Arjun Singh Rathore
Can you better the condition of your women? Then there will be hope for your well-being. Otherwise you will remain as backward as you are now.
-Swami Vivekananda
India is one of the world’s fastest growing economies, with women mainly from the middle class increasingly entering the workforce. Urban centres especially the Metros have seen an influx of young women from semi-urban and rural parts of the country, living alone and redefining themselves. However, the story of economic empowerment for women is not a singular narrative; rather it is located in a complex set of caste, class, religious and ethnic identities.
Women empowerment is a debatable subject. Many believe that at earlier times they were getting equal status with men. But they faced some difficulties during post-Vedic and epic ages. Many a time they were treated as slave. But from early twentieth century especially during the national movement, their status has been changed slowly and gradually. So British were the first who introduced women reforms in India. And after independence, the constitutional makers made it legal, equal social position of women with men. Today we see the women occupying the respectable positions in all walks of life. Yet, they are not absolutely free from discrimination and harassment at the hands of society.
Now a day the women in India enjoy a unique status of equality with the men as per the constitutional and legal provisions. But the Indian women have come a long way to achieve the present positions. First, gender inequality in India can be traced back to the historic days of Mahabharata when Draupadi was put on the dice by her husband as a commodity. History is a witness that women were made to dance both in private and public places to please the man. Secondly, in Indian society, a female was always dependent on male members of the family even last few years ago. Thirdly, a female was not allowed to speak with loud voice in the presence of elder members of her in-laws. In the family, every fault had gone to her. Fourth, as a widow her dependence on male members of the family was the only source of her survival. In many social activities women were not permitted to mix with other members of the family, forget about her share in political, social and economic life of the society.
The early twentieth century, during the independence movement, women were visible and active as nationalists, as symbols of “Mother India”. Gandhi ji, in particular, was instrumental in creating space for women through his non-violence mode of protest, some historians argue it feminized. At the same time, Raja Ram Mohan Rai, Iswar Chandra Vidyasagar and various other social reformers laid stress on women’s education, prevention of child marriage, withdrawals of evil practice of sati, removal of polygamy etc. The National Movement and various reform movements paved the way for their liberations from the social evils and religious taboos.
As in many nationalist movements, women in India took part in the struggle, in turn propelling a women’s rights movement. And, as seen historically in many post-colonial countries, the nationalist women’s movement in India was confronted by the rebuilding of a patriarchal nationalist state.
After independence of India, the constitution makers and the national leaders recognized the equal social position of women with men. Article 14 says that the government shall not deny to any person equality before law or equal protection of the law. Article 15 declares that government shall not discriminate against any citizen on the ground of sex. Article 15(3) makes a special provision enabling the state to make affirmative discriminations in favour of women. Article 42 directs the state to make provision for ensuring just and human conditions of work and maternity relief. Above all, the constitution regards a fundamental duty on every citizen through Articles 15 (A), (E) to renounce the practices derogatory to the dignity of women.
Women’s empowerment in India is heavily dependent on many different variables that include geographical location (urban/rural), educational status, social status (caste and class), and age. Policies on women’s empowerment exist at the national, state and local (Panchayat) levels in many sectors, including health, education, economic opportunities, gender-based violence, and political participation. However, there are significant gaps between policy advancements and actual practice at the community level.
The impact of patriarchal structure can be seen in rural and urban India, although women’s empowerment in rural India is much less visible than in urban areas. This is of particular concern, since much of India is rural despite the high rate of urbanization and expansion of cities. Rural women, as opposed to women in urban settings, face inequality at much higher rates, and in all spheres of life. Urban women and, in particular, urban educated women enjoy relatively higher access to economic opportunities, health and education, and experience less domestic violence. Women, both urban and rural, who have some level of education, have higher decision-making power in the household and the community. Furthermore, the level of women’s education also has direct implication on maternal mortality rates, and nutrition and health indicators among children.
Among rural women, there are further divisions that hinder women’s empowerment. The most notable ones are education levels and caste & class divisions. Women from lower castes, the scheduled castes, other backward castes, and tribal communities, are particularly vulnerable to maternal mortality and infant mortality. They are often unable to access health and educational services, lack decision-making power, and face higher levels of violence. Among women of lower caste and class, some level of education has shown to have a positive impact on women’s empowerment indicators.
Empowerment for women in India requires a crosscutting approach and one which addresses the diversity of social structures that govern women’s lives. Empowerment approaches for women is not only about providing services, but also about recognizing their lived realities of multiple layers of discrimination that hinder their access to services. Access to education is part of a larger structural concern, including the practice of son preference, which creates inherent discriminatory practices. Education initiatives therefore cannot rely solely on building educational infrastructure, but also need to address some of the root causes of discrimination against women and girls which affect the decisions made by parents.
Today we have different Acts and Schemes of the central government as well as state governments to empower the women of India at every level of society whether it is social participation, political participation, economic participation, access to education and also reproductive healthcare. To sum up, women empowerment cannot be possible unless women come with and help to self-empower themselves. There is a need to formulate reducing feminized poverty, promoting education of women and prevention and elimination of violence against women. It isn’t about making women strong, they are already strong. It’s about changing the way the world perceives that strength.
(The author is Executive
Manager & Branch Head at JK Bank Marble Market, Jammu)
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