Women Empowerment

A famous saying goes like this ‘God cannot be everywhere, so he created mother’ and another reads ‘God dwells where women are worshipped'. It is quite interesting to see that we want either to worship a woman as a Goddess or hate her as a whore. Why doesn't the society let her live as a woman, just a simple living being made of blood and flesh? Why can't she be a normal human being and not a symbol of tolerance and sacrifice?

Our patriarchal form of society made the woman believe that she will carve a niche for herself in the heaven, if she remains chaste, tolerant, sacrificial, faithful and most important of all if she worships her husband and treats him like a God. She was given a subordinate position in the society and was confined within four walls, to help her remain chaste and pure, which was supposed to help her develop godly powers. Time and again she was narrated the stories of Sati Savitri and Sita. It is right "Women are not born, they are made".

In India, female exploitation is reflected in sati, wife beating, dowry deaths, eve teasing, child prostitution, female foeticide etc. Besides defective and ineffective legislation, it is the traditional attitudes towards women and their role and status in the family and the society, which is mainly responsible for the continual suffering of women.

Most of the crimes against women in India are directly traceable to their inferior subservient position supported by religions and social norms. For women empowerment, the first requirement is educating the women. If we educate a man, we educate an individual, but if we educate a woman, we educate a family. Besides this an educated mind can only think and evaluate. Just as the knowledge of English language helped some revolutionists in gaining information about the French revolution and then raising similar demands in India, the knowledge about right to equality and equal opportunity will help the women to come out of their cocoon and occupy equal status in the society.

Women also need to have adequate representation in the seats of power. Sadly the 50 percent population of women has only 20 percent representatives in the Parliament. The Women Reservation Bill is shamelessly resisted by many parliamentarians on one or other frivolous excuse. Adequate representation in the Parliament will be helpful for women as, then they would be able to frame and implement laws for the welfare of the women. Some people oppose this, citing the example of Panchayats where women sarpanch are puppets in the hands of their male counterparts. We need to understand that, this is the transition stage. Today they have the power. Tomorrow they will understand its value and day after tomorrow they will use it. We cannot expect changes overnight.

Secondly they need to be financially independent. In the absence of financial independence she only became a story of suppressed, exploited and impoverished class of the society. As society progressed, a division of labour took place. Women took the charge of rearing the children which was not an easy task at that time, but this led to their financial dependence on men. The earning members of the society became stronger, socially active and all powerful. Women lost their social status. Now the need to be financially independent is felt because if the women are financially independent, the chances of tolerating domestic violence decrease. They are then more confident and are aware of their rights and know how and where to go to seek redressal of their grievances.

Women must demand their rights and must not just wait for any mercy or miracle. They must not tolerate exploitation in any form. In the name of family and honour many women have sacrificed their lives. This has done nothing but worsened the condition of women. They must take care of themselves. They shouldn't let others take them for granted. Women should respect themselves.

Women are the creator of life on this earth. They command respect not as Goddesses but as women, the most beautiful creation of God.