Ladies First

Here in the United States, we do not have to think much about opportunities for women to work or play sports. Though sexism is far from non-existent, women and men have just about the same opportunities in life. In India, however, women “belong at home” and “should not be working or playing sports.” In Netflix’s Ladies First, we follow Deepika Kumari’s journey in her ambition to be the first woman to win an Olympic medal in India.

Though Kumari had won multiple titles in India, at both the London and Rio Olympic games, she lost her spot in the running for a medal. In those moments, the directors chose to cut to black just before her arrow hits her final target. This choice is very strategic in drawing suspense from the viewer. The sudden change brings us into Deepika’s mind and we feel her speechlessness at the loss. Her disbelief is, unfortunately, the result of how women in India are treated. Women are thought of as inferior to men and therefore aren’t usually allowed to work or play sports of any kind. They are told they physically cannot do anything but care for the family and stay home to tend to the house and children. Deepika Kumari was given the opportunity to break that mold and she held tight. She managed to be the first woman in India to win a medal at a large-scale competition. However, the culture that made its mark in her mind caught up to her in the Olympic games. The pressure for her to succeed was too great and she could not perform at her best.

After Kumari’s loss in the London games, her coach pointed out the fact that she is not “mentally strong.” He goes on to say that the Chinese team typically does well because of their strength. Comparing the gender equality in China to that in India, this does make sense. Again, society is far from perfect, but China has far better opportunities for women than India. The ratio of women to men in the workforce is about 82% in China, while India’s ratio is only 34%. Only a quarter of India’s workforce are women, and China’s workforce is nearly half women. Though China has other issues it may deal with, gender equality is not at the forefront. Ladies First, however, did mention that a mental trainer may be key to Deepika’s success. This may help her relax during the next Olympic games, but a lifetime of oppression cannot be overwritten by only a few months of training.

Works Cited

“Gender Data Portal.” The World Bank, 2016, datatopics.worldbank.org/gender/country/china.

Bahl, Uraaz, director. Ladies First. Netflix, 2017.