Perhaps not any one of the little things: serving your son first like a good Indian mother doesn’t mean you condone rape; making fun of lady drivers doesn’t mean you condone rape; saving for your daughter’s dowry doesn’t mean you condone rape; saying “boys will be boys” on the playground doesn’t mean you condone rape. But each of these chips away at women’s and girls’ self-respect, and gives boys permission to feel a little more entitled, a little more important, a little more as though they have a free pass to maraud through the world and take without thinking.
