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WELCOME to Indian Girls Club: EMPOWERING WOMEN OF INDIA.
The empowerment of women is one of the central issues in the process of development of States, all over INDIA.
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Concept of Empowerment of Women:
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Empowerment is a multi-faceted, multi-dimensional and multi-layered concept.
Women’s empowerment is a process in which women gain greater share of control over resources – material, human and intellectual like knowledge, information, ideas and financial resources like money – and access to money and control over decision-making in the home, community, society and nation, and to gain `power’. “Empowerment means moving from a position of enforced powerlessness to one of power”.
60 % of the world’s poorest and most vulnerable people are women who are dependent on their natural environment to earn a living and feed their families. These women and girls also shoulder the burden of tilling land, grinding grain, carrying water and cooking over smoky stone fires. Women thus have important knowledge and experience of their environments that should be harnessed as a vital source of information to shape inclusive national environmental policies.
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IMPORTANT QUOTATIONS
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Kemal DerviÅŸ, United Nations Development Program Administrator, has declared: “The empowerment of women and achieving gender equality permeates everything we do – our policies, programmes and investments.â€Â
“…gender equality is critical to the development and peace of every nation.” — Kofi Annan
“…there is no tool for development more effective than the empowerment of women.” — Kofi Annan
“When women thrive, all of society benefits, and succeeding generations are given a better start in life.” — Kofi Annan
“Women’s empowerment is intertwined with respect for human rights.” — Mahnaz Afkhami
“The wife is not the husband’s slave but his companion and his help-mate and an equal partner in all his joys and sorrows – as free as the husband to choose her own path.” —M. K. Gandhi
“We are faced with a long and rocky road ahead but it is nothing compared to the women that go to sleep tonight with no food to eat and without the comfort of a warm bed.” —Mel Singleton, National Chairperson (EW of South Africa Chapter & Group)
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EDUCATION OF WOMEN
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Education to women is the most powerful instrument of changing their position in the society. Education also brings about reduction in inequalities and also acts as a means to improve their status within the family. In order to encourage education of women at all levels and to dilute gender bias in the provision and acquaintance of education, schools, colleges and even universities are being established exclusively for women. To bring more girl children, especially from marginalized Below the Poverty Line families, into the main stream of education, Governments are providing a package of concessions in the form of free supply of books, uniform, boarding and lodging, clothing for hostels, mid-day meals, scholarships, free bicycles and so on.
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PRATIBHA PATIL WAS ELECTED AS THE FIRST WOMAN PRESIDENT OF INDIA.
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MEIRA KUMAR WAS ELECTED AS THE FIRST WOMAN & DALIT (belonging to a BACKWARD CLASS) MEMBER PARLIAMENT AS THE SPEAKER OF THE LOK SABHA (HOUSE OF COMMONS)
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15th Lok Sabha has 543 elected members, out of which 61 are women.
This time, there were 340,649,406 women electors in comparison to 372,324113 men electors. However, in the States like Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram and Puducherry, the number of eligible women voters was more than the men electors.
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WOMEN EMPOWERMENT IN INDIA
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According to Siddhartha Dash, the plight of women in India was very sad as per the findings of Census of India, 2001, but the Government of India was taking sufficient measures to ameliorate their condition and give them Constitutional and legal empowerment. According to him:
Throughout history and in many societies including India, gender inequality was part and parcel of an accepted male-dominated culture. Atrocities and discrimination are the two major problems, which the Indian women face in the present day society. The traditional mentalities of India assume that the place of women is mainly concentrated to the household activities like kitchen work and upbringing of the children. They have been considered as the sex object and inferior to the men in different spheres of knowledge. The ‘Sati Pratha’, Pardah
System’, ‘Child Marriage’, ‘Dowry System’, etc. have been some form of atrocities and discriminatory attitudes against the women. Even after fiftyseven years of Indian independence, women are still one of the most powerless and marginalized sections of Indian society. The 2001 Census shows that the sex ratio for India is 933, which is lowest in the world. Percentage of female literacy is 54.16 (2001 Census) against male literacy of 75.85 per cent. In India, Women’s Representation in Parliament and in the State Assemblies has never beyond 8 and 10 per cent respectively. Most of the working women remain outside the organised sector. A mere 2.3 per cent women are administrators and managers, 20.5 per cent professional and the technical workers all of whom collectively earn 25 per cent of the shared income. Violence against women is on the rise. The democratic process in India created the awareness among the women about their plightful condition. The principle of gender equality is enshrined in the Indian Constitution in its Preamble, Fundamental Rights, Fundamental Duties and Directive Principles. The Constitution not only grants equality to women, but also empowers the state to adopt measures of positive discrimination in favour of women. The 73rd and 74th Amendments (1993) to the Constitution of India provided for reservation of seats (at least one-third) in the local bodies of Panchayats and Municipalities for women. Another Constitutional Amendment (84th Constitutional Amendment Act 1998) reserving 33 per cent seats in Parliament and State Legislatures is in the pipeline. The Indian Government has passed various legislations to safeguard Constitutional rights to women.
Apart from these, various welfare measures have been taken up by the Government from time to time to empower to the women.
The emancipation of women is not a simple matter. It requires the attitudinal change of the husband, other family members and society as a whole to the women. The community consciousness and bureaucratic efforts are integral parts of the implementation of the programmes. The first and foremost priority should be given to the education of women, which is the grassroot problem. The struggle for gender justice will be slow, strenuous and protracted, as the change cannot be brought about easily. It has to be fought at emotional, cognitive and action levels. The struggle has to be carried on within caste, class, race, religion, everywhere in which man/woman relationships figure and matter.
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STATUS OF INDIAN WOMEN AFTER CENSUS, 2001
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Global Learning Community, Ohio University prepared a Project Report on the Status of Women and thereafter published a report on the Current Status of Women, which is very pathetic. Extract is reproduced below:
According India’s constitution, women are legal citizens of the country and have equal rights with men (Indian Parliament). Because of lack of acceptance from the male dominant society, Indian women suffer immensely. Women are responsible for baring children, yet they are malnourished and in poor health. Women are also overworked in the field and complete the all of the domestic work. Most Indian women are uneducated. Although the country’s constitution says women have equal status to men, women are powerless and are mistreated inside and outside the home.
India is a society where the male is greatly revered. Therefore women, especially the young girls, get very little respect and standing in this country. The women of the household are required to prepare the meal for the men, who eat most of the food. Only after the males are finished eating, can the females eat. Typically the leftover food is meager, considering the families are poor and have little to begin with. This creates a major problem with malnutrition, especially for pregnant or nursing women. Very few women seek medical care while pregnant because it is thought of as a temporary condition. This is one main reason why India’s maternal and infant mortality rates are so high. Starting from birth, girls do not receive as much care and commitment from their parents and society as a boy would. For example a new baby girl would only be breast fed for a short period of time, barely supplying her with the nutrients she needs. This is so that the mother can get pregnant as soon as possible in hopes of a son the next time (Coonrod).
Even though the constitution guarantees free primary schooling to everyone up to 14 years of age (Indian Parliament), very few females attend school. Only about 39 percent of all women in India actually attend primary schools. There are several reasons why families choose not to educate their daughters. One reason is that parents get nothing in return for educating their daughters. Another reason is that all the females in a household have the responsibility of the housework. So even though education does not financially burden the family, it costs them the time she spends at school when she could be doing chores. In addition, even if a woman is educated, especially in the poorer regions, there is no hope for a job. Most jobs women perform are agricultural or domestic which do not require a formal education. Another reason girls are not educated is because families are required to supply a chaste daughter to the family of her future husband. With over two-thirds of teachers in India being men and students predominately male, putting daughters in school, where males surround them all day could pose a possible threat to their virginity (Coonrod).
Because women are not educated and cannot hold a prestigious job, they take on the most physically difficult and undesirable jobs. A typical day for a woman in an agricultural position lasts from 4am to 8pm with only an hour break in the middle. Compared to a man’s day, which is from 5am to 10am and then from 3pm to 5pm. Most women are overworked with no maternity leave or special breaks for those who are pregnant. Plus women do the majority of the manual labor that uses a lot of energy compared to the men who do mostly machine operating (Coonrod). Even though women work twice as many hours as men, the men say that “women eat food and do nothing.†This is mainly because the work the women perform does not require a lot of skill and are smaller tasks.
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LIST OF INDIAN LAWS RELATING TO WOMEN
THEIR LEGAL RIGHTS, PROTECTON AND SECURITY
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* The Dowry Prohibition Act,1961(28 of 1961)
* The Commission of Sati(Prevention) Act,1987(3 of 1988)
* The Immoral Traffic(Prevention) Act,1956
* The Indecent Representation of Women(Prohibition) Act,1956
* Code of Criminal Procedure,1973
* Indian Penal Code,1860
* The Hindu Marriage Act,1955(28 of 1989)
* Compulsory Registration of Marriages(New Legislation)
* Eve Teasing (New Legislation)
* The Child Marriage Restraint Act,1929
* The Medical Termination of Pregnancy Test,1971(34 of 1971)
* The Guardians and Wards Act,1869
* The Indian Succession Act,1925(39 of 1925)
* The Minimum Wages Act
* The Factories Act,1948
* The Guardians and Wards Act,1860(8 of 1890)
* The Hindu Adoptions and Maintenance Act ,1956
* The Pre-Natal Diagnostic Technique(Regulation and prevention of Misuse) Act,1994
* The Hindu Succession Act,1956
* The Christian Marriage Act,1872(15 of 1872)
* National Commission for Women Act,1990(20 of 1990)
* The Bonded Labour System(Abolition) Act,1976
* The Equal Remuneration Act,1976
* The Special Marriage Act,1954
* The Inter-State Migrant Workmen(Regulation of Employment and Conditions of service) Act,1979
* The Muslim Personal Law(Shariat) Application Act,1937
* The Hindu Minority and Guardianship Act,1956
* The Employees’ State Insurance Act,1948
* The Indian Evidence Act,1872(yet to be reviewed)
* The Family Courts Act,1984
* The Child Marriage Restraint Act,1929(19 of 1929)
* The Foreign Marriage Act,1969(33 of 1969)
* The Contract Labour (Regulation and Abolition) Act,1979
* The Indian Divorce Act,1969(4 of 1969)
* The Juvenile Justice(Care and Protection of Children) Act,2000
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NATIONAL POLICY FOR THE EMPOWERMENT OF WOMEN
(2001)
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Get Full Text from: http://wcd.nic.in/empwomen.htm
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Introduction
The principle of gender equality is enshrined in the Indian Constitution in its Preamble, Fundamental Rights, Fundamental Duties and Directive Principles. The Constitution not only grants equality to women, but also empowers the State to adopt measures of positive discrimination in favour of women.
Within the framework of a democratic polity, our laws, development policies, Plans and programmes have aimed at women’s advancement in different spheres. From the Fifth Five Year Plan (1974-78) onwards has been a marked shift in the approach to women’s issues from welfare to development. In recent years, the empowerment of women has been recognized as the central issue in determining the status of women. The National Commission for Women was set up by an Act of Parliament in 1990 to safeguard the rights and legal entitlements of women. The 73rd and 74th Amendments (1993) to the Constitution of India have provided for reservation of seats in the local bodies of Panchayats and Municipalities for women, laying a strong foundation for their participation in decision making at the local levels.
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INDIAN WOMEN LIKELY TO GET HIGHEST QUOTA
IN LEGISLATURE, EXECUTIVE AND EDUCATION
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INDIAN women are set to occupy  constitutionally and through affirmative action  the largest- ever political power compared to any country in the world.
In a political masterstroke, the UPA government has decided to reserve 50 per cent of seats in panchayat and municipal bodies  across India, across the board  for women.
Read with the government’s commitment to set aside 33 per cent seats in the Lok Sabha and state assemblies for women, the radical proposal for panchayats, to be inked into law through a constitutional amendment, will ensure the highest- ever political participation by women in any country, at any time.
President Pratibha Patil’s reasoning was: “ Women suffer multiple deprivations of class, caste and gender… enhancing reservation in panchayats and urban local bodies will lead to more women entering the public sphere.†The President promised that the new dispensation would make “ concerted efforts to increase the representation of women in central government jobsâ€Â. Women have no quota in such jobs, but if this is what Patil meant, it would be another surprise on the UPA government’s platter.
Since the quotas for women cut across caste, communities and religions, these traditional planks are liable to lose their sheen to the displeasure of parties who base their politics on such matrices.
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FREE 20 PAGE GUIDE OF LEGAL RIGHTS FOR WOMEN IN INDIA
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You can download this free Guide in PDF Format from the following Link URL:
www.unifem.org.in/PDF/Punjab/Women%20and%20Law.pdf
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Links
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1. Complete text of Constitution of India with all the 93 Amendments.
http://www.scribd.com/doc/9191729/Constitution-of-India-Full-Text–
2. National Ploicy For The Empowerment of Women In India (2001)
http://wcd.nic.in/empwomen.htm
3. Women Empowerment In India by Siddhartha Dash as published in Orissa Review – December, 2004 (PDF Format)
http://orissagov.nic.in/e-magazine/orissareview/dec2004/englishpdf/womenempowermentinindia.pdf
4. Women In India (Wikipedia)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Women_in_India
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The following sites for international NGO websites has been developed by the World Bank Gender Net:
Academy for Educational Development, Girl’s Education and Gender Issues
ACCION International Nonprofit fighting poverty through microlending in Latin America
Asia Foundation – Global Women in Politics Program
Asian Women’s Resource Exchange (AWORC) Internet-based women’s information service and network in Asia
Development Gateway The Development Gateway helps communities, organizations, and individuals build partnerships, share ideas and work together to reduce poverty.
InterAction, Commission on the Advancement of Women
International Center for Research on Women (ICRW) Development with Women’s Full Participation
International Water and Sanitation Centre Men, Women and Gender
International Women’s Tribune Center — What’s New?
WIDNET Women in Development Network (Eng/French)
Women, Ink. Books on Gender Topics in Global South 13
WomenAction A global information, communication and media network enabling NGO’s to actively engage in Beijing +5 review process
Women’s Human Rights Net (WhrNET) A collective information and communication technology project of around 40 international, regional and local NGOs from over 20 countries
Women’s Learning Partnership (WLP)
Women’s Net – Institute for Global Communications (IGC)
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Non-profit, non-political, non-religious and a voluntary NGO Group.
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GROUP STATEMENTS
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FAIR USE NOTICE:
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This web page, the related blogs and bulletins may contain copyrighted material. Such material is made available for educational purposes, to advance understanding of spirituality, patient advocacy, informed consent, comparative religion, human rights, scientific, moral, ethical, and social justice issues, and related issues. This constitutes a ‘fair use’ of any such copyrighted material as provided for in Title 17 U.S.C. section 107 of the United States Copyright Law. This material is distributed without profit.
This group does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, creed, age, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, physical handicap, marital status, politics, or membership or non-membership in any organizations.
VISION
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Over the coming months and years, the focus of this group will continue to revolve around supporting the current mission, vision and goals and extending the positive outcomes seen thus far to other parts of the world. The future that we envision for this group in the communities we serve is articulated in the following statements:
1) To be a leading resource for addressing women’s issues; to be sensitive and responsive to women’s needs; and to be viewed as proactive, creative and innovative in our approach to the field of women’s empowerment.
2) To be a powerful, effective group that, through responsible and sensitive management, and provision of exemplary services and programs, is seen as a benchmark model for support of women.
3) To be a caring, open and welcoming group sensitive to the differing needs of individuals from various racial, ethnic, cultural, socioeconomic, political, religious, age, gender and sexual identity groups.
Recent News
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Special Report prepared by
Rita Chhibber, National Chairperson (India Chapter)
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STATUS OF EMPOWERMENT OF WOMEN IN INDIA
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Here is Special Report On Status of Women Empowerment In India prepared by Rita Chhibber, National Chairperson (India Chapter):
Hi this is Rita from India…..I send love and warm greetings to everyone around the world. .
I would be talking briefly about some views on the empowerment of women in India..
At some time or other, we have all heard the comment, .Gender is a Western concept. We dont need it in India.. A number of arguments are used to justify this stand. We are told that India is the original home of the Mother Goddess.
In our ancient history, we have many instances of women scholars and women rulers. Stories from mythology and folklore are recounted to prove that women in India have always been honoured and respected.
We are proud of the fact that India was one of the first countries in the world to give women the right to vote. The Indian Constitution is one of the most progressive in the world, and guarantees equal rights for men and women. All this is cited as evidence to support the contention that Indian women are free and equal members of society.
Alongside this, however, is another body of evidence… . the official statistics that are presented in government reports, the findings of local surveys and, most significantly, the daily experiences of women and men as documented in the media. These paint a very different picture
.
l Men outnumber women in India, unlike in most other countries where the reverse is the case. In 1991, there were only 927 women for every 1000 men. The reason for this imbalance is that many women die before reaching adulthood.
l The majority of women go through life in a state of nutritional stress . they are anaemic and malnourished. Girls and women face nutritional discrimination within the family,eating last and least.
l The average Indian woman bears her first child before she is 22 years old, and has little control over her own fertility and reproductive health.
l Only 50% of Indian women are literate as compared to 65.5% men. Far fewer girls than boys go to school. Even when girls are enrolled, many of them drop out of school.
l There are far fewer women in the paid workforce than there are men. Women.s work is undervalued and unrecognised. Women work longer hours than men, and carry the major share of household and community work, which is unpaid and invisible.
l Women generally earn a far lower wage than men doing the same work. In no State do women and men earn equal wages in agriculture.
l Women are under-represented in governance and decision making positions. At present, less than 8% of Parliamentary seats, less than 6% of Cabinet positions, less than 4% of seats in High Courts and the Supreme Court, are occupied by women. Less than 3% of administrators and managers are women.
l Women are legally discriminated against in land and property rights. Most
women do not own any property in their own names, and do not get a share
of parental property
l Women face violence inside and outside the family throughout their lives.
Police records show that a woman is molested in the country every 26
minutes. A rape occurs every 34 minutes. Every 42 minutes, an incident
of sexual harassment takes place. Every 43 minutes, a woman is
kidnapped. Every 93 minutes, a woman is killed.
Statistics alone do not tell the whole story. The public portrayal of women and women.s issues in the media is also an indicator of the position women have in Indian society.
A media survey in 1994 showed that the space for women.s issues in television news was marginal.
l Only one-third of women portrayed as lead characters were depicted as managing business enterprises, working as lawyers, journalists, fashion designers, advertising executives, secretaries and doctors.
India has led the world in ratifying UN Conventions and international covenants like the Convention for the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women
(CEDAW) and the Beijing Platform for Action. National plans and policies have
consistently reflected a vision of progress that is not narrowly confined to expanding incomes, but gives a central place to the achievement of human rights, freedoms and well-being for all.
The last few years have seen dramatic increases in the space available for
women in Indian society – a consequence of affirmative policies and programmes
by the government and initiatives by NGOs and other civil society groups. Most
of all, these achievements are the result of years of determined advocacy,
campaigning and action for change by women themselves.
CONSTITUTIONAL FREEDOMS AND RIGHTS
l
FREEDOM FROM WANT
AND THE RIGHT TO ENJOY A DECENT STANDARD OF LIVING.
l
FREEDOM TO WORK
AND THE RIGHT TO WORK WITHOUT EXPLOITATION.
l
FREEDOM FROM DISCRIMINATION ON THE GROUNDS OF SEX,
ETHNICITY OR RELIGION.
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FREEDOM FROM INJUSTICE
AND VIOLATIONS OF THE RULE OF LAW.
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FREEDOM FROM FEAR
AND THE RIGHT TO PROTECTION FROM THREATS TO PERSONAL
SECURITY, FROM ACTS OF VIOLENCE, FROM ARBITRARY ARREST
AND TORTURE.
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FREEDOM OF THOUGHT AND SPEECH
AND THE RIGHT TO PARTICIPATE IN DECISION-MAKING.
But gaps still remain. While some women are emerging as strong and confident
individuals, in control of their own lives and capable of raising their voices to demand their rights, others face a very different reality, prompting the question: .Is the glass half full or half empty?
.
WHAT IS NEEDED….
FREEDOM TO LEAD A LONG LIFE
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RIGHT TO HEALTH
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RIGHT TO EDUCATION
l
FREEDOM TO WORK WITHOUT EXPLOITATION
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FREEDOM TO PARTICIPATE IN DECISION-MAKING
FREEDOM FROM FEAR
I feel it is important to firstly bring awareness….amongst the women…some of them……who are unaware of their rights….
So the first step towards this is.would be to spread..AWARENESS…
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Hindustan Times, New Dlhi, India’s supplement “Brunch” has a cover story “Women of Power”. This is a list of 5 unusal women: Nirupama Rao, Ambika Soni, Kochhar, Tessy Thomas, Agatha Sangma. They hold our lives in their hands in different ways. What makes them tick?
NIRUPAMA RAO (58), Foreign Secretary of India. Coming from ordinary background, by dint of her courage and performance, she rose to the highest post in Foerein Service. According to her, “A position of power is actually a position of great responsibility.” She further remarked about her success: “….it could be catalysing process, for other women to take up other professions. There is a larger national goal here, we musn’t lose sight of.”
AGATHA SANGMA (29), Minister of State, Rural Development