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Woman: The Power of Man

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-centered. 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 center 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  





Real Feminine Face of Modern India

Today with the help of science and technology we have bridged the gap of time and space and have worn the mask of modernity. Today blind westernization has become the symbol of modernity. No doubt, no area is left where women have not put their feet. From the conquering heights of flights (Air Force), we can see the feminine face in every field whether it is politics, defence, science and technology or any other. But think for a minute is it the real feminine face which is mentioned above? The reality is entirely different. Although we cannot deny realities of Meera Nair, Ekta Kapoor, Kohinoor, Hampi, Sonia Gandhi and Ritu Sharma. But this is an only a handful amount of the half of the population of the entire world. If we open our eyes towards reality we shall find that it is very disheartening. Violence against a woman starts even before she puts her feet on the earth. To be a woman is the biggest curse for a woman. She seems to live her life on the double register law and languages; which emphasizes her roles as standing outside of language and law. The law book of Manu declared, “Where women are verily honored; there the Gods rejoice; where however, they are not honored these all scared rites prove fruitless.” When we our ancestry we find that Manu who was a staunch believer in the co-ordinated and harmonious development of human personality; assigns a very reasonable place to women in the framework of society. He does not regard them as necessary evils to be tolerated anyhow but as the prime factor of the man’s worldly as well as spiritual happiness. Man cannot make any progress if there be no woman standing by this side ready to co-operate with him in all his activities. Man’s powers lie dormant so long as they are not touched by the spark of a woman’s love and affection. The wheel of the world cannot move in the absence of a woman.
In ancient times, are women had the ceremony performed for them. They were entitled to study of ‘Vedas’. They were also entitled to chanting of Gayatri Japa. When Vedic civilization was at its peak, the wife of Manu Maharj had desired a female child at ‘Putrayesthi Yajana’. But in the later ages the condition of women deteriorated. The Indian women today are rarely considered as an individual. Instead she is viewed in her roles of daughter, wife or mother. Since she is thought to be lacking any internalized norms or self-discipline, it is imperative that her father, husband and sons protect her from the outside world. Due to restrictions placed upon women by the nature of their roles, initial attempts to improve the conditions of women were taken up by men. From Raja Ram Mohan Ray to M K Gandhi; many reforms highlighted the excessive restrictions placed upon woman as social evils which need ameliorations. The founding father of our constitution had envisaged the concept of full equality of women in competition with men which has not fully become a reality till date, and women who theoretically enjoy an equal status with men in the Constitution of India have not been able to exercise that equality in letter and spirit. In 1976 surgical abortions were recognized as legal acts. The reason behind it was to provide health protection to women. But in the present days sonography has become a very cruel means to kill the female child before birth. In spite of special laws, women have not been able to get justice. There has been a constant increase in the number of crimes against women. Harassment of women at workplace is also on increase which is because women do not come forward and raise their voices. In the modern world, the role of the women goes much beyond the home and the bringing up of children. She is now adopting a career of her own responsibility for the development of the society in all its aspects. This is the direction in which we shall have to move fast. In a male dominated society, the women suffer from the varieties of gender bias and repressive laws in all fields of life. Right from the moment of birth up to that of death, they suffer from severe handicaps in the field of education, health care, child bearing and rearing, laws related to marriage, inheritance rules and also personal laws. Women must muster enough courage and fight against all inequalities and repressions in whatever from they may be. Women must take part in organized activities. In this, the trade unions can be of great assistance and they must take more and more interest to promote their career related prospects. Women are not aware about their fundamental rights to from association or unions. It is high time that at least they should awaken and take active part in decision making bodies; only than they will be able to enjoy equality with men. Participation of women not only makes them visible but also strengths the movements and gives it publicity. Further, their participation helps to steer the movement in certain directions often away from violence. It is only recently that women have awakened and realized their strength. Anyway it is never too late. 21st century will be women’s century and let us all work untidily to shape it.       
Dr. Surat Pyari Pathak
Republished with thanks from:    D E I Magazine (2001-02), Pg. 43-44.  


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