Examine the causes behind the shifting status of women in modern India.
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Arjun SharmaBegginer
Examine the barriers that prevent women from entering the formal workforce and make recommendations for actions to improve the job prospects for women.
Raudas SinghBegginer
Gender inclusion in the workplace is biased against women in India because of a variety of societal and cultural biases. Talk about it. Additionally, recommend sociolegal actions to deal with this problem. (Answer in 250 words)
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Workplace gender inclusivity in India remains significantly skewed against women due to deeply ingrained cultural and gender biases. Traditional patriarchal norms, which often relegate women to domestic roles, continue to influence societal attitudes and corporate cultures. This bias manifests in vaRead more
Workplace gender inclusivity in India remains significantly skewed against women due to deeply ingrained cultural and gender biases. Traditional patriarchal norms, which often relegate women to domestic roles, continue to influence societal attitudes and corporate cultures. This bias manifests in various forms, including unequal pay, limited career advancement opportunities, and workplace harassment.
The perception that women are less committed to their careers due to family responsibilities often leads to discrimination in hiring and promotions. Additionally, the lack of adequate support systems, such as childcare facilities and flexible work arrangements, further hinders women’s professional growth. The prevalence of gender stereotypes also results in women being underrepresented in leadership positions and certain industries, particularly in STEM fields.
To address these issues, a combination of socio-legal measures is necessary:
1. Stringent implementation of existing laws like the Equal Remuneration Act and Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace Act.
2. Introducing quotas for women in leadership positions across public and private sectors.
3. Mandating gender sensitivity training in workplaces and educational institutions.
4. Offering tax incentives to companies that demonstrate gender-inclusive practices.
5. Promoting paternity leave to encourage shared domestic responsibilities.
6. Implementing mentorship programs to support women’s career advancement.
7. Enhancing access to quality childcare and elderly care services.
8. Conducting regular gender audits in organizations to identify and address biases.
9. Launching public awareness campaigns to challenge gender stereotypes.
10. Encouraging girls to pursue STEM education and careers through targeted programs.
By implementing these measures, India can work towards creating a more inclusive workplace environment, leveraging the full potential of its diverse workforce and fostering economic growth.
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Babita SinghBegginer
Describe the part that Indian women’s movements and organizations have played in addressing gender-related concerns.
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The roots of the Indian women's movement go back to the early 19th century when social reformers, beginning with Raja Rammohun Roy began to focus on issues concerning women. By the end of the century, a few women emerged from the reformed families who formed organizations of their own. Answer: E.g.Read more
The roots of the Indian women’s movement go back to the early 19th century when social reformers, beginning with Raja Rammohun Roy began to focus on issues concerning women. By the end of the century, a few women emerged from the reformed families who formed organizations of their own. Answer: E.g. formation of Ladies’ Theosophical Society in Calcutta in 1882 by Swarnakumari Devi for educating and imparting skills to widows and poor women to make them economically self-reliant. The early 20th century saw the growth of women’s organization at a national and local level such as the National Council for Women in India (1925), Women’s India Association, National Council of Indian Women and All India Women’s Conference. Significant campaign of them was against child marriage. In post-independence India, large number of women’s autonomous groups has sprung up challenging patriarchy and taking up a variety of issues such as violence against women, greater share for women in political decision making etc. both at the activist and academic level.
- New organisations such as Self-Employment Women’s Association (Gujarat), Working Women’s Forum (Tamil Nadu), Shramik Mahila Sangathan (Maharashtra) concerned themselves with the plight of women workers in the unorganised sector on issues like wages, working conditions, exploitation, health hazards etc.
- In the late seventies, several women’s organisations emerged which were not affiliated to political parties or to trade unions. They adopted ‘protest politics’ for mobilising women on specific issues. For example, Chipko movement was led by women tackling specific issues of ecology.
- Various issue-based movements include taking up issues related to women’s oppression like dowry, violence within the family, alcoholism among men and wife-beating. discrimination at the work place etc. to mobilise women for collective action.
- Anti-dowry Movements: In the 1980s several women’s and other progressive organisations formed groups such as Forum Against Oppression of Women (Mumbai), Saheli (Delhi), Stree Shakti Sangathana (Hyderabad), Vimochana (Bangalore). These groups campaigned through protest, demonstrations, discussions, street theatre, posters etc. against the ghastly murders of young brides for dowry.
- Anti-rape Movement: Women activists forced the government to review Rape Laws. Several women’s organisations and legal and social activists held discussions with the Law Commission to amend the law and in 1983 Criminal Law (Amendment) Act was passed.
- Anti-Alcohol movement: Since mid-seventies, tribal women in different parts of country – Andhra Pradesh, Manipur, Maharashtra have been fighting against alcohol/liquor sale inducing alcoholism among men resulting into devastation of families and domestic violence against women and children. In Andhra Pradesh, more than 40,000 women united and blocked the auction.
- Reform of Personal Laws pursued by several women’s groups (Saheli, Vimochana, and Forum against Oppression of Women) and human rights lawyers’ team (The Lawyers Collective, Mumbai and Indian Social Institute, Delhi) have prepared drafts containing technical detail of gender just and secular family laws.
- Various organizations led by women are pushing the envelope further to tackle gender based issues on a daily basis. These include:
- SAYFTY: Empowering women to not tolerate sexual violence and harassment, and helping them voice their experiences, opinions, and stance.
- AYZH: Providing women with healthcare and sanitary products to protect themselves against infectious diseases, allowing them to continue to be productive in their lives.
India has a rich and vibrant women’s movement and has substantial success on various issues concerning women’s plight, however, it has still a long way to go to achieve gender equality and gender justice.
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TeamSupreme
“Empowering women is the key to control population growth.” Talk about it. (250 words) [UPSC 2019]
Yuvaan IyerLearner
Indian women are frequently portrayed as symbols of this coexistence, with the country being perceived as a nation of opposites where tradition and modernity coexist. Examine the statement critically in light of India’s “new women.”
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India has often been defined by its contradictions rather than homogeneities. In the 21st century, one of the remarkable contradictions has been marked by the coexistence of tradition and modernity. Indian traditions have been shaped by its history and culture spanning over two millennia. ModernityRead more
India has often been defined by its contradictions rather than homogeneities. In the 21st century, one of the remarkable contradictions has been marked by the coexistence of tradition and modernity. Indian traditions have been shaped by its history and culture spanning over two millennia. Modernity on the other hand a handiwork of westernisation and globalization has infused new ways of living and being. This infusion has been most remarkable since the LPG reforms of the 1990s. Globalisation’s cultural face has introduced new dimensions to India.
Land Of Contrasts
- Indian society today is marked by the force of modernity sanctioned by the constitution, for example, the pursuit of equality of status and opportunity. This is seen in universal adult franchises for example. However, this coexists with the traditional pulls of caste-based discrimination where lower caste people are denied fair opportunities. For example, they continue to be disproportionately employed in prohibited jobs like manual scavenging.
- Contrasting trends of a near 100% enrollment rates at primary level education coexists with the existence of child marriage. The future of our children is defined by contrasting forces of education and the barriers of traditions.
- Similarly politics in India today is marked by the modern template of development-based politics. For example, 2020 Delhi assembly elections were pursued on the grounds of development in health, education, and infrastructure. On the other hand, the influence of caste and religion continues to have a disproportionate influence on electoral calculations across the country.
New Women Of India
The feminist movements and the modern idea of gender equality had resulted in the emergence of New Women in India. The ‘new woman’ in India has been defined by forces of modernity and change. This can be understood from the following processes:
- The new Indian woman is defined by her aspirations of being more than a person defined with relation to her partner or family. She seeks to be defined independently, as a full person. Individualism is the leitmotif of her modern avatar.
- Economic empowerment and independence is a defining force that has enabled her to break several glass ceilings. She has more economic opportunities and seeks an equal role in all economic spheres.
- In society, the new woman seeks a more equal voice rather than being a voiceless disempowered individual. This can be seen in new forms of emerging feminist movements in India: for example Pinjra Tod movement in Universities.
- The new Indian woman seeks greater political participation, manifested in the highest number of women parliamentarians in India through the 17th Lok Sabha elections.
New Women As Emblem Of Contrasts
However, the emergence of the new women is marked by both the new and the old, by both traditions and modernity. She stands at the crossroads of these two opposing forces and has to reconcile the two in her personal and public conduct This contradictory coexistence can be seen in the form of
MODERNITY STATUS QUO Educational opportunities have increased for young girls with a near-zero gender enrollment gap at primary level. The gender gap widens with progressive levels of education owing to greater barriers to schooling that girls face due to social norms and deeply ingrained gender stereotypes correlated with biological factors such as adolescence. The traditional neglect of women’s health has been overcome by a special focus on their nutrition and maternal health care through schemes like the National Food Security Act (NFSA). Pregnant women and lactating mothers are entitled to a nutritious “take-home ration” of 600 Calories and a maternity benefit of at least Rs 6,000. However, neglect of women’s nutritional needs is a norm rather than an exception. This is seen for example in the fact that 51% of women in the age group 15 to 49 are anaemic in India. Further, while the glass ceilings of the professional world are shattered keeping up with modernity, for example through decisions like granting permanent commission to women in the Army However, it is also true that women continue to be a disproportionate part of care based services like teaching, nursing etc. Thus women are still stereotyped as caregivers. Across Nifty-500 firms, only 15% of board members were women in 2019, data sourced from NSE Infobase shows. While among CEOs, less than 5% were women. In keeping up with modernity, employers seek gender-balanced recruitment today. Women are sitting on the board of directors of big MNCs. Though economic opportunities have increased, sexual harassment at the workplace remains a commonplace phenomenon, revealed poorly in the #Metoo movement. The Sexual Harassment at Workplace Act also suffers from inefficiencies like a lack of a system to ensure if Internal complaints committee are mandatorily formed within an organisation. Today, in their personal lives women have achieved greater autonomy in decision making, especially about marital and reproductive choices. However, the scar of honour killings for alleged loss of family honour continues to make headlines regularly. A famous case has been the Manoj Babli honour crime case. In the political sphere, the new women of India are constitutionally promised 33% reservation in PRIs and Urban Local Bodies. The current Lok Sabha has the highest number of women representatives. However, they continue to be politically disempowered by the phenomena of what Sudha Pai calls “Sarpanch Patis”. Aligning with patriarchal traditions this phenomenon ensures power is eventually exercised by their spouse rather than the elected women leader. Access to religious places, and fair justice in terms of personal laws is another aspect where women have achieved great success in recent times. The Sabarimala judgement has smashed the notions of impurity and triple talaq judgement has restored the honour and dignity of women in personal spheres. However, the continued social friction, huge societal backlash following this judgement and lack of strong legislative provision like Uniform civil code makes these gains a mere mirage. However, tradition and modernity are not universally and consistently contrarian values. They can and must coexist. The need is to subvert the underlying forms of physical and non-physical violence perpetrated against women by the two forces. The constitutional commitment of equality, justice and liberty complement legislations like Right to Education, Sexual Harassment at workplace act, Dowry Prohibition Act etc. to enable new women of India to truly own “half the sky”.
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Kamal SinghBegginer
A multi-stakeholder strategy is necessary to close the gender gap and enhance the prospects for women in STEM fields (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics). Talk about it. (Answer in 150 words)
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“We cannot all succeed when half of us are held back” – Malala Yousafzai. The above quote explains the importance of women participation in all the sectors of development in very simple words. However, there’s still not much of opportunities open for women. Even though statistically 43 percent of scRead more
“We cannot all succeed when half of us are held back” – Malala Yousafzai.
The above quote explains the importance of women participation in all the sectors of development in very simple words. However, there’s still not much of opportunities open for women. Even though statistically 43 percent of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) graduates in India are women, when it comes to STEM jobs in India women compromise of a mere 14 percent. This clearly signifies how big of a gender gap still exists despite promoting the notion of women empowerment for more than a decade now nationally as well as globally. It is very important for this proportion to be balanced as it would not only bridge the gender gap but also improve the future of women while building a better foundation for our future.
CAUSES : Some of the major causes that leads to low participation of women in STEM jobs includes factors such as :
- Household Responsibilities – such as taking care of the family and dealing with household chores.
- Backward Thought Process – Thoughts such as women belong to house and kitchen and should study home science and technology is not a women’s cup of tea.
- Lack of Safe Environment – One of the major reasons why women and their families object to them working is due to worries regarding her safety regarding workplace harassment and molestation.
- Lack of Support – On a large account women don’t receive support from their families and life partners in pursuing a career which makes it difficult for them to work.
WAY FORWARD : To build the bridge of gender gap and to improve women’s future in STEM, a multi-stake holder approach is required.
- This problem need to be addressed at societal level as well as institutional level.
- First and foremost measures to change the stereotypical thinking of gender roles should be changed.
- Women education in STEM should be promoted and confidence in women regarding it should be build through early education.
- Educational institutions should encourage girls not only to take science at secondary and higher secondary level but also to pursue their career in STEM.
- Institutional advances should be made. There is an immediate need to invest in supporting infrastructure, incentivising institutions to promote gender equity, transparency in decision making etc. to bridge the persisting gender imbalance in STEM majors.
- This would not only help women become stronger but also benefit STEM sectors as well.
Although the situation have improved and is improving, we still have a long road ahead to truly establish an equilibrium.
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The changing status of women in contemporary India is influenced by several interconnected factors: Education: Increased access to education has empowered women, leading to higher literacy rates and greater participation in professional fields. Educated women are more likely to challenge traditionalRead more
The changing status of women in contemporary India is influenced by several interconnected factors:
Overall, while progress is notable, achieving gender equality remains an ongoing effort requiring continued advocacy and systemic change.
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