The Status of Women in India is Miserable | UPSC Mains Essay Preparation PDF Download

The status of women in India is miserable

structure

(1) Opening    —    Women in the past. Quote from Old Testament and Guru Nanak.

(2) Body    —    National Report on women.

    —    Ignorance of the better halves.

    —    Participation of women in different fields.

    —    Government’s imperatives. Laws for women.

    —    Position can be improved through better education.

(3) Closing    —    Efforts are being made to uplift the women by impro-ving the quality and stan-dard of life.

In a country which boasts of its glorious heritage, where woman has not only enjoyed the equal status but has been described in the scriptures more than the better half, it has become necessary today, for the Government to create special laws and enforce them rigorously to give the desired social and economic status to the women in India. Why only do we talk of equal status when as the sacred ‘Janani’ (The mother). Quoting a proverb from the Old Testament, we are told, “She looketh well to the ways of her household, and eateth not the bread of idleness,” Guru Nank has warned those who assign the second place to women. “It is she who gives brith to the kings”. In the Hindu scriptures, she is dubbed as Devi and Shakti, the most cherished symbol of love and creation. She is said to be the power behind the plough, the force behind the machine and the creative inspiration for the poet and the artist. In fact it is the women who has been the pervasive urge behind the creation. After having installed the Devi (Deity) on the highest pedestal of reverence, what went amiss? What was it which brought the downfall?

Although the article 16 of our Constitution has recognised the right of equality for women in India, yet the findings of the National Report on women which was published by the Government of India under the title “Towards Equality” nearly 20 years ago, were very depressing and discouraging. However, one good thing which the report did, was the creation of a stir on National level. The condition of the women in our country could be so hollow, this gave us a rude shock and set the nation a thinking. It was, perhaps, under this stess that the Government envisaged the National Perspective for women highlighting the problem. This realisation once again installed the proverbial Devi at the center of the stage, with care and concern all around. This was not a meagre achievement. Since then various schemes have been introduced in the spheres of technology, education, health and agriculture, concerning the problems of the women. As a common housewife, she manages the house, tends the fields, looks after the cattle, works in the factories, mans the industry and yet remains in the background. She feels shy to claim the equal partnership with her counterpart. But does the fruit of her labour grant her the status she deserves?

The status of women in India, is tagged to the peculiar set up of our society which is divided in itself among the unequal halves, the rural population and the urban population. The experts have confirmed this statement with the help of statistics. We are told that out of the total population of women, about 75% live in the rural areas and their vast majority is illiterate. The figures place this majority to 75%. Out of the rest, 20% are semi-literate and hardly 5% may be termed as educated. Thus a huge mass of humanity is ignorant about their rights or status. They do not claim it because they are not aware of it. They are not aware of it, because they are not educated.

Taking into consideration the participation of women in our offices and factories, the parcentage is as low as 14%. This means that their participation in various fields of activities need a special fillip. The Government of India  have taken pains to stress on the objectives in this respect. While laying down the fundamentals of this scheme, the National Perspective very aptly comments upon the sad state of affairs concerning the status of an average women in India. It tells us that the majority of working women are over burdened and underpaid. This is a very significant observation which leads to conclude that the women in India have no other choice but to accept the life of drudgery. A wedded wife is a bonded slave for all times to come. The uneducated, unskilled women is exposed to exploitation and special provisions have to be made to safeguard her interests. As such the concern of the Government is highly justified and genuine. The problem has received special attention of our planners which is reflected in the 'Beti Bachaoo Beti Padhao Yojana'.

As a welfare state, it becomes imperative for the Government to safeguard the fundamental rights of the women and make provision in the law for upgradation of their status in order to establish equality in the distribution of work and wages. One wonders why the simple principle equal work, equal wages is not adhered to? Years of prejudices have dubbed the women as non-worker and to crown it all, comes in the way, her own attitude towards her man. It is a pitty that all these years, she has remained shackled to her age old image of a Dasi (Slave girl). In the tradition ridden society, her position has been no better than a pair of shoes, which may be laid aside, discarded or changed at the sweet will of the master. From the very childhood she was taught to remain a slave to the man, may be her father, brother or the husband suppossed to be her protector. The confusion created in her life, has brought her to the cross roads where the proverbial ‘Shakti’ appears to be helpless and needs supuport of others, to keep her self going.

Today the law grants immense power to the women. She has the right or equal status in the social, cultural, economic, and political fields. But what was lacking was the will at her own part to claim equality with the man. It was the world of her own disbelief and ignorance which always kept her as the shadow of her man. As such the first step towards upgradation is to educate her and make her conscious of her position and status. Though education in India is free and compulsory, yet she is not able to permit her children, aspecially the girls, to attend the school. The irony of the situation is that inspite of the protection provided by the law, she remains unprotected.

It has often been said that women is physically fragile and temperamentally unfit to do strenuous jobs involving hard labour. But it is not the physical incapacity which has kept her in the background. It is the illiteracy and lack of facilities for the technical training. It has been noticed that in the fields of agriculture, fisheries, horticulture, forestry and household industries, women have been working side by side with their male partners. This statement is correct as far as the rural sector is concerned. However, in the urban sector, they are comparatively at a disadvantage, because their services can be utilised only in the factories as unskiled mannual labourers or as doestic servants in the private and unorganised sectors. Although in the cities a small percentage of educated women is employed in the offices as clerks, receptionists and telephone opera-tors, yet the percentage of employ-ment remains very low. As stated earlier illiteracy is the villain of piece. There is no denying of the fact that better education and vocational training will improve their potential and equip them for both wages and self employment. The Central Social Welfare Board has come out with a major 

programme of Socio-Economic Advancement for Women, which will help them in setting up training-cum-production centres. Many other voluntary social organisations have also come in the field. A tirade against the social evils like dowry, bride-burning, child marriage and prostitution have been started. Exploitation of women in any form is punishable under the law.

Education and publicity alone make the people conscious of the problem. In order to enhance awareness and mass consciousness of the rights of women, a programme of educative publicity has been taken up. The media has been entrusted the task of educating people regar-ding verious schemes launched under this programme. It goes without saying that employment potential of the trained women is comparatively better in the skilled labour sector. As such arrangements have also been made to impart vocational training to the needy women. Besides, there are other schemes concerning education, maternity and child welfare, which are the part and parcel of the strategy adopted by the Welfare state. The progress of these programmes will be monitored regularly on periodic basis by the department of Women and Child Development.

For working women, provision of creches have been made, where they can leave their children during working hours. Special houses and hostels have been built where the working women can stay. These institutions not only offer accommodation but provide relief and support during moral danger. They provide care to the needy during illness, offer help during hardship and look after their legal and medical problems.

The status of women in Independent India occupies an important place and all efforts are being made to establish the significant role that she can play in the uplift of her own self, her family and the society at large. Not only the removal of inequality and imblance but improve-ment in the quality and standard of life of the women should be our goal.