Women Empowerment

An
Article on

Women Empowerment

A woman is the full circle. Within her is the

power to create, nurture and transform. Diane
Mariechild
Women constitute almost 50% of the worlds population but India has shown
disproportionate sex ratio whereby females population has been comparatively lower than
males. As far as their social status is concerned, they are not treated as equal to men in all the
places. In the Western societies, the women have got equal right and status with men in all
walks of life. But gender disabilities and discriminations are found in India even today. The
paradoxical situation has such that she was sometimes concerned as Goddess and at other
times merely as slave.
Now the women in India enjoy a unique status of equality with the men as per constitutional
and legal provision. But the Indian women have come a long way to achieve the present
positions. First, gender inequality in India can be traced back to the historic days of
Mahabharata when Draupadi was put on the dice by her husband as a commodity. History is a
witness that women were made to dance both in private and public places to please the man.
Secondly, in Indian society, a female was always dependent on male members of the family
even last few years ago. Thirdly, a female was not allowed to speak with loud voice in the
presence of elder members of her in- laws. In the family, every faults had gone to her and
responsible. Forth, as a widow her dependence on male members of the family still more
increase. In many social activities she is not permitted to mix with other members of the
family. Other hand, she has very little share in political, social and economic life of the
society. Thus, womens quest for equality with man is a universal phenomenon. What exists
for men is demanded by women?
They have demanded equality with men in matters of education, employment, inheritance,
marriage, and politics and recently in the field of religion also to serve as cleric (in Hinduism
and Islam). Women want to have for themselves the same strategies of change which menfolk
have had over the centuries such as equal pay for equal work. Their quest for equality has
given birth to the formation of many womens associations and launching of movements.
The position and status of women all over the world has risen incredibly in the 20th century.
We find that it has been very low in 18th and 19th centuries in India and elsewhere when they
were treated like objects that can be bought and sold. For a long time women in India
remained within the four walls of their household. Their dependence on menfolk was total.
A long struggle going back over a century has brought women the property rights, voting
rights, an equality in civil rights before the law in matters of marriage and employment (in
India women had not to struggle for voting rights as we find in other countries).

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But we should not forget that history in a witness to the women who have in the past
demonstrated unique leadership capabilities. Razia Sultana, Rani of Jhansi, Sarojini Naidu
and Indira Gandhi are motivation examples of women empowerment. Earlier, most women
were able to demonstrate the leadership qualities only on their home fronts, as in Indian
society man has always acted as the master of the scene and the decision regarding the issue
of empowering women has always been taken by him. God has gifted women with
compassion, tender-heartedness, caring nature, concern for others. These are very positive
signs which imply that women can be leaders. Though some women have shown their mettle
yet a large number of them have to sharpen their leadership qualities in various ways. In order
to help women to be in limelight, they need to be empowered. Therefore, empowerment of
women is the prerequisite to transform a developing country into a developed country.

Crimes against women

The crimes against women fly directly against orchestrating women empowerment in India. A
report on the crimes against women by the National Crime Records Bureau comes up with
some alarming statistics (From 2006-12):-

Sl
Year
Crime Head
No.
2006

Year
2007

Year
2008

Year
2009

Year
2010

Year
2011

Year
2012

Percentag
e
Variation
in
2012
over
2011

Rape
(Sec.
IPC)

Kidnapping &
Abduction
17,414 20,416 22,939 25,741 29,795 35,565 38,262 7.6
(Sec. 363 to
373 IPC)

Dowry Death
(Sec 302/304 7,618
IPC)

Torture
1,06,52
(Sec. 498-A 63,128 75,930 81,344 89,546 94,041 99,135
7.5
7
IPC)

Molestation
(Sec.
354 36,617 38,734 40,413 38,711 40,613 42,968 45,351 5.5
IPC)

376 19,348 20,737 21,467 21,397 22,172 24,206 24,923 3.0

8,093

8,172

8,383

8,391

8,618

8,233

-4.5

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Year
2010

Year
2011

Year
2012

Percentag
e
Variation
in
2012
over
2011

Sexual
Harassment
9,966
(Sec.
509
IPC)

10,950 12,214 11,009 9,961

8,570

9,173

7.0

Importation
of
Girls
67
(Sec. 366-B
IPC)

61

67

48

36

80

59

-26.3

Sati
Prevention
Act, 1987

-100.0

Immoral
Traffic
(Prevention)
Act, 1956

4,541

3,568

2,659

2,474

2,499

2,435

2,563

5.3

Indecent
Representatio
10 n of Women 1,562
(Prohibition)
Act, 1986

1,200

1,025

845

895

453

141

-68.9

Dowry
11 Prohibition
Act, 1961

5,623

5,555

5,650

5,182

6,619

9,038

36.5

Sl
Year
Crime Head
No.
2006

Total

4,504

Year
2007

Year
2008

Year
2009

1,64,76 1,85,31 1,95,85 2,03,80 2,13,58 2,28,65 2,44,27

6.8
5
2
6
4
5
0
0

A total of 2,44,270 incidents of crime against women (both under IPC and SLL) were
reported in the country during the year 2012 as compared to 2,28,650 in the year 2011
recording an increase of 6.4% during the year 2012. These crimes have continuously
increased during 2008 2012 with 1,95,856 cases in the year 2008, 2,03,804 cases in 2009
and 2,13,585 cases in 2010 and 2,28,650 cases in 2011 and 2,44,270 cases in the year 2012.
West Bengal with 7.5% share of countrys female population has accounted for nearly 12.7%
of total crime against women by reporting 30,942 cases during the year 2012.

In a study conducted by the Centre for the Study of Society and Secularism, said that,

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In spite of the UN Charter of Human Rights and the provisions of the Indian Constitution,
women continue to be victims of exploitation. The view that the future generation of a family
is carried on and preserved by boys-only has degraded the position of women in society.
Similarly, it is noticed that majority of the women are lacking in the spirit of rebellion. If
careful attention is not paid and major steps are not taken, the situation will become
extremely critical.
Eradicating this gap and educating women about their real place in the world is a step that
will largely set this entire movement rolling down the hill to crash and break the wall of
intolerance, negligence and exploitation.
Acts have also been enacted to emancipate women in India. And these acts are applicable on
all women irrespective of caste, creed or religion. It would truly empower Indian women to
exercise their rights.
To what extent legislative measures have been able to raise the status of women in India? Are
women now feel empowered in the sense that they are being equally treated by men in all
spheres of life and are able to express ones true feminine urges and energies? These are the
important questions to be investigated with regard to womens empowerment in India.
We all know that girls are now doing better at school than boys. The annual results of
Secondary and Higher Secondary Board examinations reveal this fact. More women are
getting degrees than men, and are filling most new jobs in every field.
There was a time when womens education was not a priority even among the elite. Since the
last quarter of the 20th century and more so after the opening up of die economy, post-1991, a
growing number of women have been entering into the economic field, seeking paid work
(remunerative jobs) outside the family.
Women are playing bigger and bigger role in economic field: as workers, consumers,
entrepreneurs, managers and investors. According to a report of The Economist, Women and
the World Economy, in 1950, only one-third of American women of working age had a paid
job.
Today, two-thirds do, and women make up almost half of Americans workforce. In fact,
almost everywhere, including India, more women are employed, though their share is still
very low. Manufacturing work, traditionally a male preserve, has declined, while jobs in
services have expanded, reducing the demand for manual labour and putting the sexes on
equal footing.
We can now see women in almost every field: architecture, lawyers, financial services,
engineering, medical and IT jobs. They have also entered service occupations such as a nurse,
a beautician, a sales worker, a waitress, etc.

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They are increasingly and gradually seen marching into domains which were previously
reserved for males (police, drivers army, pilots, chartered accountants, commandos). In spite
of their increasing number in every field, women still remain perhaps the worlds most
underutilized resources. Many are still excluded from paid work and many do not make best
use of their skills.
The rapid pace of economic development has increased the demand for educated female
labour force almost in all fields. Women are earning as much as their husbands do, their
employment nonetheless adds substantially to family and gives family an economic
advantage over the family with only one breadwinner.
This new phenomenon has also given economic power in the hands of women for which they
were earlier totally dependent on males. Economically independent women feel more
confident about their personal lives.
Hence, they are taking more personal decisions, for instance, about their further education,
marriage, etc. More and more women want freedom of work and control their own
reproduction, freedom of mobility and freedom to define ones own style of life. It is
contended that freedom leads to greater openness, generosity and tolerance.
To truly understand what women empowerment is, there needs to be a sea-change in the
mind-set of the people in the country. Not just the women themselves, but the men have to
wake up to a world that is moving towards equality and equity. It is better that this is
embraced earlier rather than later, for our own good.
Swami Vivekananda once said arise away and stop not until the goal is reached. Thus our
country should thus be catapulted into the horizon of empowerment of women and revel in its
glory.
We have a long way to go, but we will get there someday. We shall overcome.

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