Jaipur.
The current status of women in India is characterized by a complex interplay of progress and ongoing challenges. Some significant achievements have been made towards empowerment of women and today they are actively contributing to the nation’s development , yet the large section of indian women continue to face significant social and economic discrimination and difficulties in everyday life and they are often denied equal opportunities in practice, highlighting a deep rooted contradiction within the cultural fabric of the country.
Today women on one hand have education, empowerment and freedom and can very well understand prejudicial behaviour against them and mental harassment. They know how to fight their battles and win back what is legally due to them and also their respect and dignity. Even if that requires to break the norms set by the society and define their own rules, but at the same time deeply ingrained patriarchal norms within Indian society often prioritize male dominance leading to the perception of women as subservient.
Because of this socio-cultural disparity, we see only few women, howsoever educated they may be, dare to challenge the accepted norms and discriminatory treatment being meted to them at work place probably in the fear of being ridiculed. It is mainly because the society has always undermined the self-respect and individuality of a woman.Her problems are ignored and her voice is suppressed because she belongs to a weaker gender.
Thus empowering women is the fundamental right of women. They should receive similar respect and treatment like men and be involved in the decision making process at every level. In other words they should have proportionate rights to contribute to society
But the fact is that for years women have been made to feel that they should settle for less than what they deserve. Also as females we always have been taught to keep patience, that in hopeless situations it is better to keep quiet than resist it, that things will turn for better after some time, that harassment is not something that we discuss or reveal to other people.If a woman fightes for her rights, self respect and equality and refuses to be a part of the patriarchal framework, she is branded as self-centered. The basic idea of females questioning the limits of gender is not acceptable to the patriarchial society.
Our Constitution has provided for equal rights and opportunities to men and women both. Governments and people do also talk about equality and egalitarianism but rarely work towards achieving it. It is only limited to granting balanced rights to women. Governments do make various acts and provisions to provide a healthy working environment and protection to women personnel but rarely sensitize the male personnel on gender equality. In such a scenario if any women dares to raise her voice against inequality, gender discrimination, unbalanced working conditions and intolerance, expresses her opinion and asserts herself at her work place , it is considered as blasphemous and sacrilegious for the patriarchal framework that can ruin her career and peaceful life.
The point is that, is it so hard to respect an opinionated and assertive women in this male dominated society. Why a woman cannot aspire to be independent, why a woman is not allowed to make a choice to do ultimately what she feels is right for her, that a woman wishing for something other than a good husband and marriage is still hard idea for the society to digest. Even today women are pestered about their marriage plans than they are even asked about their professional ambitions. Everybody in the Indian household have their own set of plans and targets about their daughter's future specifically about her marriage
Our culture also glorify the male ego no matter how reckless it is, but holds women on to a whole different selflessness and magnanimous level. It is expected of women that they must be humble, big hearted, obedient, polite, altogether virtuous.
Alka Saxena
Retired Additional Director
DIPR, Rajasthan
