Question

Debate points on the topic "Is women of 21st century really empowered?"

Answer 1

The Government of India had ushered in the new millennium by declaring the year 2001 as 'Women's Empowerment Year' to focus on a vision 'where women are equal partners like men'. The most familiar account of 'women's empowerment' is the capability to apply full control over one's actions. The last decades have witnessed some major changes in the status and role of women in our society and nation. There has been a shift in policy approaches from the concept of 'welfare' in the seventies to 'development' in the eighties and now it is to 'empowerment' in the nineties. This process has been further accelerated with some sections of women becoming increasingly self-conscious of their discrimination in several areas of family and public life. They are also in a position to mobilise themselves on issues that can affect their overall position. “The special attention is given to the needs and problems of women as one of the “weaker sections” of Indian society, and recognition of political equality was undoubtedly a radical departure from the norms prevailing in traditional India.”_1

Live examples to support such changes are:

• Indra Nooyi: CFO & President of PepsiCo
• Naina Lal Kidwai: Country Head, HSBC India
• Kiran Mazumdar Shaw: Owner, Biocon India
• Indu Jain: Chairman, Times Group
• Priya Paul: Chairperson, Apeejay Park Hotels
• Simone Tata: Chairperson, Lakme
• Neelam Dhawan: Managing Director, Microsoft India
• Meera Sanyal: Banking and Finance.
• Ekta Kapoor: Film and Television.
• Permeshwari Godrej: Industry, Fashion and Publication.
• Meenakshi Lekhi: Legal.
• Shyama Chona: Education.
• Shobha Dey: Novelist, Journalist, Columnist.
• Indu Jain: Print Media.
• Sushma Swaraj.
So the list goes on….

The latest disturbing news items regarding violence committed against women reveal that women's position has worsened. Tulsidas' verse from Ramayana 'Dhor, janwar, shudra, pashu, nari ye sub taden ke adhikari' although it was written in different context, highlights the discrimination and deep-rooted gender bias which still exists in all sectors of society on the basis of gender, caste, religious affiliation and class. Political leaders, intellectuals, and academicians etc., have aggravated the situation. All the males from all sections of society want the reservation and other so-called positive preferences but when reservation and preferential treatments are extended to women, they all join together in denying these benefits to women.

The Constitution of India grants equality to women in all fields of life. But it is still only on paper. Yet a large number of women are either ill-equipped or not in a position to push themselves out of their traditionally unsatisfactory and unequal socio-economic conditions. They are still poor, uneducated and insufficiently trained. They are most often wrapped up in the struggle to maintain the family physically and emotionally and as a canon are discouraged from taking interest in affairs outside home and family matters. Oppression and atrocities on women are still rampant. Patriarchy continues to be rooted in the social system in all parts of India, denying a majority of women the choice to decide on how they live. The dominant magnitude of community in a patriarchal sense ensures that women rarely have an independent say even in community issues.

Female infanticide continues to be very common. Statistics show that there is still a very high preference for a male child in states like UP, MP, Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, J&K., etc. The male to female ratio is very high in these states. Domestic violence is also widespread and is also associated with the dowry. Leaving a meagre number of urban and suburban women, Indian women are still crying for social justice. When it comes to empowering women through reservation and quotas, all the male groups unite in denying this to women. Even groups like SC, ST, OBC, Muslim etc., who have been enjoying quotas since decades, and even on zero merits in certain cases, oppose vociferously when reservation and quotas are planned to give women.

What national policies must now propose is, therefore, comprehensive and inclusive rather than exclusive. That would still require considerable affirmative and specific attention to the special needs of girls and women, without contradicting the fundamental point of equality in development and thus in motivation for development. Nor does it ignore the special challenges posed by culture, religion, and the allocation of duties and activities to one of the other sex. _2

Answer 2

yes, The status of women in society is upllifted too much, but still in many nation women is facing discrimination and having no equal importance as compared to men