By Adyasha Patra In recent past, a lot has been inedited about women issues and their solution specifically mpowerment. So much so that, women empowerment was the favourite buzzword in one of the most respected interview of one very prominent demagogue during run up to the last general election. In fact, women centric issues were perhaps one of the most important planks which influenced the general elections if not altered the election outcomes for the first time. However, in this cacophony of feminism something which is more significant is getting eroded. There are multitudes of problems which are plaguing the integration of women into the mainstream of Indian society. This opinion is bolstered by several demographic indexes which are rightfully showing the sordid state of affairs. In the recent gender inequality index, India is placed at the rank of 127 among 157 nations, which is one blot for a so called emerged super power. Its depressingly squalid state is worse than countries like Srilanka, Bangladesh and we are jointly placed with Pakistan. After independence, our founding fathers of constituent assembly have enshrined several provisions in the form of fundamental rights and directive policy of state principles, which are meant to realise the full inherent potential of women. We have enacted many laws, many schemes starting from 1st FYP for the betterment of women. But have all these schemes and laws have proved their mettle in their stated objective. Is the much discussed approach of welfare, development and empowerment has failed to give women their rightful status and independent identity. The answer is emphatic yes, as we have failed in every demographic attribute concerning Indian Women, be it sex ratio, child sex ratio, Maternal Mortality Rate, health, literacy, employment, socio-economic and political status. What is more worrisome is, we are not analysing from our past mistakes, as reflected from the non implementation of ‘Towards Equality Report’ as lampooned by National Commission for Women. Till now, despite of all the ingeminating of all the schemes and laws, we have always treated women as the silent benefactor of Govt policies. We have never considered them as the equal partner in the process of this great nation building. We have always considered as them as necessary appendage to men. We must painfully point out that, in this process of assigning ‘adjunct to men’ status, they have connived greatly with men. Often, it is seen that they are ready to play the second fiddle to men. This reflects in our culture also, when there are enormous festivals, where women pray for the wellbeing of their male counterpart. Can we imagine a situation, where wife is the breadwinner and husband is taking care of babies? Some maintains that this inequality between the sexes is based upon the biologically or genetically based differences between men and women. May be there is substantial amount of truth in it, maybe not. There is no conclusive empirical evidence, where we can emphatically point out that the difference between the sexes is affecting women adversely. However, we look towards history, we can find out concourse of examples, where women are far superior to men. For example, in awe of Jhansi Rani, Hugh Rose the man who defeated her said ‘Here lay the woman who was the only man among the rebels’. In intellectual sphere also, there are multiple examples, where women have excelled extremely well in the past also and also in recent times. Often in educated upper elite class, women perform status – maintaining and enhancing activities to family as educated house wives, mothers and earners. They act as cushion against the rising cost of living. Probably the lack of self esteem among women, or the very eagerness to play the ‘adjunct to men’ is costing them dear. It is often said that this approach of women, is responsible for the paradox, where women Goddesses are worshipped and women are denied their independent identity and status. Do we ever care to guess, why women have relatively better position in the economically lower strata of the society and why countries like Germany and Switzerland have almost zero inequality between the sexes. What commonality do they have? It is the employability of women in both the case. In India, if we follow rural to urban migration then demographic attributes are not good for women as mostly men migrate to urban spaces for employment. However, in developed countries, the case is reverse. Mostly women migrate to urban spaces for employment opportunity. The more inclusive the growth is, the more economical power women possess, the more social status, they would likely to get. The committee on the Status of Women in India was of the view that planners, government officials, employers and trade union leaders perpetuated the middle class perceptions of Women’s primary role as the home maker not as the bread winner. However, we must point out that without the acquiescence of women this view would not have existed. In 1993-94, as many as 86.2 percent female workers were engaged in the primary sector, which included the agriculture and allied sector such as forestry, livestock etc, in the rural areas. Within agriculture, they mostly work as agricultural labourers or cultivators. That implies a lion percentage of educated elite women preferred to stay at home to take care of the families and babies. Particularly this is the attitude which contributes to the perpetuation of backward status of women. We need to take cue from what Mahatma Gandhi Said long back, “Woman is the companion of man gifted with equal mental capacities”. Women must stop looking at men as their liberators; they must take the leadership at their hand. It is education, economic influence and esteem which can give them their rightful place in human society. - See more at: http://www.orissadiary.com/ShowOriyaColumn.asp?id=53891#sthash.PaBx76F3.dpuf
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