“Why are we unable to successfully empower women“

Women empowerment refers to giving equal opportunities to women so that they develop fully and realize their true potential. Examples of empowered women are P.V. Sindhu, an Olympic medalist for the country, and Jacinda Ardern, the prime minister of New Zealand. As inspiring as the story of P.V. Sindhu sounds, such is not the story of the majority of Indian girls. In this essay, we will analyze why we have been unable to empower women and give suggestions for the same. Historically, the position of women was not as low as it is today. God created both men and women as equals; in the Harappan Civilization, the position of women was said to be equal to men.

With time, this balance changed in favor of men. Men created hegemony over religious practices to the exclusion of women, like prayers and religious texts. Women were then subjected to practices like sati, and widows were further pushed down in social hierarchy. Such social hierarchy exists even today in the form of patriarchy, throughout the life cycle of a woman. The practice of female foeticide is prevalent in states like Haryana. It has led to the sex-ratio in favor of males.

If a girl is born, it is seen as a burden on the family. Attitudes of parents towards females are that of step-parents who do not care about their children. They treat their girl child as the property of someone else, and that one day she will leave the home for good when married. Such an attitude is reflected in the neglect of a girl’s education and health. Preference is given to the male child for schooling in rural areas, while the girl child is supposed to help out her mother at home, who is also possibly a victim of this cycle. Her health is also ignored, resulting in the prevalence of anemia. Ignorance about reproductive health and lack of access to sanitary pads have time and time again proven to be fatal, acting as a major roadblock in her empowerment. All of the above, despite living in a country that worships Goddess, leads to the marginalization of women, which manifests in various forms across various dimensions and sectors.

Starting with society, women are often seen as the property of men and expected to be an ideal wife at home. If she tries to express her will, she is subjected to force, in the form of domestic violence. Outside homes, she is exposed to antisocial elements who indulge in eve-teasing and worse, rape. After going through all of this and surviving, if she somehow manages to get some economic freedom, there also she is not free. Evils like sexual harassment and phenomena of the glass ceiling go follow her wherever she goes.

Such an environment has been aided by the lack of women’s participation in the political process. The 108th Amendment bill to provide 33% reservation to women is still pending. At local levels, where reservation is there in panchayats, a concept of panchayat pati has emerged, where power is exercised by the husband. Such lack of political empowerment is also visible at the international level. A vast majority of countries are led by male leaders, despite women constituting almost half of the world population. Countries in the West and Central Asia are notorious for restricting basic human rights of women.

For example, Saudi Arabia did not allow women to drive up until recently. There are strict restrictions on what women should wear, who they should talk to, and how much they should be seen in public! Such problems at the international scale are compounded by the fact that women also happen to be the worst affected by conflicts and wars. War survivor Malala Yousafzai described the atrocities and sexual violence women have to face during wars, which disempowers not just their present but also their future.

Having said that, the momentum that has been gained by women via movements like #MeToo has brought out the discussion in the open. Enlightenment about women empowerment amongst the youth is an encouraging sign. Since Independence, India has been progressively working to provide for women empowerment. Laws like Dowry Prohibition Act, Sexual Harassment at Workplaces Act, and Free India’s Constitution provide a strong legal framework to realize gender equality.

The government has also been tirelessly running schemes like Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan, free sanitary napkins, maternity benefit schemes, promotion of Self Help Groups in rural areas for overall development and empowerment of women. To bring out more such P.V. Sindhus, Mary Koms, and Kalpana Chawlas, what is required is open and enlightened policymaking, efficient and gender-inclusive policy implementation, a society that is vibrant and responsive to the changes in the world, and the participation of women in the development process. UNDP, in one of its reports, mentioned that if development is not engendered, it is endangered. Thus, women empowerment cannot wait, and as Swami Vivekananda has pointed out, “A bird cannot fly on only one wing.”