Features

Problems and Concerns Status of Women in India

 

Mother tells her son, “Show me your friends, I'll tell you what you are”. A similar statement but altogether in a different context referring to status of women was made by our first Prime Minister Pandit Jawahal Lal Nehru, i.e. “You can tell the state of a nation by looking at the condition of the women there”. The irony is that today, everybody talks about women empowerment but the naked truth is that nobody is willing to take initiative.

In spite of outstanding examples of inidual achievements, and a definite improvement in their general condition over the years, it remains true that Indian women still constitute a large body of under-privileged citizens. Even the Global picture about the status of women seems no different from that of India. Addressing the annual meeting of the Clinton Global Initiative in September 2009, former President Bill Clinton very rightly remarked that “Women perform 66% of the world's work, and produce 50% of the food, yet earn only 10% of the income and own 1% of the property. Whether the issue is improving education in developing world, or fighting global climate, or addressing nearly any other challenge we face, empowering women is a critical part of the equation”.

So for all the bluster about women empowerment, the women's empowerment movement is still taking baby steps as far as reality is concerned. Undoubtedly, we require serious, positive, down to earth policy on empowerment of women. Somewhat paradoxically, women of late have made their presence felt, with a difference, in a predominantly male dominated society in all the spheres of work, appearing as winning competitors in decision making areas of Governance as well. In spite of such vast areas where women have proved their excellence, it is still considered as complementary to men's efforts. They are still a suffering lot. Male population are hell bent upon to perpetuate pre-Vedic image of our women, and keep them out of limelight forever.

To be 'pro-woman', you don't have to be 'anti-man'. What really matters is the change of mindset. Considering the role played by women that of a mother, a wife and a daughter, they deserve to be treated as partners and not viewed as competitors. The Constitution of India, under Article 14, 15, and 16, might have guaranteed women equality before law, protection and opportunity to work without discrimination on the grounds of religion, caste, creed, and sex. This cannot happen if both men and women are reluctant to change their attitudes.

Women have proved, time and again, that they are in no way inferior to men in all walks of life. The male dominated society is not yet ready to accept it. Women just need the necessary support and encouragement of the family and the society.

Historically, women have been playing a paramount role in the socio-economic development of any country across the World. The high status that women enjoyed during the Vedic period gradually started deteriorating in the late Vedic period. The daughter was not greeted as was the son. The birth of a girl child, even today, is considered as an ill omen and the news papers are promptly reporting the killing of female infants.  Even though women did challenge the world view of their periods, their immense contributions have not been recognised.

Reform Movement

Reform movements in the 19th and 20th centuries led by great social and enlightened reformers like Raja Ram Mohan Roy, Dayananda Saraswati, Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar, Govind Ranade, etc., provided boost to women's legal status in India. But it was limited to the filial sphere, and not in the society at large. Gandhi recognised their role and stretched to the public space.

Nationalist Movement

Mahatma Gandhi advocated for involvement of women in the country's freedom struggle not because they constituted about 50% of country's population but seeing their perseverance to reform their cruel husbands. The mass participation of women directly in the freedom struggle was the landmark in the history of socio-economic empowerment of women. They joined shoulders with their counterparts and shared the responsibility of liberation of their motherland. In 1931, the Congress Party passed a formal resolution committing itself to the political equality of Indian women much before their counterparts in Europe had even won the right to vote. The freedom of India thus became synonymous with the empowerment of women. 

Women's Movement

Independence of India heralded the introduction of laws relating to women. The Constitution of India, which came into force on January 26, 1950, provided equality to men and women and also gave special protection to women to realise their interests effectively. Special laws were enacted to prevent indecent representation of women in the media and sexual harassment in work places. The law also gives women equal rights in the matter of adoption, maternity benefits, equal pay and working conditions, etc. Despite these and many other measures, the Report of the Committee on the Status of Women (submitted in 1974) pointed out that dynamics of social change and development had adversely affected women and they manifested all signs of a backward group, that is, declining sex-ratio, lower life-expectancy, higher infant and maternal mortality, declining work participation, increasing illiteracy, rising migration, etc.

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