Behind any successful person, there is a lot of hard work and dedication put in by their support system. And, yet somehow, there are few people who blame wives for their husband’s failure. Although there is no logical reason for the accusation, women are often treated as a ‘distraction’ to sports stars.
Speaking of which, tennis star Sania Mirza, recently spoke about cultural issues against women in an interview with Jemimah Rodrigues and Smriti Mandhana for their Youtube chat show “Double Trouble”. She said it is a deeper issue in the sub-continent where women are often blamed for men’s failures, reports India Today.
The discussion came about when the hosts asked Sania about her ‘joru ka ghulaam’ tweet made during the Women’s T20 World Cup in March. In the tweet, Sania had applauded Australian fast bowler Mitchell Starc for supporting his wife. However, she had mentioned that if the same incident occurred in the sub-continent, the men would have been made fun of.
Sania said that she doesn’t understand how a woman can be a distraction and not a strength. “When he (Starc) went back to his wife to watch the World Cup final and everybody was hailing him.”
“I was trying to just picture Shoaib doing that for me and I was like, hell would have broken loose if that would have happened. They would have said that he is such a joru ka ghulam, he is going and watching a women’s match,” Sania was quoted saying by the Indian Express.
Sania mentioned that the habit of blaming women points to a cultural issue. She said that she had a long conversation about it with Anushka Sharma too.
“I think whenever our husbands perform, it’s because of them and when they don’t it’s because of us. I don’t know how that works.”
Notably, Sania and Anushka often come under the pump for traveling with their husbands during cricket matches. Sania was quoted saying, “We are saying it as a joke but I think there is a much deeper issue. The deeper issue is that a woman can always be a distraction and not a strength.”
“That’s a cultural issue we have to deal with. Oh ‘if your girlfriend is there or your wife is there, he must be distracted because he is going out for dinner.”
The 6-time doubles Grand Slam winner reflected on her journey and struggles in the video interview. So, what do you think about the issue? Tell us in the comments below.