It has been 71 years since India became an independent and a self- standing country. A lot of things have changed in this span of time: the thought process of people, education system, medical system, work opportunity and most of all- the status of women in India. In this article, let’s take a glance at the role of women in society from that time to now. If we study our history, there are many stories where the women had no desires, power, respect, rights, and freedom. We have certainly improved the way it was before. A strong sense of respect towards women, gender-equality, laws for women empowerment, and girls education supporting schemes have taken altogether a new face now. Let’s have a look at the role of women in society now:
Status of women in India:
1. Education
Though the ratio of women literacy is still not 100% in India, the count of literate boys is more than girls. If we count state wise, only Kerala and Mizoram have 100% women literacy rate. According to a report, there are a lot of barriers to women education and women empowerment. The unavailability and shortage of female teachers, fewer sanitation facilities in school, and security issues are the main of them. The government has been working towards making India a 100% literate country and organizing awareness programmes for conservative people to make them understand that everyone has the ‘right to education’, whether it is a girl or a boy.
Government is also providing education loans at a minimal interest rate particularly for girls, and in many places the education for girls is free. In these 71 years, it has improved a lot and the sense of equality can be seen almost everywhere. Today, everybody wants to educate his girl child, no matter what class they belong to, or the work they do. We hope that one day we will definitely see our new India where every citizen is educated and contributing to the progress of the country. And, it will truly raise the status of women in India.
2. Cultural Changes
India is said to be having one of the oldest cultural traditions and thoughts of the world. If we dive into the ancient history, we will come to know that the role of women in society was important and they used to earn the same respect what men used to have. They were equally educated and had the rights to take their decision on their own. However, in the medieval history, the era took a different route and the male community began taking a stern and patriarchic approach towards women. It gave a hard hit to the status of women in India. Girls and ladies had no rights to say a word or contribute to the family matters. They were forcefully thrown to follow the partial rules of the community: dowry system, Sati Pratha, child marriage, Johar etc.
With the change in time, it is getting better and now women earn the same respect as men. They have rights to take their important decisions without others interference. Now, women are chairpersons, directors and even holding top positions in politics too. A country where females are considered a symbol of beauty and delicate with less physical power, Mrs. Nirmala Sitharaman is holding the paramount position of Defence Minister and protecting us from neighbor countries. She is an apt example of women empowerment.
3. Participation in Work
In ancient time, the status of women in India was completely bleak. A woman was always known for living within her boundaries. She used to live in her house, doing household chores for the whole day with no interruptions in financial matters. But, the situation has changed now. After 71 years of independence, we are the witness of self-dependent ladies. Now, a woman is equally having her views and participation in financial matters and she takes half of a load of finances on her shoulders. Today, women give priority to their job and business like men do and both share family household expenses and make their family grow together.
4. Single Parenthood
In early years, if a woman chose to be single or single by misfortune, was considered not be able to live in the society without elders. It was a bizarre thing for the society. But now, it is acceptable here and we can see many examples of single mothers who are raising their children without any support and embarking on new heights. Now people rarely question a woman who chooses to be a single lifelong. It depicts the new status of women in India.
5. Women Empowerment
Since India got independence, many legal enactments have taken places to improve the status of women in India. It also includes that the daughters have equal shares in father’s property. A woman is also authorized to buy and sell property and land on her own. It definitely shows the new role of women in society in independent India.
6. Marriage
Years ago, marriage was like a gamble for girls, where parents and elders used to decide for their daughters, to whom they would get married and the girls were not allowed to see the face of their groom before marriage. Girls used to get married at the age of 12 to 15. It is really a very conservative thing that nobody can digest in the present time. Now, every woman has the right to choose her partner and take the step ahead if things are not going the way she wants. Parents have taken their steps back and gave the freedom to their girls to take the decision on the nuptial knot.
Indian women have reached on the top in many fields. But still, it will take many more years to cross all the levels. Maybe they got the same status as males got, still the crime ratios are getting more and more day by day. Almost every day we listen to the news of a woman or a minor girl being teased or raped. There are millions of cases of tortured girls because of dowry. We are seeing many revolutions and laws that support Indian women, still, we hope for getting more attention towards the status of women in India.
