Women empowerment in India: equality or Justice

(Content by Aishwarya. Edited and moderated by me. )  

 Unfortunately, today we are in a situation where Goddess forms are worshipped on one hand and a child is raped on the other. Is this the kind of society that we wish for our progeny? Is this what our culture has taught us? The amount of work done by a women in domestic sphere is not just taken into account while calculating the GDP of our country. Just imagine what if everything that a women does in the house gets monetised. Women become empowered when all women have freedom to enjoy all the fundamental rights, are allowed to perform all the duties and take responsibilities in an environment which guarantees physical, mental and emotional safety. 

    Women undergo a lot of social pressure domestically as well as professionally. Considering the pain during menstrual cycles, compromises in marriage, child bearing years, sacrifices in motherhood and menopause pain; women have been quite successful in various fields inspite of living in a society which worships and adores heroes. Everyone tends to miss out the commitment of our heroines.

    The 33 percent quota for women proposed by some of the so called "feminist" organisations would be beneficial mostly for those women who have luxury and freedom to step out of the house, who have been financially supported by their parents or husband and who are part of bourgeoisie families. It doesn't empower those women who really need to be empowered. Women who were and are being subjected to rapes, molestation, harassment, dowry, eve teasing, abandonment, widowhood, prostitution, slut shaming, extreme restrictions in the name of culture and the list goes on, would not be able to get the maximum benefits through this quota route. The glamorous celebrities with luxurious apartments and exotic spending have become the symbol of women empowerment and feminism in our country. But what about the down trodden, those who live in poverty and those who suffer from patriarchal norms? How do we propose to empower them?

    India has been the fourth unsafe country for women according to a survey conducted by the UN. 50 percent of women in India don't have bank accounts. Sexual abuses do not  become a crime till it is reported and the victim has access to courts. Approaching the justice system which has multiple loopholes would distort the physical and mental quotients of the victim and even ultimately might end their lives. The system with/without its knowledge has been letting the accused/sexual perpetrator live a better and more peaceful life than the victim. The Nirbhaya case took more than 7 years to bring the four of the accused to justice. There are other cases like Aruna Shanbaug's case, kathua rape case, etc only to name a few. The system which doesn't deliver justice in time is denying justice because people tend to forget unless it is cognised and punished as early as possible, cannot guarantee equality by advising women to pull themselves up to the standard of very few "empowered" women.

    The way literature and study material is designed must change. Gender neutral values must be adopted in children right from a tender age. Age relaxation in government exams and jobs irrespective of race, religion or caste would help women compensate for the lost years in domestic work, early marriage, sexual abuse, widowhood, abandonment and single parenthood to cope with the other half gender and make more women educated, qualified and inclusive; contributing to the economic and social progress of our country.