Women’s empowerment has undoubtedly included many shifts and changes in employment and educational opportunities over the last eight years.The ability for women to use their voice against injustices has reached a higher decibel level. Having access to a mobile phone and being able to stand up against sexual harassment at work and register a complaint with the authorities has seen a positive change in the last few years. But this is not all, Women’s empowerment requires a deep acceptance that is still lacking in a society where patriarchal values are upheld and revered by women themselves.
The pace is slower than what educated and aware women wish, but surely the mindset of the masses, even if it’s reluctant, is definitely opening up to this new reality of equality. Women need to realise that if they begin to feel comfortable confiding in each other, their ability to handle issues will see a tremendous shift in the power dynamics of a gendered society. Women need to stop feeling that a failed marriage, a dysfunctional relationship, domestic violence, or rape is their fault and is not to be discussed openly. What all women need to know is that perpetrators must be ruthlessly exposed.
In a very honourable move, the government of India this year recognised the work of the 20+ million sex workers in India. This will empower them to be less vulnerable to bondage and slavery. The ostracism associated with sex work needs to be directed towards poverty, lack of education, and the inability to get a job instead of the sex workers’ character assassination.
One can’t turn a blind eye to our neighbouring country of Afghanistan, where women have recently been banned from attending universities. The protestors were dispersed by the Taliban with water canons to stop them from standing up for their fundamental right to education. They are fearful of educated women. India, on the other hand, voted for the President of India, Madam Draupadi Murmu, who hails from a tribal community, making this the first step to eradicate caste inequality and pave the way for the inclusion of all strata of women in power positions.
In a landmark judgment, the Shamim Ara versus State of UP ruling in 2002, the Supreme Court this year pronounced arbitrary triple talaq invalid. Shayara Bano, a 35-year-old woman, challenged the practice after getting divorced under the triple talaq custom. This is now unconstitutional and will be beneficial for Muslim women who have faced social ostracism and exclusion due to these archaic laws. One has to acknowledge that there has been significant development in India, where patriarchy rules the roost. Women in live-in relationships can file complaints of gender violence.
But data still indicates that women are far from becoming equal participants in work leadership roles. Only five of India’s Fortune 100 companies have female CEOs. The world is full of examples glorifying women’s leadership, but the majority of the workforce still chooses men.
There is definitely a change from the days of our grandmothers, who couldn’t think of working for wages. Many of our mothers, too, did unpaid work and uncountable mothers who take up stitching and embroidery work long after she has finished her home chores, while their children are asleep, remain very poorly remunerated.
The latest National Family Health Survey, conducted from 2019 through 2021 and released in 2022, polled Indians about their “attitude towards wife-beating.” The survey found that 45.4% of women and 44.2% of men said it would be ok for a man to beat his wife for certain reasons.
Many don’t register domestic violence cases and over 4 lakh cases are still pending under the Domestic Violence Act according to the Supreme Court.
This shift in the understanding of dignity, right over self, and the mindset in which a woman believes the man is her master is not going away anytime soon. This is deeply rooted and requires parents to believe in the shifting roles of a daughter versus a son. India must address the age-old family structure in which a daughter is raised to take care of a home, instead, she needs to be raised to have equal opportunities as a son.
Malnutrition among girl children is higher than that of male children. Many parents raise their sons with the thought that he will be the breadwinner and the heir to the family business or legacy. Women in such setups are left to find their worth in the marriage market with very little share given to them from the family financial business or political legacy. It is always the son who takes on the mantle.
In homes across India, a male child is given a glass of milk whereas the girl child is taught to serve the brothers the glass of milk, cook, clean and remain hindered. She grows up knowing that she will be married off. Her abilities in home management skills is given more importance. The girl subconsciously acknowledges that the dignity of the household’s reputation falls on her frail and fatigued shoulders that must remain bent with submission.
Mohua Chinappa is an author and a podcaster of a show called The Mohua Show.