bengal said
"Politics is a male-dominated workforce. Women might be discouraged because parents don't want their children to pick a career in which there's even more stress of proving yourself day by day."
When asking a 13-year-old boy, from Gurgaon, he said:
"It's mainly because of discrimination, in my opinion. Girls are always pushed down by several, who don't understand their potential."
Now, listen to this answer from a 13-year-old girl from Gurgaon
"I believe girls don't aspire for a career in politics because no one takes women seriously in the workplace, let alone in politics."
So to other 13 year girls out there, here is what you need to know :
We will rise against the challenges and continue working hard until we can finally rid the world of its conventional thoughts.
We are strong and we can do anything we set our minds to.
So here's a note to anyone who thinks girls are meant to sit at home - we aren't. And you'll forget you said this the day you vote for a woman to govern India.