Status Of Women

Women have been considered the image of holiness in our scriptures. Still, they did not get the rights and justice in primitive Indian civilisation. In one way or another, the social traits try to suppress women and deny women their economic opportunities, health services, education, and political participation. The progress of financial stability, human rights, and global health get hindered by gender equality, leading to hunger and poverty in the economy. The study enacted by the United Nations said that more than two-thirds of the world’s illiterate population are women. Also, they possess 1% of the world’s resources and get a small part of their income.

Inequality, Traditions, and Society

Earlier, society was dominated by men, and women were considered second-class citizens. In family discussions, men took all the decisions, and women were treated as completely deceitful. All the jobs and achievements were for men, while women were asked to care for their families. The misogynist and downcast society with a remorseless caste system led to the massive suffering of women in various areas of the world. They were abused inside and outside their homes. It has been stated that women have equal rights with men and will be treated as the country’s legal citizens. Despite this, a large no. of women population suffer from malnutrition and poor health. It creates a massive problem, especially for pregnant and nursing women. They have to treat house chores as the top priority. If women want to think of themselves first (financially, academically), society makes them feel incriminated about it. The women living in villages do not go to doctors if they are suffering from any health problem or are pregnant because they think it is a temporary problem that will get better soon. This carelessness is the major cause of the high maternal and infant mortality rates.

Education and Economic Development

The literacy rate of females in India is less than the male literacy rate. There are very few girls enrolled in schools compared to boys. In urban areas, the ratio of girls is nearly equal to the boy’s ratio. Still, the girls continue to be less educated in rural areas, and their dropout ratio is also high. According to the survey data, the literacy rate of Kerala and Mizoram is high. In Kerala, the major factor behind women’s social and economic status is literacy. According to a report, the major hurdles to female education in India are a shortage of female teachers, women’s character treated as completely deceitful, and inadequate school facilities.

A large percentage of the women population in India are engaged in traditional and non-traditional work. There are more women than men in the workforce. In Indian families, women do not own properties in their name and don’t get any share of their parent’s property.

Women In Politics

In many countries, women have been suppressed in the government and various institutions. Many challenges are faced by women that affect their capability to become political leaders. There has been a massive shift in the rate of women’s representation in parliament from 11.8% to 17.8%. The number of women in parliament has also increased from 11 to 23.6%. Participation of women in politics helps proceed to gender equality. It is strongly believed that there is an increase in policymaking that emphasises quality of life because of more women in the office. The positive effect of women in politics is remarkable.  The engagement of women in political matters is crucial. The women, younger or older, married or unmarried, educated or uneducated, have very different life experiences.

Towards The Future

If problems like social inequality, female foeticide, treating them as second-class citizens, and the dowry system get eradicated from this society, women’s future will brighten. Various laws, rules, and policies that authorise women need to be developed to progress better. By understanding the importance of strong women, the educational institutes have taken various strict actions to ensure proper support. Recently, the intake of female students in IITs has increased. Whichever field women will pursue, their future will be full of success. They have various golden opportunities starting from the school level itself. Nowadays, women are being encouraged to do better in their fields by their family members.

Conclusions

The equality in status and position with men that women experienced earlier was fleeting, and then she began to be treated as a second-class citizen. The esthetic development of society has led to the development in the status of women. So many women are becoming financially independent, which greatly impacts the country’s economy and inspires the suppressed women. Women are now becoming stronger physically, mentally, emotionally, and economically. There is a need to understand that women are the key to the survival of the human species. She has to be considered the backbone of civilization. Improvement in the status of women will automatically lead to improvement for others.