"Even after so many folds of civilizational development, have women got their due"

Men and women are the two main pillars of human life. Both share equal responsibilities in the making of society. In early times, the status of women in India was inferior to that of men in practical life. Women, in early ages, have been educated but suffered from the evils of society. Since women  had a strong will to improve their status in society, they have managed to make a niche for themselves,gradually and partially. They have had a higher status in scriptures. They have been considered as the  perfect homemakers in the world. Nowadays, the role of women has changed tremendously and they have been able to create a positive impression in Indian society. From housewives to CEOs, they have established themselves socially, politically and economically in almost every field. Women have succeeded in improving their status and are improving it day by day.

Everything is not that hunky-dory. There are still innumerable challenges that women face in India that concern physical and mental health. Problems like lack of education, improper health facilities, gender discrimination, pay-gaps, rights inequality, rape, sexual harrassment, dowry related problems, domestic violence, etc still cause a toll on womens' life and soul.

Here we're talking about nearly half of India's population or for the least a huge chunk of 669 million people who are   growing at an average annual rate of 1.85% in India. 

Indian Women face many a Problems and issues. Here we will be dealing with the 3 most prominent among them all namely, Education, Gender-based discrimination & Gender-based Crimes.

1) Education:- Melinda Gates said," When you educate a girl, the good deed never dies. It goes on for generations advancing every public good, from health to economic gain to gender equity and national prosperity".

    For decades, many NGOs and Civil society have discussed the urgency to educate girls but there are some reasons that act as barriers for the cause. Girls are encouraged to engage more and more in household work and to drop out of school at an early age. They are forced to marry early and are not allowed to go to school once married.  In rural areas children have to walk long distances to reach school and due to fear of harassment and violence against girls, most parents do not send their girls to school. Even the lack of toilets is also the reason.  Schools don't provide sanitary napkins owing to extreme taboo that often make the girls of menstruating age to drop out of school.

2) Gender discrimination:- It is the unequal treatment inflicted on a person because they belong to a specific gender. It is usually the women who face such unequal treatment owing to their gender, the congenital. It affects careers as well as mental health of women. Although equal rights have been given to all irrespective of caste, gender, class, creed etc, It has not been well implemented when it comes to women.  There is still a wage inequality between men and women in India. Owing to this very  discrimination Indian women earn just 64% of what their male counterparts earn falling under the same occupation and level of qualification.

Women are even not allowed to have combat roles in the armed forces.

Although women have a biological advantage over men for longevity and survival yet there have been more men than women in India. This higher sex ratio is considered as an indicator of sex-selective abortion. Despite all the social development and technological advancements, women in our society still continue to be the victims of exploitation and superstitions. The social stigma that women are homemakers and they should be confined  to the four walls of the house is perhaps the most viable cause of gender inequality.

3) Crime against women:- India is considered the most dangerous country for sexual violence against women. It also includes domestic violence, acid attack, kidnapping and rape. More than 370,000 cases of crimes against women have been reported in 2020. According to researchers One-third of women aged between 15-49 have experienced physical violence. Moreover, about 1 out of 10 Indian women experience sexual violence in India. Although, rapes and other sexual crimes are being  more frequently reported, many go unreported or have complaint files withdrawn due to the so called  perception of family honour being compromised.

Some analytical data to make the picture much more clear:

1. According to the NCRB report 2019 , Acid attack cases in India have increased as  compared to that of 2018. According to the 2019 survey, 240 acid attack cases have been registered while it was 288 in 2018 and 244 in 2017.  

2. Despite having 33% reservations ,owing to 73rd & 74th constitution amendment 1993, in local panchayats and municipal corporations India ranks 150 in women leadership in parliament, according to a report of inter parliamentary union.

3. In 1952, 22 women were selected as  MP while in the 2014 election only 62 women got selected as MP. It means only 36% growth in the last 62 years and it's not appreciable in any measure whatsoever.  
4. It is estimated that 15.6 million abortions take place in India every year. A significant proportion of these are expected to be unsafe. Unsafe abortion is the third largest cause of maternal mortality leading to death of 10 women each day and thousands more facing morbidities.
5. The overall literacy rate works out to be 64.8 %, the male literacy rate is 75.3% and that for females is 53.7%,showing a gap of 21.6 percentage points between the sexes at the national level.
6. According to statista, the share of women judgesin high court of New Delhi is 9%.

" Women are the builder and moulder of a nation's destiny. Though delicate and soft as a lily, She has a heart, far stronger and bolder than of man"

- Rabindranath Tagore.

Despite so many hurdles women have always been at the forefront of all fights courageously embracing them all with their bit and chunk of sacrifice as well as accomodations either in personal, professional, social or even political life. This very tendency of sacrifice when it comes to greater good has been at the core of reasons making the discriminated quotient of women getting higher day by day. To avoid all such problems and many listed above the following steps can prove to be  a milestone

1. Women are already extremely subjugated when it comes to taking stands but if their parents are with them in their decisions supporting them and making the best use of possible resources, the impact would be generational and eternal both.
2. Government should provide educational facilities and relaxation in the fee. Parents should stand for their daughters, they should break the bars of the conservative ideology.  They should support and understand their daughters in hard times.
3. Women will have to become stronger enough to face professional challenges and move to remote places for work. They should develop the strength to get out of their comfort zone and work for their betterment.
4. Strict laws and orders regarding gender-based violence can be the first step in preventing such crimes that  state governments and the central government should take so that the crime in the house as well as outside the home can be prevented.
5. Women should develop courage to confront society, from the very first day. Women should also equip themselves with the basics of self defence to save themselves, if in case they find themselves in such situations.

Conclusion:

Women should always raise their voice against crime. They should become self dependent and develop their own business. Only then  they will be able to  build a safe and secure future for themselves and their upcoming generations.

To conclude is the best with the following lines of Breaking out by Marge Piercy  :

When I was eleven, after a beating

I took and smashed the ruler to kindling.

Fingering the splinters I could not believe.  

How could this road prove weaker than me?

It was not that I was never again beaten

But in destroying that stick that had measured my pain

the next day I was an adolescent, not a child

This is not a tale of innocence lost but power

gained: I would not be Sisyphus*,

There were things that I should learn to break.

*Sisyphus: A legendary Greek king of Corinth. For various offences he was condemned in the  underworld eternally to roll a boulder to the top of a hill from where it always rolled down again.

Questions:

1. Whom should a girl trust since the evils are all there even in the home?
2. Does our society support women wholeheartedly in their personal or professional endeavours?
3. Even after so many folds of civilizational development, have women got their due?
4. Haven't times been hard enough on women or rather say haven't the times ruled by men as well as women have been hard for the women only, for whatever reasons?
5. Does Indian society kill the dreams and aspirations, personal or professional, of women just anyway?
6. Haven't the societal rules been framed to suit the male gaze or rather say the male perspective of almost every conception, ranging from beauty to personality?
7. Aren't the male fellows treating their counterparts on this very land with pre-determined approaches as well as conceptions?