Why is the status of daughters not changing in India?
By: Priyanka Saurabh
Indian families consider it very important to have at least one son. But daughters decide the condition and direction of the society and the country. Without which no picture is complete, neither home, nor family, nor society, nor country. Perhaps there will still be such people in society who would have killed daughters before birth for the sake of sons. But in the midst of all this, there is comforting news for the country that daughters are topping schools, colleges, universities, medical, and civil services everywhere. Still, why is there no improvement in the condition of daughters, which they fully deserve?
Patriarchy is a complex and mysterious institution of power and control in society. Patriarchy is the epitome of a male-dominated structure that has a long history and is present in every society in the world. Nine out of ten Indians agree with the belief that a wife should always obey her husband. Today Indians accept women as political leaders, but most favor traditional female roles in family life. Even today, most of the childcare burden is borne by women; She also quits her job to become a full-time mom. They believe that traditional child care “should be handled primarily by women”. Wages and employment “both men and women” should be responsible for earning money, but 80% of Indians agree with the idea that when there are few jobs, men should have more rights in the job than women. This is why the labor force participation of women in India is very low.
Indians value both sons and daughters, but 94% of Indian households consider it very important to have at least one son. But daughters decide the condition and direction of society and the country. Without which no picture is complete, neither home, nor family, nor society, nor country. Well, by now you must have seen such a society where the birth of a girl in the house is considered a curse. Perhaps there will still be such people in society who would have killed daughters before birth for the sake of sons. But in the midst of all this, there is comforting news for the country daughters are topping schools, colleges, universities, medical, and civil services everywhere. Still, why is there no improvement in the condition of daughters, which they fully deserve?
Two worrying things are also coming to the fore with this news. According to a survey, only 71.5% of women in the country are literate and only 41% of women can complete more than 10 years of schooling. That is, 59% of women are not able to study beyond the 10th standard. Right now India is the youngest country in the world. The youth power of the country plays a big role in the development. In such a situation, there is a need to emphasize BetiPadhao along with BetiBachao. The participation of men in rural areas in doing household chores without pay is only 27.7 percent and that of women is 82.1 percent. The participation of men in cities is 22.6 percent and that of women is 79.2 percent. Men spend the most time in employment and related activities and women spend the most time after that doing household chores without any pay. In cities or villages, women are still confined within the boundary wall everywhere.
Improve the status of daughters by appropriately sharing childcare responsibilities, or encourage women and girls to enter traditionally male-dominated fields such as the armed forces and information technology. The Supreme Court in India declared that women can now hold commanding positions in the military. Give paternity leave for men to share the responsibility of raising children. Encourage companies to employ women, bridge the pay gap for equal work, and make workplaces safer through stricter laws.
For women to benefit from social security and financial literacy, the formalization of jobs should be carried forward. Till then women in the unorganized sector should be given the benefit of social security. If self-help group-bank linkage programs in India include financial literacy in programs where women are significantly under-represented, it could be a good starting point. Strong laws and policies for equal pay for equal work and maternity benefits are needed to promote women’s representation in the economy. India has provided 33% reservation for women in panchayats and local bodies for political representation. Capacity building and training can further enhance their capabilities.
Gender equality is a human right that entitles all persons regardless of their gender to live with dignity and freedom. Gender equality is also a precondition for the development and reduction of poverty. Gender should not be an unreasonable determining factor in curbing women’s competence. Iceland The island nation has a culture of political empowerment, and 39.7% of MPs and 40% of ministers are women. India should learn from Finland to actively involve women’s participation in the labor force.
Along with the safety of daughters, the killing of the female fetus in the womb is a burning problem in society. The girls are struggling to save their pride, and efforts to stop the harassment are completely meaningless. The government and the social law will have to make special arrangements for the safety of girls so that the daughters can feel safe in the deteriorating conditions. It is not possible to imagine any change without education. In the same way, we can bring a change only by making our children cultured in creating meaningful thinking of the society towards the girl child. In such a situation, all parents should inculcate values in their children from childhood. That they should behave respectfully towards girls.
The writer is Research Scholar in Political Science, Poet, freelance journalist, and columnist and can be reached at [email protected]
