WOMEN EMPOWERMENT - In its real meaning - By Shubham Gupta (2014EEN2400)

They not only bring us into this world but also define us. Our existence is totally gifted by them and we must not forget that in the lifetime.

But sadly, the picture of status of women in today's society is somewhat different. It has not changed much from the earlier days when the life of women was just confined to marriage, doing household chores and raising children. It has changed a lot in terms of education, employment, politics, marriage but there are still areas where they need their actual rights and that is her status as a human.

Though from outside the society seems to have changed a lot towards women giving them equal rights in property, voting, equality in working areas as entrepreneurs, investors, workers etc. but from inside there lies a different story. The world seems to have modernized but even today also when a baby is about to take birth in a typical Indian family, everyone from inside expects the child to be a male. We all know that today girls are in no field less than boys, be it academics, jobs, businesses, politics or any other area that we may think but then why this discrimination?

According to a Global Gender Gap Report released by World Economic Forum in 2011, India was found to have improved a lot in political empowerment of women but in terms of female foeticide it was comparable to China. Also in terms of literacy of women it lagged behind a lot of the countries.

In today's time, everyday there is a news of some or the other women getting raped in some corner of the country. Not even the small female children are spared. On one side we talk of women and men's equality and on the other side such a shameless act takes place where the women is just considered as a source of some short-lived pleasure. If we ignore the big cities for a while and talk of small towns or villages, there the condition is so worse that women are not even allowed to eat before all the family members have eaten, even after knowing that they are the one who make them meals. They feed on the left overs at the end. Female infants are breast-fed less and after the male infants are fed.

Although there have been a lot of laws enacted in favour of women, they are less aware about them and thus cannot avail their own rights. The condition regarding the girls' education has although improved a bit that they are now sent to primary or high schools but sending them for further education is still not a common practise in these small places. They are expected to stay at home and learn household chores to get ready for the life after marriage in their own house - not the one in which they live or have taken birth.

They are taught from childhood itself that their own house will be the house they get into after marriage. Such ridiculous thoughts are fed into the girl's brain just after she starts to understand things after her birth.

Even after marriage the condition does not improve much, she has to live according to her husband or in-laws. There are a lot of incidents reported where the girl is burned or killed in any dowry issue or in worst case when she cant give birth to a child.

Though we all are sane to understand the difference between right and wrong doings but still such happenings prevail in one or the other areas of country. Why?

We may give an excuse called illiteracy to all injustice to women taking place in such regions. But let us think of the places where the literacy rate is a lot more than these rural areas. In urban areas, where it is assumed that more than 80 percent of the population is well-educated. The situation is no different. Though the population there is expected to be civilized but still the women do not feel safe to go outside their house after eight thirty. The condition can be easily understood by taking the example of the capital itself. Even after so much uproar that took place after the Delhi rape case, the situation is still same. The newspapers are still covered with the rape cases taking place in one corner of the city or the other.

A simple survey was done where the males were asked if they would be willing to marry a girl who was raped and as expected about 90 percent of them denied to do so. Again a simple question is raised out of this, who is responsible for her rape? Not the men out there who now want to marry a pure and a virgin girl? And to no surprise more than half the population thinks that a girl herself is responsible for it. She is the one who provokes the next person for such a heinous act by wearing short clothes or by any other stupid reason as suggested by even the most unexpected class of society, the politicians, who are thought responsible for their peoples security.

The country that we live in, where boy is allowed to roam in the streets at any odd time of the night or day but if the girl moves out even with some immediate requirement she is questioned why she is out at such an odd time. If the boy drinks or goes to a bar or pub he is considered as cool but if a girl does so, her character is questioned and no one is willing to marry her. It is not about the mentality of the people living out there but the own family of a girl is no different sometimes. If a boy in a family dates a girl or two no one questions him and give the excuses that it is all the effect of his age but the disaster actually comes when his sister dates someone.

Why all such nuisance only against a girl who already has a short stay in the home where she was born? When that home itself could not be hers then who may guarantee that the next home will give her more happiness.

Who in the heaven made the tradition of a girl going to her spouses house and not otherwise?No one knows the answer. It is a tradition which is followed blindly from the ages and no one ever questioned it or thought otherwise. Why? Because these all things persist in the society from years and no one would ever reach to a limit where this all injustice can be removed from the root itself.

But we all can try our bit to improve the status of women in the aspects where a true change is really needed. Firstly, this should start from her family itself where she is born. She must be given full freedom and allowed to live her life the way she wants. She must be allowed to make her own choices sexual or otherwise. Her brothers must be taught to always respect the other gender from their childhood itself.

Secondly, the stereotype thinking that persists in the male kingdom of the country that women need protection must be removed and they must be told that it is them who need to change their own perspective of women, other things will take care of themselves.

Thirdly, she should be given full freedom to choose her partner and the concept of arrange marriages must be eradicated completely. It will serve two purposes, she is not bound to live with the person whom she was married without even getting to know him completely. Second, it will help remove the dowry system completely which even after such a strict law against it still prevails in the Indian society in one form or the other.

Fourthly, we try to follow the western culture, their dressing style, their accent, prefer their language over ours, in spite of it we must try to follow the things such as giving the women the equal status they deserve in the society by giving them their fair share of rights and the freedom they deserve as men do.

After all, women are the precious gift of God who were given the power to run this world. If there is no woman, to no surprise the human race will extinct. We all must love her and understand the ultimate power she has before it gets too late!!!!