The Abstract of the study can be found here.

“All my life and my strength is given to the first cause of the world-the liberation of Mankind”

- PANDIT NEHRU (Discovery of India)

On seeing the topic, this is what first came floating in my mind.  Being a woman, I feel its my birth responsibility and duty to voice my views regarding my fellow-kind.

IMPORTANCE OF WOMEN

Women is an embodiment of love, care, inordinate sacrifice and pride.  She wants to play here own part in life’s struggle and not merely a hanger-on or a shadow of her husband. She wants to justify herself to her own self and to the world.  Men often deny the fact that she is powerful and are blind to see what she looks for and so ardently desire. The Principle of Gender equality in enshrined in the Indian Constitution but still there exists a wide gap between the Constitution, Legislature, Plans, Policies, Programmes on one hand and the reality of the status of the women on the other. Only when the disparity goes, Development of women on par with men could be thought about.

ROLE OF WOMEN

Women form almost half of the mass of the world population.  She builds the pillars of the society.  She nurtures the Environment surrounding her with Beauty, Love and Sacrifice. She can turn pain into pleasures and stones into Diamonds. Even though, she feels lost in the male dominating society, she makes the maximum out of the provided opportunities. She remains unnoticed, unrecognized and quite truly ignored in too many cases.

But still she manages to shine by playing different roles as -

ü      An adorable daughter

ü      A caring sister

ü      A trustable friend

ü      A loving wife

ü      A Brilliant Mother and

ü      A commendable Social Worker

STATUS OF WOMEN

i) Gender Inequality

Female ratio is continuously decreased

-          Sex selective Abortion

-          Female foeticide

-          Infanticide

-          Femicide

-          Dowry Killing

-          Emotional stress leading to suicide homicide etc.

-          All these contribute to the cause

Discrimination of women

ADOLF HITLER once said, “Women occupy places only in kitchen and they should be treated liked child-bearing machines”.

It is painfully true, that even now it remains in the mind of some people. Women are isolated with decreased mobility and lack of support and motivation.

A satire written by a contemporary poet VAIRAMUTHU comes to my mind -

“Poor wife !
Full of Bruises
By Taking runs
between Bedroom and Kitchen
In my Family Cricket”

Social Stereo-typing

Society rigidly defines Masculinity as an emblem of Toughness, male honour and dominance.  Culture accepts physical punishment to women as a means to settle Interpersonal disputes. ‘Spouse Violence’ is thus encouraged.  In a research conducted at vellore in 2002 from 716 women says that 16% of women faced Spouse violence in the past one year.

Violence at domestic and society levels can be physical or mental (depression, anxiety, disorders etc)

ii) Education

No equal access to education particularly to those belonging to the weaker sections of scheduled castes, scheduled tribes, backward classes and minorities.

iii) Health and Diseases

There is lack of proper attention of women to healthcare.  In fact Mortality and Maternal Mortality – the sensitive indicators of Human Development are very high in India; that it indirectly affects the health of the society.  If a woman suffers from a Sexually transmitted disease (say AIDS).  She is demoralized and proper support and guidance is denied.

iv) Nutrition

Malnutrition affects all stages of womanhood – Infancy, childhood, Adolescence and Reproductive age group. It affects the nutritional status of the society deliberately.

v) Drinking water and Sanitation facilities

These are deprived off from majority of women in rural areas and urban slums.  Housing and shelter are also important indicators of the status of women.

vi) Sexual Abuse

Forced Prostitution and rape are met with by women of lower socio-economic status, as per a research. Trafficking of girls and Harassment at working place are also forms of abuse.

vii) Social Customs / Traditions / Practices

Dowry, Child Marriage – Two important hurdles in the race of women development

viii) Most ludicrously,

Status of women can be assessed by the following statistic.
Only 1 out of 12 Presidents of India is a woman.
Only 1 out of 13 Prime Ministers of India is a woman.
33% Reservation for woman is only in words even in legislature.

PREVENTION OF EVILS AGAINST WOMEN

All sorts of discrimination against a girl child and violation of the rights can be eliminated by undertaking strong measures, those preventive and punishable, both inside and outside the family as laid down by the NATIONAL POLICY FOR EMPOWERMENT OF WOMEN.

As suggested by the World Health Organisation (WHO), the following should be ensured for women.

v     Right to Life

v     Right to Bodily Security and Integrity

v     Right to Privacy

v     Right to Benefits of Scientific Process

v     Right to Seek, Receive and Impart Information

v     Right to Health

v     Right to Education

v     Right to Equality in Marriage and Divorce

v     Right to Non-Discrimination

Strict rules against Foeticide, Prenatal sex selection, infanticide, dowry killing, child prostitution, Harassment, Rape has to be laid down. Food and Nutritional status of women should be improved.  Health education should be provided.  Vocational education should be emphasized.  Gender sensitive curriculum and Equal access to education should be made available.

CHANGING SCENARIO?!!

Crime against women has reduced recently.

Social dignity of women is slowly being recognized.

The National Policy for Empowerment of women envisions Participation of women in decision making, helps women forming self-help groups, extending credits through banks. Alleviation of poverty by allocation of funds for betterment of women is made possible.

Women turn out to be both powerful and skillful than the past.  These are women who are recognized and supported. Eminent personalities, novelist, writers, freedom fighters, doctors, scientists, social workers, sports persons, whoever it may be, whatever may be the walk of life, only few make their names to the list. They are looked upon with Admiration; which again points out to ‘Social stereo-typing’.

Gandhiji says, “There should be no barrier between the two sexes.  Their Mutual behaviour should be Natural and Spontaneous“.

CAN THERE BE DEVELOPMENT WITHOUT WOMEN’S PARTICIPATION?

Consider the two hands of mankind to be that of two sexes. If one hand grows outclassingly better than the other, how will it look like? “Disproportionate Growth of men compared to women is a disease of the society”

Manu Smriti says,

“Where women is honoured, God dwells“.

Development without women is Absurd.  Participation of women in development is very important that it can change the present situation and goals are made easily achievable.  And the Golden Era is yet to begin!

CONCLUSION

“Not a Goddess to be worshiped Nor yet an object of common pity to be brushed aside like a moth of Indifference.

If you deign to keep me by your side in the path of danger and daring, if you will allow me to share the great duties of your life, you will know my TRUE SELF”.

- Rabindranath Tagore

(As ‘Chitra’ in his play)

Women are passionate and intelligent.  She voices her favour for equality and freedom fighting for it.  Domestic slaving against her should be bitterly condemned.  Being a woman, it gives me intense pleasure, pride, satisfaction and self-respect to contribute this essay.

LET MALE CHAUVINISM DECLINE !

&

EMPOWERMENT & EQUALITY OF WOMEN FLOURISH !!!

But man ceases of exist in the absence of woman.”

Woman, the earthly form of the goddess Venus, is the subject of our interest today.  Yes, the very same Eve, who partook in eating the Forbidden Fruit according to Christian mythology, the woman who was created from a piece of man.  Any study of the topic of woman and their role in development is incomplete without a shallow foray into the history of the woman.  Beginning with early or ancient times, the woman was a form that was highly reserved and respected by humanity, to the extent that she was given a divine status, the goddess on the sacred feminine.  From the Jewish ‘Shekina’, to the Egyptian ‘Isis’, she was worshipped across the world as the symbol of fertility, beauty and power all in one.   She played a massive role in the life and times of early civilizations.   Though the emphasis was mainly on her ‘magical’ or ‘wondrous’ ability to procreate, she was respected for her role in life as a whole.

Following this came the Medieval ages, during which, as painful as it sounds, the beauty of the feminine was destroyed, seemingly for eternity.   With the advent of modern religion, the pagan concept of the sacred feminine was lost, and along with it disappeared the respect and reverence for her role in the life of mankind, and her once ‘wondrous’ ability to create new life.  Any woman who was engaged in occupations which were specific to men, or dared to voice her opinion, or even made the mistake of trying to decide the course of her own life, was deemed as a threat to the society, or a ‘witch’.  This is clearly evident in the numerous ‘witch hunts’ held throughout Europe in the Medieval times, during which innumerable women were burned at the stake.  All this a heavy price for a simple crime, trying to live in a male – dominated society with their heads held high.

This scenario was seen all over the world and could be termed an epidemic which was a mole of shame on the face of humanity.  That brings us to the Modern Era, what we are genuinely concerned with.  Being specific to the scenario in our country, ‘what has the Indian woman become?’  Past an ancient history of goddess worship, past an age where women were treated as equals, Indian Society has moved a long way down the road.  India has seen a history where women have ruled vast expanses of land, women have headed families and women have been beside men in the struggles they faced.

There have been valiant queens like the Rani of Jhansi, who besides being a wise ruler, was one of the strongest arms in the Indian struggle against the British empire.  A fine example of the power that women held is the matriarchal system of family in Kerala, where the women held the position of the head of the family.  Even thought the great Rani survives only in history books today, and though the family system in Kerala has given way to a patriarchal order, there continue to be women in every front of development even today.  Whether we are concerned with the development of women, or the role of women in development is immaterial.  As a matter of fact these are inseparably married aspects and one need not be distinguished from the other.

A truth no longer ignorable, or a truth that should bring pride to every woman on earth: women have humbled men in almost every field that has seen their participation.  It is safe to say that, without the tremendous effort made by woman, ‘man’-kind would not have moved very far from the pathetic state of Medieval life.  Taking a cue from the Rani, women have begun to make certain that there presence is felt in the governance of the nation.  Women in politics is a common sight now, and what better example to cite that that of our Honourable President Smt. Pratibha Patil.  In every aspects of leadership and governance, the modern woman stands side by side with their male counterparts.  In all facets of education and work, women are now a force to reckon with.  This is demonstrated easily by the tremendously increasing numbers of women completing their primary education, and a large number of them even completing higher studies.  This has been in stark contrast to previous figures which showed a meager school attendance, and a near absence of women in higher education.  The steadily increasing literacy rate of women is also expected to tally that of males in the years to come.

Besides the increasing number of female entrepreneurs, professional, clerical workers and females engaged in other regular professions, there is also another side to the coin.  The advent of women’s ‘Self-Helf’ groups has stabilized the status of women, and at the same time lent a strong helping hand in taking the economy to the heights.  There is also a marked rise in the number of NGO’s being operated by women, both for their purposes, as well as for the betterment of society as a whole.  This success streak of women has even extended into the field of sports, where Sania Mirza, Anju Bobby George, etc. have become household names now.

As is now clearly evident, women are comfortably on the golden path of development today.   The future holds only a million more opportunities for the woman of today to go forward and achieve what she desires.  Concluding this, as pleasant as it should sound, there is a chance that humanity will get back ‘the sacred feminine’, which was once thought to be lost for ever.  I think now that it is apt to say, “It is no more a man’s World”.

The development of country is based on the development of various communities and society of the nation.  For the community to develop, the process begins from the family, where the women play a vital role.

Starting from the development of child, the women play their part in development as a mother.  After all “TODAY’s CHILDREN ARE TOMORROW’S WORLD”.  For a strong and healthy future of a child, mother’s role is of monumental proportions.

Development not only includes high socio-economic status but also good culture, moral values and sound mind and body.  For this, the family set-up is very important.  The home-maker holds up the family together.  The mother guides her children in good ways, nurtures them, keeps them healthy and helps them become good citizens and good human beings.  Thus above women not only develop themselves but also their family and the future world.

On the contrary, for this very role women have been suppressed for so long, kept inside their houses just to look after their family and kids.  They were just men’s tools for a long time, especially in India.  Their dreams, talents and potentials have all been crushed and suppressed by a male dominant society.

But times have changed now, for the efforts of some great people have freed women from the male chauvinism, breaking the chains that held them tied to the household for ages.  The horrors of dowry murders, suicides and female infanticide have reduced drastically.  We live in a new era now.

As Mahatma Gandhi rightly said “The power to change the human heart and thus the world, rests with the women for they use patience, love and sacrifice as their weapons“.  Indeed, time and history has seen men win wars with brute force while women caused dramatic changes with their love, affection and strong patience.  The immortal “Mother Teresa” changed hearts of many and saved the poor and those who are challenged in their life, with her love and patience.  For that is the power of a “Mother’s Love”.

In the present scenario, women are equals to men.  They have set foot in every field and have thrived well.  Let it be the politics where many great female leaders have emerged or let it be the business and trade where now a “sophisticated corporate women” is considered as a mortal enemy or nightmare to the men or let it be science where female researchers and scientists have made huge contributions.

Women are now able to utilize all the resources available to them and tap into their full potential from sports to politics. Women are on par with men.  With their patience and tolerance as an asset, women are now considered good administrators making thoughtful decisions but merciful at the same time.  They no longer are dependent on men for all their lives, they can no longer be suppressed, they have risen like a volcano with great force.

But even now in India, many women are still men’s peons in rural areas.  The awakening is not equal everywhere.  Some are still tied up by chains either by someone else or by their own primitive thoughts.  These women also must be freed from their inner prison and brought out into the new era of development.

To change the world, women must take initiative.  They must strive to bring up their own kind.  On many occasions, women are suppressed by other women and not men.  This many be due to fear and ignorance.    This has to be abolished.  Fearless and knowledgeable women are the ones who can change the face of the nation.

Many women are now involved in NGO, Police, IAS and other Forces.  They can help themselves and others by giving protection and being a role model.  The likes of Kiran Bedi, Indira Gandhi, Kalpana Chawla and Sania Mirza have inspired many women to take part in the uprising.  They need someone to provide them with motivation and courage.  That is the duty of the society.  If we are to seek true development we must bring up the women and they will play a historic part in the development of family, society, nation and whole wide World!.

Men and Women are two halves.  Each cannot be complete without the other.  For they must co-exist to bring the complete full and true development, for neither can survive without the other.

Thus, there can be no development without women and women development leads to true development.