Without women,life is not exciting.A woman can make a house and brings everyone together in a family .She has to play multiple role in our society as a granny,mother,sister,girlfriend,wife and many more to name.She is an important part of every society.She is an embodiment of patience and tolerance.
However,we in India have done very little to give a women her rightful position in our society.We,in fact,in the last 50 years paid no attention to the predicament a woman has to go through to survive in our society.
You might point out that -"Hey,but aren't seats reserved for women in our law-making bodies?","Aren't women actively getting involved in businesses and other fields?","Aren't they getting access to education as our stats show?","Aren't the female infanticides rare going down?"While some women have definitely empowered themselves,there are still a lot of people in rural areas as well as the urban spheres where women are ruthlessly discriminated.
I)Seats are reserved for women:
Around 33% seats are reserved in the Lok Sabha for women MPs.However,many of them are controlled by the male leaders in the parties.
For example,Pramila Bisoyi,MP from Aska is a BJD party worker.She is around 75 years old and don't even know much about politics.She was guided by party supremo Naveen Pattnaik in every aspect.
II)Very less women are involved in financial matters of a institution or family.They are usually kept away from such discussions.
For example,
In her book,Sudha Murty,has written a real life story where the varied facets of women are exhibhited.One women,Meenal,was well educated but always relied on her husband for everyday opinions.Another women,Muni, who lived in a rural area was self-reliant and was well-aware of her rights.She knew that she had to do all this so that she is also treated equally.
III)While female foeticide numbers have seen drastic downfall in the past 5 years,the situation is not improving.The no. of girls in a an orphanage has seen a sharp rise.While girls are being allowed into the world,they are also abandoned.
For example,
There is a complete series in popular sit-com Taarak Mehta ka Ooltah Chasmah where a mother had abandoned her girl child because of pressure from her family.
The series runs from 1650-1662.
IV)Net Attendence Ratio for girls have definitely gone up significantly.But the ground reality is that most of the girls are who are in government schools are there for the freebies which are given there.They don't even get the necessary exposure which is why most of them just want to get married after their graduation.
These are some instances of the many which women face in India.According to a study by Lancet, around 75% of Indian women are stressed for some or the other reason.
Some genuine testimonials from our readers(Some names are changed for privacy reasons):
Emma:
Most girls, born in middle or lower class households would consider themselves as a burden for their family, such is the behaviour of people towards them. A girl, in our society, is usually defined by a shade of pink, high heels, long hair, etc. It's not true. Women must be the symbol of courage. But, I don't think that women should keep on crying on their condition and beg for their independence. Instead, they should stand for themselves, and fight against everything to achieve their respect and freedom.
Mary:
•In marriage ceremonies,most of the time males have the upper hand.They usually take the decision from selecting the bride or bridegroom to how to make the preparations.Women are not involved much except in the traditional rituals.
•In case of a boy,parents feel almost obligatory to provide him with all the necessary resources and more while a girl has to ask for her rights and justify them.
•Marital rape is considered a crime only if one of the partners is less than the age of 18.
•In a household,if a male helps a female,the wife is called lucky as if the male is doing some sort of favour.After the birth of a child,instead of work division the female is expected to give up her professional life,if any.
Satarupa Panigrahi:
Since childhood to youth and even after, a woman has to go through many unjust treatments to establish herself a place in the society.The female gender is subjected to infanticide, sex determination, and many such practices which don't even allow a girl to enter this world. These all just show how orthodox and patriarchal mindest have still got a hold in many places across the country.
Dowry, domestic violence, sexual harrasment, eve teasing and many more in the list have become commonplace in India.The gender bridge in India needs to be broken down especially when the country aims for development.After all, without the progress of a significant population, how can India thrive to attain golden success as stated by our forefathers and freedom fighters who laid foundation of a India free from not only foreign power but also every other social injustice?
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