Women in India have been regarded with the utmost respect and has given a very higher place in society from the very early time. For any nation's progress, it is essential to empower women. As women creates and shapes the future of the nation building.
But India today is facing lot of challenges. The biggest challenge is dropping out of girls from schools which is propelled by multiple social circumstances. These include early marriage, poverty, lack of safety in schools, lower expectations of girls' education and traditional gender norms.
Right to Education (RTE) may have brought out many changes to the Indian education system. But RTE has failed to acknowledge, and therefore to address, the most pressing reason why girls have been unable to go to school in India, housework. The RTE has no provision for banning housework or agricultural work for children.
As their mothers step out to work in the informal sector or as farmers or agricultural laborers to substantiate the family income. Many underprivileged girls are shouldering the burden of care and housework.
In a report last year, the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) had said, around 40 percent of 15 to 18 year old girls were out of school and among them almost 65 percent were engaged in household work.
Adolescence is an important transitioning phase and girls are not allowed to be involved in any kind of constructive work important for development of our nation and are confined to household work.
Somewhere we are still living in a patriarchal society. Where any substantial change is seen as a attack on the ego of male domination. They don't want the women to get out and involve in any profession. Reason behind this is given that, care of a child is only done by his mother and if should would go out, it will impact the upbringing.
Why only a woman is forced to take care of the children? Why not the father, stay at home and do the work. Why don't the society think beyond this all. There may be many situations that can occur all of sudden.
For example, If a girl is not educated or even after being educated, she don't have a experience of job. What if at the age of 35-40, her husband divorced her? What if her husband meet with an accident and dies? From where she will get job, to live her life and to do upbringing of her children.
We may have get away from gender discrimination. But gender biasness is still present. So what is the difference between discrimination and biasness? Biasness is also a form of discrimination, but it is invisible. When a boy is given preference for any job rather than a girl even if she is capable.
India's condition when seen in context of higher education is not much satisfactory. Very few girls get the higher education. As they have to fight with various kinds of challenges. Starting from home to society and at the Institutional level.
Indian women contribute only 18 percent to the country’s GDP, one of the lowest in the world, and only 25 percent of India’s labor force is women. According to McKinsey’s gender parity report. India could add a whopping $770 billion to the country’s GDP by 2025 by encouraging girls to study and participate in the workforce.
Daughters are not a burden but the pride of the whole family. We can realize the power of our daughters when we see a woman fighter pilot. The country feels proud whenever our daughters bag gold medals, or for that matter any medal, in the Olympics.
There is a need for a much larger collective effort to achieve the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) of eliminating “gender disparities in education and ensure equal access to all levels of education and vocational training for the vulnerable, including persons with disabilities, indigenous peoples and children in vulnerable situations”.
We have to form a society, where equal opportunities are provided to each girl. She can fulfill her dreams. No one would able to question her abilities. We as a male, don’t have to fight for our acceptance. But they have to, so it’s our duty to provide them wings so that they can fly high in the sky.
नारी तुम हो सबकी आशा।
किन शब्दों में दूँ परिभाषा?
नारी तुम हो सबकी आशा।
सरस्वती का रूप हो तुम
लक्ष्मी का स्वरुप हो तुम
बढ़ जाये जब अत्याचारी
दुर्गा-काली का रूप हो तुम
किन शब्दों में दूँ परिभाषा?
नारी तुम हो सबकी आशा।
खुशियों का संसार हो तुम
प्रेम का आगार हो तुम
घर आँगन को रोशन करती
सूरज की दमकार हो तुम
किन शब्दों में दूँ परिभाषा?
नारी तुम हो सबकी आशा।
