Woman: The Power of Man

                                                                                        - Dr. V K Pathak

The National perspective plan for women 1988-2000, which has made a free, frank and objective analysis of impact of developmental programmes of Indian women, with special reference to rural women, gives us the following profile of women in India. There is a continued inequality and vulnerability of women in all sectors economic, social, political, education, health care, nutrition and legal. As women are oppressed in all spheres of life, they need to be empowered in all walks of life. Kamala Bhasin (1992) asks the question -why women need to be empowered? She believes that they need to be empowered because women have and will lead us in our search for a world free of violence and war. Women have led the peace and ecology movements in many parts of the world. She believes that sustainable development has to be women-centred. She does not say this because she is a woman or feminist. Historically and even today women take care of the basic needs of society like food, fodder, fuel, shelter, nurturing. They are also more in tune with nature. As child bearers they have to be more in tune with their nature. They have also been creating and nurturing. She does not say that; it is because of their pre-occupation with sustenance, nurturing, nursing. Empowerment of women means the following many things to Bhasin:

• ·        Recognizing women’s contribution.
• ·        Helping women to fight their own fears and feeling of inadequacy and inferiority.
• ·        Enhancing their self-respect and self-dignity.
• ·        Enhancing their self-actualization.
• ·        Controlling themselves.
• ·        Becoming economically independent and self-reliant.
• ·        Controlling resources like land and property.
• ·        Reducing women’s burden of work, especially within the home.
• ·        Creating and strengthening women’s groups and organizations.
• ·        Promoting qualities of nurturing, caring, gentleness etc.

          Women’s empowerment includes both personal strengthening and enhancement of life, and collective participation in efforts to achieve equality of opportunity and equity between, genders, ethnic groups, social classes and age groups. It enhances human potential at individual and social levels. Empowerment is an essential starting point and a continuing process for realizing the ideals of human liberation and freedom for all. Thus when we talk of women’s development and women’s status; it is important for us to recognize that intervention at all levels namely, social, culture, political, economic are required and are possible only if changes take place in existing life systems and social structures; which are not at all favorable to women today.     

          Any intervention that contributes substantially towards women’s active and critical participation in overall development in the real sense can take place only when the systems or structures of the society are changed in favour of women. Women empowerment cannot be separated from the empowerment of nature, empowerment of all the marginalized people and countries, women’s struggles are linked to peace movements and movements of democratization and decentralization of society. Women, especially rural women, are also the ones whose survival is most threatened by ecologically disastrous development. Women know the pains of creation; she hates distinction most. That is why in the struggles to save forests, struggles against pollution, in movements of militarization, women are in the forefront. For all these reasons women have to be at the centre of sustainable development. Women are more likely to insist that if their basic needs will be satisfied then their speedily increasing death ratio will also be controlled. Women are also said to be more emotional, more passionate and movements for sustainable development definitely need heavy doses of passion and emotion. Cold rationality alone is not enough. In order to play their various roles in the preservation of ecological balance there is an urgent need for strengthening their hands by empowering them. The World Ecology Report; based on US Report 1991 “Challenge to the year 2002” says that “the empowerment of women has multiple benefits not only for the empowerment but also for humanity as well. It requires their full participation as planners, managers, scientist and technical advisors in all environment and development fields.” Empowerment of women is not a one way process. It is a two way process in which we empower and get empowered. This is an ongoing journey for all of us. No one can be empowered for good and then become an expert in empowering others. 

           

               As women account for more than half of all world’s illiterate population achieving literacy would be one of the first steps to empowering women to participate more equally in society and free themselves from economic exploitation and oppression. The empowerment of women and the empowerment of their status, particularly in respect of education, health and economic opportunity it is a highly important end in itself. In addition, this also enhances their decision making capacity in vital areas especially in the area of reproduction. Education is the one of the most important means of empowering women and giving them knowledge, skills and self-confidence are necessary to be full partners in the development process. Women need to be empowered for gaining collective strength. Why do women want collective strength? When we discuss the role of women, we talk of the change in the equilibrium of social forces to treat them as equal partners in the society and to bring recognition to all their roles. When we are concerned with poor women, we need to change both social and economic focus in favour of their work role in particular and other roles in general. Such a perception of poor women’s work, places their empowerment as the central thrust of the desired goal, which is beyond increase in income levels and in financial terms. “Empowerment entails struggle; it entails learning to deal with the forces of oppression; it entails having a vision of a deliberate interventions and efforts to enhance the quality of life. Collective strength is necessary for building solidarity and support among workers to achieve empowerment. On the one hand, a struggle against existing forces of oppression has to be undertaken and on the other, support for women workers has to be generated through collective strength. Empowerment through organized efforts helps to sustain both the struggle and the support base. In order to fight against gender biases, women have to swim against the stream that requires more strength. Such strength comes from the process of empowerment.      

Dr. V K Pathak

Republished with thanks from:   D E I Magazine (2001-02), Pg. 37-39