Whence Freedom?
   Date :20-Sep-2020

by the way_1  H
 
By ANSHUMAN BHARGAVA :
 
What can be a more vital role than motherhood? Aren’t we supposed to protect that? If women are raped, humiliated, battered, thrashed, discriminated against, suppressed, subjugated, abused, and exploited in society, where are we heading to?
 
This is our folly that we consider women inferior, or lesser competent than men, and our attitude towards them is shaped thus wise. We forget that these women are the mothers who are the progenitors of humanity and without them and their rightful place in society, we just cannot be. Human life will perish. 
 
VICE PRESIDENT M Venkaiah Naidu has asserted that India cannot make progress unless women are given equal opportunities in all spheres, including the political arena. He also said that there was a need to show in action and in deeds that gender discrimination no longer existed in the Indian society. In a Facebook post, he once again urged all political parties to arrive at a consensus on the long-pending proposal for providing adequate reservation to women in Parliament and State legislatures at the earliest. “With women constituting about 50 per cent of India’s population, we cannot make progress unless they are given equal opportunities in all spheres, including the political arena,” he said.
 
The Vice President noted that India’s culture had always accorded respect to women and treated them as equals. “In Vedic times, there were learned women like Maitreyi, Gargi, Ghosha, and Vishwatara, who enjoyed equal status to that of men and used to participate in debates. Respecting women, recognising their talent and contribution has been an Indian way of life,” he said. “We have a long list of women achievers, who broke the glass ceiling and brought laurels to the nation. Unfortunately, over the centuries, there has been a gradual erosion of the core values of our culture and abhorrent practices like preference to son over a girl child have crept into the social fabric leading to inhuman criminal acts of female foeticide and female infanticide,” Naidu lamented.
 
There should be zero tolerance towards any kind of discrimination or violence against girls and women, he stressed. “Undoubtedly, the flagship scheme ‘'Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao’ has created a positive impact. But much more needs to be done to change the societal mindset. There should be a national movement on women’s empowerment and to ensure that no girl child is out of school,” he said. Despite progress, the condition of Indian women is one of the worst in the world. India ranks a dismal 121st among 131 countries when it comes to the percentage of female workforce participation. Despite being 50 per cent of the population, hardly 30 per cent of our workspace is shared by women, while the figure is 65 per cent in China. Increasing women’s labour force participation by 10 percentage points can add $700 bn to India’s GDP by 2025. Yet, we are unable to tap this possibility. India is still a male-dominated society where the narrative is feudal and chauvinist.
 
The female member has still to get the approval of male members of the house to step out of home and take up a job. Many patriarchal families still hold it strongly that empowering women would disturb the family sanctity and men-women relations. In the workplace too, the gender disparity is well pronounced in many sectors, notwithstanding the fact that they have the burden of childbearing, which is time-consuming, tiresome, and involving engagement. There are several logistics, emotional and civic problems women face much more than men. Women mostly have to manage both home and profession, doing the household chores and cooking on the one hand, while managing the office on the other, which may not be possible for long. This is our folly that we consider women inferior, or lesser competent than men, and our attitude towards them is shaped thus wise.
 
We forget that these women are the mothers who are the progenitors of humanity and without them and their rightful place in society, we just cannot be. Human life will perish. What can be a more vital role than motherhood? Aren’t we supposed to protect that? If women are raped, humiliated, battered, thrashed, discriminated against, suppressed, subjugated, abused, and exploited in society, where are we heading to? In Madhya Pradesh, at least 10 women are reported raped every day and five to six gang-raped every week. Anywhere between 4,000 and 5,000 women are raped in the State every year on an average, of which 2,000 to 2,500 happen to be minors. Madhya Pradesh accounts for about 15 per cent of all rape cases reported from across the country.
 
There was a 74 per cent rise in rape cases and 630 per cent surge kidnapping of women between 2006 and 2015. It is bestial, heinous, and the most condemnable of crimes which are anti-civilisation and regressive. Development is incomplete if our women don’t have an equal share in the growth story. Women are inhibited, discouraged, threatened, and encumbered at every step by compelling circumstances and societal or familial commitments forced upon them that makes every small achievement a Herculean task. Half of our women are anaemic and malnourished. Female foeticide is a shameful reality in the country. Maternal mortality is still among the highest in the world. Dowry deaths are widespread and so is domestic violence.
 
Women need much more liberation, space, and support from their families to grow and spread their wings. The family is the foremost element in a woman’s life which should encourage her forays and make things conducive for her so that she can realise her full potential and use her talents for the betterment of society. If women are safe and progressive in society, we can make unprecedented advancements in different spheres hitherto unexplored or unexploited. Women bring in a different set of values and approaches to the work culture and this can be a boon for our apathetic and lethargic way of professional conduct that lessens productivity. If we can change our social narrative towards such a goal, that will be the greatest tribute to motherhood and the best gift to our daughters and sisters. It may take time, but our education, awareness, and exposure must lead us towards such refinement in our culture and outlook that doesn’t look down upon women as inferior to men.
 
Anything that scuttles the chances of equality of opportunities has to be weeded out by our collective effort. No development model is complete if women are insecure and live in fear and mistrust. There must not be any leniency or tolerance for criminals involved in crimes against women. We need better education for women and stronger laws to safeguard their interests. We need to make a situation conducive in society that allows greater space for women in various spheres of life and a bigger platform for them to exercise their potentials. The better they are positioned the better it is for the progress of society and the country. The more they are pushed behind the curtain and more their say is decimated, the greater are the chances of our society falling into regressive bestiality.
 
The onus falls on every male member of the family and civil society to promote women’s cause and bolster their confidence so that they can shed their diffidence and take on the world. Our Government policies have to be more conducive for women. Women must be trained and skilled in different vocations to enhance their capability and widen their scope. Today women are limited to certain typical sectors, while the need is to open up all avenues for them to choose from and equip them to do justice to the profession they choose. Companies facilitating women or having more than a certain percentage of women on their rolls can be incentivised like in the form of certain tax rebates etc, which will encourage other firms to employ more women.
 
By the way, greater opportunities of education, today and more girls enrolling in schools and colleges come as good news but they lose much of their value if the skill and education these youth earn through their labour and expense are not used for society’s benefit and their personal economic wellbeing.