Women Empowerment In India – APSC Mains Essay
(Essay submitted in APSC Mains Essay Writing Contest 2019 – Essay Topics for week 8)
Women Empowerment In India by Bikramjit Deka
“I measure the progress of a community by the degree of progress which women have achieved” – B. R. Ambedkar
“Women empowerment” has become the new buzzword across the globe in the last few decades. On 11 December 2018 when India successfully tested its nuclear-capable ICBM missile Agni-V. But, behind all these was the story of grit, of determination – The story of Tessy Thomas, An Indian scientist and Project Director for both Agni-VI and Agni-V missiles. She is the first woman to lead missile teams in India, Tessy Thomas is known as the “Missile Woman of India”.
According to the World Bank – Empowerment is the process of increasing the capacity of individuals or groups to make choices and to transform those choices into desired actions and outcomes. Women Empowerment refers to the increasing the spiritual, political, social or economic strength of women.
In ancient times, the status of women started declining from the Vedic era, social evils like Sati, female infanticide, dowry, and child marriage have been haunting Indian society. The Indian renaissance began with the help of leaders like Raja Ram Mohan Roy, Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar, who stood for Abolition of Sati, increasing age for marriage, Widow Remarriage, etc since then, the status of women in India has undergone a sea-change. Women have started becoming aware and they have demanded equal space in the social institutions and an acknowledgment for their identity.
India as a nation has observed significant changes in its socio-political and economic conditions. Such as, rise in literacy rate of women, work opportunities for women, equality in the wages, In recent years, India has seen woman holding the significant chairs of the governance like Lok Sabha speaker, eminent ministries and also some top-notch places in corporate world like Arundhati Bhattacharya, Indra Nooyi, Kiran Mazumdar Shaw, etc. Women performances in sports have undergone through a drastic change, providing excel performances worldwide, players like Mary Kom, PV Sindhu, Apurvi Chandela, and Hima Das, etc have made their presence strongly felt in their respective fields.
In India, union governments have taken significant steps. The constitution provided right to vote, employment opportunities, provisions like maternity relief in workplaces, Government policies like “New national policy for Women” and schemes like Beti Bachao- Beti Padhao, “Janani Suraksha” which emphasizes on the dignity of woman.
It is the irony of Indian society where, the success of all-women crew which circumnavigated the globe on sailboat INSV Tarini. The same month carried reports of a girl-rape case in Kathua highlighting the paradoxical situation of women empowerment in India. India belongs to a land where women are revered as a goddess. They are given a sacred status whereas on the other hand, they are debarred entry to Sabarimala temple. India still records with high maternal mortality rate, Increase in Crime against women which is a matter of great concern. Though India has overcome itself from series of gender disparities, still there is a clump of the population living under the fear of rape, trafficking, domestic violence, acid attack, sexual harassment, and female infanticide as the harsh reality even after the attempts to prohibit through the law.
In Conclusion, while we may walk a few miles towards women empowerment, the road is a long one. The need of the hour is to enable women to realize their potential. While the government must take measures like for health, education, employment, awareness for women, etc. It is incumbent on society to create awareness and create public values which will promote women empowerment.
[ 585 Words ]
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