Ask any doctor what causes Polycystic Ovary Disorder in women and they will tell you it’s because of hormonal imbalances and genetics.
But Swati Deshpande, principal of the Government Polytechnic College in Mumbai, thinks otherwise and has put forward her own theories about the disorder that affects one in every 5 women in India.
In a blatant sexist and regressive remark, she told Times of India. “I have heard theories on why girls suffer from PCODs (Poly Cystic Ovarian Diseases) at an early age. When they dress like men, they start thinking or behaving like them. There is a gender role reversal in their head. Due to this, the natural urge to reproduce diminishes right from a young age and therefore they suffer from problems like PCODs.”
Convinced about her bizarre theories about gender roles and their relationship with clothes and reproductive systems, she now wants to introduce a ‘suitable’ uniform for girls.
She wants all female students of the college to wear the ‘feminine’ salwar-kameez instead of ‘dressing like men’ for their physiological make-up. The women of the college currently wear the same uniform that the men do, a white shirt paired with black trousers.
A student complaining about the rampant conservatism in college, told the newspaper, “Authorities have been asking students to tie plaits for a while. They have informally asked us to not tuck shirts in, and now they plan to change the uniform. Most of us are opposed to the idea. It would be inconvenient to wear a salwar kameez in labs.”
Not just that, the college canteen has already put up two notices in Marathi, segregating spaces for men and women saying that it would curb sexual harassment.