Question

Mention different aspect of life in which women face discrimination or are disadvantaged in india

Answer 1

Gender based discrimination against female children is pervasive across the world. It is seen in all the strata of society and manifests in various forms. As per the literature, female child has been treated inferior to male child and this is deeply engraved in the mind of the female child. Some argue that due to this inferior treatment the females fail to understand their rights. This is more predominant in India as well as other lesser developed countries. Sex selection of the child before birth and neglect of the female child after birth, in childhood and, during the teenage years has outnumbered males to females in India and also in countries like Pakistan, Bangladesh and South Korea.There are 1029 women per 1000 men in North America[3] and 1076 women per 1000 men in Europe,[4] but there are only 927 women per 1000 men in India. These numbers tell us quite a harsh story about neglect and mistreatment of the female child in India. Women have a biological advantage over men for longevity and survival, yet there are more men than women.The figures above support that gender discrimination of female child is a basic facility area. Though the demographic characteristics do not show much or in some cases, anti-female bias, there is always a woman who receives a small piece of the pie.

There are two main inequalities as pointed out by Amartya Sen: educational inequality and health inequality. These are the indicators of a woman's status of welfare. In India irrespective of the caste, creed, religion and social status, the overall status of a woman is lower than men and therefore a male child is preferred over a female child. A male child is considered a blessing and his birth is celebrated as opposed to a female child where her birth is not celebrated and is considered more of a burden.Therefore, education and health care of the female child in India is an important social indicator to measure equality between men and women. According to the 2001 Indian census, overall male-female ratio was 927 females per 1000 males. However, the 2011 Indian census shows that there are 914 females per 1000 males. During the last decade the number of female children to male children in the youngest age group fell from 945 per 1000 males to 927 females per 1000 males.

Answer 2

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In India, women are discriminated and disadvantaged in the following ways:

• Less education: Girls are provided with less education as compared to boys. Literacy rate in India is 74.04% out of which 82.14% are males and 65.46% are females. The percentage of females opting for higher studies is very low. They are not provided with an adequate education.

• Paid less for same work: Most of the labour done by them is unpaid where they are paid for their work, they receive lesser wages than men. In fact, the majority of women do some sort of paid work in addition to domestic labour. But their work is not valued and does not get recognition.

• Wish to have a male child: Due to the preference for the boy child, female feticide is practised in many parts of the country. Such sex-selective abortion led to a decline in child sex ratio in the country to merely 919.

• Exploitation of women: Women in India are exploited on various backgrounds. Urban areas have become particularly unsafe for women. The percentage of crimes against women such as harassment, dowry deaths, rapes, physical or mental abuse, conjugal violence, etc., has risen.