ARTICLE-WOMEN EMPOWERMENT

 

WOMEN EMPOWERMENT

INTRODUCTION- WOMEN EMPOWERMENT: NEED OF THE HOUR!

Under society’s patriarchal approach being born as a girl is in itself a challenge. Supposedly, having a girl child is nothing less than a curse. Under such circumstances, society feels pleasure in making women feel inferior. A woman is considered to be society’s legal property wherein her limits are already pre-decided by stakeholders of the society.

Women led a life of misery since customs like dowry, child marriage, sati crept in. Today, we are at a point where women have to fight for their basic rights like equality and liberty. In short, not much has changed as far as the stature of women is concerned in society.    

Exploiting women everywhere ranging from schools, colleges, offices, and even at their homes is something that a woman is made to accept just because 'she is a woman.' The increase in the crime rate against women in recent times says all about their pathetic and vulnerable situation. Meanwhile, the question here is- for how long women have to suffer just because ‘they are women?’ 

 

 

 

 

WHAT IS WOMAN EMPOWERMENT?

Woman empowerment is referred to as the process of consciously uplifting and empowering the women's community that they can be in charge of their own strategic life choices. Pulling them out of their vulnerable situations and liberating them is the least that can be done as the first step towards women empowerment. But this is just the beginning; the battle is far more complex and intense.

When a woman demands equality: she demands equal respect and equal opportunities. When a woman demands liberty: she demands freedom to dream, freedom to make her own decisions, freedom to get education and freedom to live. Women root for gender equality. They are not asking for privileges or partiality, they just want to live a life with their heads held high. That is why empowering women becomes all the more crucial.

In the current scenario, economic empowerment, political empowerment, social empowerment, and gender empowerment are the means which will make women empowerment more sustainable. Creating provisions to indulge women in decision-making processes would boost the concept of women empowerment.

Empowered women nurture and develop an empowered nation. A lot of countries, several female rights activists and celebrities are the flag bearers towards empowering women, with Scotland becoming the first nation to provide free period products for women towards tackling period poverty and prioritizing their health and hygiene.

Overall, tiny steps are being taken for uplifting women but still, there is a long way to go. Often the major hindrance towards achieving this goal is our ‘rudimentary mindset’. A part of society finds it difficult to accept women and respect their ambitions. So, a change in mindset would definitely serve the purpose. Accepting women equal to their counterparts in every sphere of life is important.     

 

NORMALIZING WOMEN AS ENTREPRENEURS

Women can run homes but they can’t run businesses or should I say that they are not supposed to enter this male-dominated business world. This belief has remained an unwritten rule for decades now. However, with changing times women are breaking stereotypes and emerging as successful founders & co-founders of various entrepreneurial ventures across the globe.

The first woman to break through the norms was Madam C.J Walker who is regarded as the first independent woman entrepreneur. Since then women are on an incredible journey of entrepreneurship. If we closely look into the business, some of the famous brands are owned and run by women. Falguni Nayar founder of Nykaa, Kiran Majumdar Shaw founder of Biocon Limited, Shairee Chahal founder and CEO of Sheroes, Suchi Mukherjee founder of Limeroad are few gems ruling the world of business like queens.

A lot of budding female entrepreneurs are trying to establish their ventures but sadly aren’t able. Not that they are not capable of doing it, mostly they are not allowed to do so. The kind of criticism they encounter makes it hard for female entrepreneurs till date.

 

 WOMEN EMPOWERMENT IN ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRY

Meticulous depiction of women in cinema and allied arenas for luring the audience has been widespread where they are used as props to increase sales and earn better revenues. Objectification and inappropriate portrayal of women characters have made it even worse for women to survive in the real world. Cinema reflects society. So, is this what our society consists of?

The difference in pay parity among male and female celebrities is also an outcome of the patriarchal norms. Male actors are paid a huge amount of money whereas the earning of actresses are not even close to their male co-stars.   

This evident discrimination and marginalization of women in the industry have remained a topic of discussion for quite some time. A lot of established actresses are demanding equal treatment that is being given to male stars.

With more female-centric roles, the proper portrayal of women's character, safe working environment the situation of women in the entertainment world would improve many folds.

WOMEN AS SUCCESSFUL LEADERS

The absence of women on the political front is one of the key reasons why women are lagging. Active participation of women in the decision-making process is the only way to empower themselves. Only then, they will be able to work towards their upliftment without any sort of dependency.

Even developed nations have the same tendency wherein just a handful of women leaders are enjoying political positions. A country like America never had a female vice president until this year when Ms. Kamala Harris got elected as the first female vice president of America. Surprisingly, the world's biggest superpower is also struggling when it comes to empowering women.

In short, accepting women as a leader and functioning on their commands is not something that can be easily digested. But, underestimating their leadership skills would incur heavy losses for the nation. 

Sana Marin, the prime- minister of Finland since 10 December 2019, and Jacinda Ardner, the 40^th prime minister of New Zealand serving since 2017 are washing away every misconception doubting female leadership.  

 

ACCEPTING WOMEN IN DEFENCE

Women are often considered to lag when it comes to physical strength and stamina. In most cases, tasks involving strength are thought out of women's reach. However, this is a false assumption and a widely accepted myth. For the longest time, women were deprived of entering the defense forces.

Accepting women in military forces has not been smooth in any country. A constant debate over letting women hold high positions in the military is going on. Still, the idea of letting women in the military forces are not encouraged and equality for women in the army is denied.

The United States is considered a pioneer and a trendsetter as regards the induction of women in the services. There are approximately 200,000 American women on active duty in the US armed forces. They constitute nearly 20 percent of its strength.

In Britain, out of the total strength of 196,650 of the three services, women number 17,900 (3,670 officers and 14,230 other ranks). Thus they constitute 9.1% of the total strength, 11.2% of the officer cadre, and 8.7% of the other ranks. Service-wise, the Navy has a women population of 9.4%, the Army 7.1%, and the Air Force 11.9%.

There is a bit of improvement in women's deployment in the services over the years. Although, countries need to mould their mindsets which would enhance the acceptability of women in military services.                                                                                           

 

CONCLUSION

Demeaning a woman, imposing unnecessary restrictions, criticizing them at every point does not reflect strength and power. Disregarding women depicts a backward and stereotypical mentality. It's high time to bring a change and make women feel more safe and empowered than ever. The process of women empowerment starts with changing mindsets and abolishing present patriarchal norms. Every individual is required to play a significant in accepting women for what they want to be. 

The concept of women, empowerment would just remain a philosophy until we start incorporating the process in our real lives. Let's start with empowering women around us. Small steps towards women's empowerment would bring a big difference.

Women are no less than men. They are equal in every aspect. If given the same opportunities they have the innate capacity to outshine. Also, bridging the gap in female education is a must. Make women aware of their potential and rights. Give them wings to fly high.