IIMIndoreblaze

INDRONEEL DAS

OJASVI JAIN

MEERA MIDHA

PANKHURI SONI AYUSHI AGRAWAL

Unlike current times, wherein women are fighting and struggling to get what actually is their right and trying to hold on to their status in the society, according to many historians, in the glorious, ancient India-women were treated equally, had all basic rights, had a say in all family and society matters and were not considered inferior to men in any respect.

Right from having women play the glorious central role, like those of Devi Sita, in epics like the Mahabharata, to having unparalleled warriors like- Rani Lakshmibai, having great visionaries and leaders in- Sarojini Naidu, Indira Gandhi and Kiran Bedi and “high flying” women in the field of science and technology, like- Kalpana Chawla, India has had it’s fair share of strong, capable and motivating women.

These women and many others have played a very significant role in shaping the history of India. So now, the question is- what went wrong? Why did women go from being worshipped, respected and loved to merely being treated as objects of a man’s pleasure, without any rights or sense of self-respect.

It is difficult to pinpoint any one time period as the one that saw the fall in the social status of women. However, medieval time period in India saw a sharp plummet in the respect and rights given to them.

The social evils like- polygamy, child marriage and Sati either came into being or were popularised during this period.

Their say in the matters of the family and society reduced. Moreover, daughters were now beginning to be considered a burden, an issue which, in today’s modern day and age has the taken the form of – massive female feticide and infanticide. Widow remarriage became socially looked down on. The Devadasi system was also propounded in the same time period.

As a result, they were now forced to refrain from active decision making processes of the society and restricted to doing household chores.

If we have to find solutions to the miserable plight of women in the country, we have to assess the biggest factors that contribute to it. The primary reason, responsible for the current abysmal state of women in India, is the fact that they are thought of as the weaker sex. They are looked at, with a pre-conceived notion of being- “ The dependent”. They are considered to be inferior to men in almost all walks of life and hence, get a reduced share of privileges and rights, or in some cases, none at all.

It was the change in thinking of both men and women, that caused this. Men started subjugating women to their judgements and oppressed them, through physical, psychological and social means.

Women also started considering themselves as the weaker sex. The concept of a woman’s life being dedicated to her father first, her husband next and at last, her son, was now firmly in place.

This, soon changed and subjugation to men turned into domination and abuse by men. Over time, women came to be objectified by men. The direct consequence, over a period of hundreds of years, was women getting left out from- family, social, political and many other aspects of life.

All positions of power, in the- family, societies, workplaces, politics belonged to men, when women didn’t even get their basic rights.

Lack of respect for and inadequate promotion and protection of the human rights of women

Violence against women

Inequality between men and women in the sharing of power and decision-making at all levels

Insufficient mechanisms and infrastructure at all levels to promote the advancement of women

Lack of respect for and inadequate promotion and protection of the human rights of women

Men need to treat all women with as much respect as they would treat their own mothers or sisters, and stop treating them as mere sexual objects or raw material for bearing children.

Extending support to women and setting up forums for them to openly share their problems.

Encouraging women to form strong support groups to help each other and understand that they are equal, if not superior, to men.

Severe and public punishment for men who violate the human rights of women.

Putting in place more effective programmes (like Bell Bajao) to save the women from the wrath of men inside and outside the household.

Educating women to understand that they do not “deserve” violence of any form, no matter what they were led to believe by the men who hurt them. They should be encouraged to speak up and take action against such men. Understand: Walking away from an abusive man is NOT a taboo.

Support should be provided to victims, rather than an attempt by authorities to justify the man’s actions.

Sensible men need to play a role in changing the mentality of abusive ones.

Children need to be brought up to believe that they are different, but not in terms of their roles in society, but merely in their physical appearance.

From a young age, men should be taught that it is normal for a woman to be their superior. It is not a blow on their ego or something to be ashamed of.

Women should be discouraged from shying away from power, and to take decisions with strong conviction. Women must stop “sacrificing” their career for the benefit of their family, as the family is the responsibility of man and woman in equal parts. At the same time, a man should encourage and support his wife’s career and dreams. A man’s job is in no way more “important” than a woman’s. In fact, women work harder, but are paid less.

Even at home, a woman seeks approval from the man of the house to validate her decision. If not, she is chided for the same.

In all courts, equal male and female representation is required in the judgment procedure.

Special programmes to educate women about their rights, not just their responsibilities. Young girls need to learn to respect themselves. At the same time, their families must be given the strength to support and encourage tough decisions.

Other measures, such as- Improvement in health care for pregnant women and neo-natal health care, better education policies to promote education of the girl child, harsher laws to protect women against any form of abuse, stricter divorce laws etc. will also go a long way in empowering women and paving the path for equality in the society.

Men and women are like the two wheels of a cart. Like it is impossible for the cart to move unless both the wheels move ahead together, similarly men and women must move ahead, shoulder to shoulder, if this country is to reach greater heights.