Gangamma (name changed) is the great grandmother of little Tanushree who is all of 2 and half years old, attractive and very intelligent for her age. Gangamma, touching 60, if not more, has that old world rural charm that most women would die for – lean, a lined and tired face, a pleasant smile and thoughtful and helpful ways. She is a widow. In contrast, her daughter, also a widow, is plump, her husband having died after fathering two daughters. One of the daughters is back home in her rural home town near Gadag, while the other, the young (not yet 22) mother of Tanushree is resident with her. Tanushree’s father was more fond of alcohol than his family, and has abandoned her. Uniquely, they all live together in the city in one room, four generations, eking out a living jointly - nothing steady - doing domestic and construction jobs from time to time, and returning home to their home town where they have a little land periodically. They seem happy and self sufficient without a “male guardian”, though Tanushree will miss a father figure in the times to come.
The younger ones, primary educated, dote on young Tanushree and have embraced technology with a vengeance – they use a mixie, a fan, and have three mobiles between them on which they carry on conversations ad nauseam. They are, what we may call the lower middle class, with strong upward aspirations, self confident, having overcome at least partially, gender biases and are moving towards gender equality. They seem confident that in time they will get there.
There is a flip side to this gender equality success story.
All the TV channels carried a news story emanating from Maharashtra that shocked the country – A young girl still in her teens, raped and made pregnant by her father, was shown being lashed, by men at that. She received 10 lashes as mandated by the local panchayath. The panchayath also mandated 12 lashes to the father, which is unusual in a male dominated society, but that does not make it any better, for her or for our society.
The younger ones, primary educated, dote on young Tanushree and have embraced technology with a vengeance – they use a mixie, a fan, and have three mobiles between them on which they carry on conversations ad nauseam. They are, what we may call the lower middle class, with strong upward aspirations, self confident, having overcome at least partially, gender biases and are moving towards gender equality. They seem confident that in time they will get there.There is a flip side to this gender equality success story.
All the TV channels carried a news story emanating from Maharashtra that shocked the country – A young girl still in her teens, raped and made pregnant by her father, was shown being lashed, by men at that. She received 10 lashes as mandated by the local panchayath. The panchayath also mandated 12 lashes to the father, which is unusual in a male dominated society, but that does not make it any better, for her or for our society.
Unfortunately, from honor killings, to intercaste violence and rape, women are still at the receiving end of the violence stick, all over the world and more so in India. Crime figures may not reflect it, because reportage, as in the case of the alleged Harayana mass rapes is limited by stigmas and apathy on the part of the law and order agencies and broken wheels of justice.
Billboards celebrate women, on women’s day and otherwise, but with a motive to sell products and services, alas, not for themselves, not for their accomplishments, not for what they can do.
None of this should come as a surprise as India ranks 130 on the Gender inequality index of the UN, and 108th out of 130 countries on the World Economic Forum’s Global Gender Gap’s Report which among other things measures inequality among the sexes, on the basis of
•Economic participation and opportunity – outcomes on salaries, participation levels and access to high-skilled employment
•Educational attainment – outcomes on access to basic and higher level education
•Political empowerment – outcomes on representation in decision-making structures
•Health and survival – outcomes on life expectancy and sex ratio.
The men celebrate Women’s day – in air-conditioned halls, and in media columns like this one, but reality has a chilling effect on the celebrations. The Honorable Prime Minister in his motion of thanks to the president’s address, also suggested that only women speak in Parliament on women’s day – Possibly they will, but will the men listen or even be there to listen? After all, women form only 12% of the total population of the Parliament, a far cry from the 33% envisaged in the women’s reservation bill. But all is not bleak - they are now cutting their political teeth in urban and rural local bodies and gaining invaluable political experience.
Women have progressed in independent India based on the principle of equality before law that has been enshrined in the Constitution, a strong judiciary and governments that want to be seen as pro women, due to their vote numbers, not out of a genuine interest in their well being. Political and economic empowerment has to be earned bit by bit, unlike possibly health and education facilities.
This slow progress towards gender equality has seen women make spectacular progress in some areas of life, but the success stories that we hear of are few and far between. A few Indian and foreign Banks, Industrial conglomerates both in India and abroad are headed by women, but educational statistics indicate that their progress is related to their income levels and opportunities to progress are limited by family background. The gap widens as the income drops as they are valued for their income generating ability and grunt and repetitive work, rather than their intellect and managerial capability, which is a male preserve at the lower end of the income pole.
Only 27% of the female population is educated upto secondary level and just 29% are part of the labour force mainly doing menial jobs at often unequal pay.
The reasons for this slide into inequality are not hard to find. Men are scared of women usurping their positions in the family and society, but are unable to resist the rising demand for that very same equality, born out of progressive law systems and education. The information highway has increased aspirations and is driving political and economic discourse towards narrowing the gap and in time we will see more Gangammas around, making their presence felt in all walks of life.
Billboards celebrate women, on women’s day and otherwise, but with a motive to sell products and services, alas, not for themselves, not for their accomplishments, not for what they can do.
None of this should come as a surprise as India ranks 130 on the Gender inequality index of the UN, and 108th out of 130 countries on the World Economic Forum’s Global Gender Gap’s Report which among other things measures inequality among the sexes, on the basis of
•Economic participation and opportunity – outcomes on salaries, participation levels and access to high-skilled employment
•Educational attainment – outcomes on access to basic and higher level education
•Political empowerment – outcomes on representation in decision-making structures
•Health and survival – outcomes on life expectancy and sex ratio.
The men celebrate Women’s day – in air-conditioned halls, and in media columns like this one, but reality has a chilling effect on the celebrations. The Honorable Prime Minister in his motion of thanks to the president’s address, also suggested that only women speak in Parliament on women’s day – Possibly they will, but will the men listen or even be there to listen? After all, women form only 12% of the total population of the Parliament, a far cry from the 33% envisaged in the women’s reservation bill. But all is not bleak - they are now cutting their political teeth in urban and rural local bodies and gaining invaluable political experience.
Women have progressed in independent India based on the principle of equality before law that has been enshrined in the Constitution, a strong judiciary and governments that want to be seen as pro women, due to their vote numbers, not out of a genuine interest in their well being. Political and economic empowerment has to be earned bit by bit, unlike possibly health and education facilities.
This slow progress towards gender equality has seen women make spectacular progress in some areas of life, but the success stories that we hear of are few and far between. A few Indian and foreign Banks, Industrial conglomerates both in India and abroad are headed by women, but educational statistics indicate that their progress is related to their income levels and opportunities to progress are limited by family background. The gap widens as the income drops as they are valued for their income generating ability and grunt and repetitive work, rather than their intellect and managerial capability, which is a male preserve at the lower end of the income pole.
Only 27% of the female population is educated upto secondary level and just 29% are part of the labour force mainly doing menial jobs at often unequal pay.
The reasons for this slide into inequality are not hard to find. Men are scared of women usurping their positions in the family and society, but are unable to resist the rising demand for that very same equality, born out of progressive law systems and education. The information highway has increased aspirations and is driving political and economic discourse towards narrowing the gap and in time we will see more Gangammas around, making their presence felt in all walks of life.
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