INDIA REPORTER TODAY

Dr. Aman Pathania

Homeopathic Physician

Empowering women knowledge clearly means increasing the strength of a woman’s socially, educationally, politically, economically and psychologically so that women can live independently, live fearlessly, have equal opportunities and rights, without any discrimination of caste, race, gender and religion. By keeping this concept in mind International Women’s Day, also known as International Women’s Working Day is celebrated on 8 March every year. International Women’s Day is a day when women’s are recognized for their achievements without division, whether national, ethnic, economic or cultural and political.

The main objectives behind observing International Women’s Day is to promote the achievements or strength of women in different fields and the day also focuses on gender equality, women’s educational knowledge and women’s rights. Women’s empowerment is important because women had not equal rights and freedom for decades at all.

Today, we are living in the 21st century where the world is progressing in every field like technology, science, education, artificial intelligence and other various sector but still, our world does not encourage women and in the modern advance world they still fight for their rights. Recently, seen during COVID-19 lockdown times, many women and girls have been isolated in unsafe environments where they are at heightened risk of experiencing intimate partner violence.

Approximately, one-third of the women worldwide have experienced sexual violence and 19 % have experienced such physical and sexual violence in the past 13- 14 months. Globally, an estimated 138 women are killed by their intimate partner or a family member every day. The thinking of people of our country has not changed with regard to women and the people of our society make a difference between men and women, but the constitution of our beloved country has given us the right to equality. And the constitution of India guarantees to all women, Equality before the Law(Article 14),

No discrimination by the state on grounds of religion, race, sex, caste{Article 15(1)}, Equality of opportunity(Article 16), State policy to be directed to securing for men and women equally, the right to an adequate means of livelihood{Article 39(a)}, Equal Pay for Equal Work both men and women{Article 39(d)}

Securing just and humane conditions of work and maternity relief(Article 42)

It is a much-raised question and discussion, why women were not given equal respect and equality, why women felt they were discriminated, why the women empowerment discussion is needed?

Our honourable 11th President Dr A.P.J Abdul Kalam has rightly said “Empowerment of women leads to the development of a good family, good society and, ultimately, a good nation”

If we educate women’s in a country like India it will become a developed country instead of is called a developing country. Historical evidence proves that women and men have been compared on the basis of their gender, education, knowledge, workplaces, income etc and they face so many problems like gender violence, rape, foeticide, dowry deaths, wife battering, sexual exploitation etc. In the United Nation, the majority of the world’s 1.4 billion absolute poor are women, on average women receive between 30 % to 40 % less pay than men earn for the same work.

As per, Gender Pay Gap Statistics 2020 report, shows the women of India earn 19% less than men. And Global Gender Gap Index 2019-2020 as per report released by World Economic Forum, India has ranked 112th among 153 countries. Only 25% of the total seats in parliaments around the world are occupied by women, and only 21% of the ministers are women. United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization(UNESCO) 2018 data shows the literacy rate is 73.3% and that among males is 81.1% and females are 64.5%.In India literacy rate is 69.3% and the male’s ratio is 78.8% and the females ratio is 59.3%.

According to the Annual Survey of Education Report(ASER), 2019 reported enrollment levels 4-5 years of girls is 56.8% and 50.2 % in boys in government schools and pre-schools while 42.4 % girls and 50% boys are enrolled in private pre-schools. Similarly, the age group 6-8 shows 61.2% girls and 52.1% boys enrolled in government schools, whereas in private schools the boy’s ratio is 47.9% and the girl’s ratio is 39%.

Again this education knowledge gap shows the gender gap between male and female. In 2020, A New era For Girls Report recently released by UNICEF, reveals that the rate of dropouts for girls in schools has decreased from 20% to 13.5% from 2008 to 2019, it also states that many girls still face an unequal violent environment and one in every 20 girls in the age group of 15-20 has experienced rape, both within and outside marriage. The report mentions a term called “learning crisis” this means, even when girls are in school, many do not receive a quality education. Globally report 2020 shows, around 760 million women and girls were married before the age of 18 and at least 200 million women and girls in 30 countries have undergone(female genital mutilation). On the other hand, women also continue to be victims of violence with rape and domestic violence reported as significant causes of physical disability and death among women worldwide.

According to The World Health Organisation(WHO) report shows 1 in 5 women and girls including 19% of women and girls aged 13-52, have experienced physical or sexual violence. The National Crime Records Bureau(NCRB) 2019 shows 32033 registered rape cases across the country. The above-mentioned statistic shows the status of women’s in the world. So, it’s our duty to empowering women knowledge through education. Women is a born multi-tasker, mother, daughter, wife, homemaker and professional. But, in today’s day to day life women are unable to give time to themselves, do not eat well or sleep and are at home or office or the child has to balance everywhere, in such situation the level of stress in women is high and sometimes ignoring the body which leads to various problems and disturbance of the mental and physical health of the women.

Education is the milestone of women empower because educated women know how to take care of themselves and their surroundings. In India, there are endless governmental schemes like” Beti Bachao Beti Padhao”, “Mahila Sakti Kendras(MSK)”,” Samagra Shiksha”, “Sukanya Smaridhi Yojna”, “Nirbhaya”, etc but still, only a few of them get chance to attain education even in this 21st century. But still, the main motive of these schemes initiated by our government is to educate and empower women knowledge. Education makes women’s self-sufficient and independent in every aspect of life. Education qualifies a woman to become strong physically by giving her knowledge about good physical health which would ultimately well-being her mental health. The only way a society or aspire to economic growth and development is just to educate women.

But today era, many girls are working in positions like Defence services, Civil services, Doctor, Engineer, Lawyer etc. There are many examples of the women who struggled and even fought right to freedom like, Sarojini Naidu (Indian poet and first women governer of India), Annie Besant (The first women President and established many educational activities in India), Mrs Pratibha Singh Patil(12th President in India), similarly there are numerous women who have left a remarkable fingerprint in different fields like communication and technology, sports, civil services and education etc. And the women proved to be better than men in every field. According to Census 2011, the literacy rate of women in Kerela is 91.98 per cent, as against 82.14 per cent of men and 65.46 per cent of women at the all India level. But even after a change in the world, girls are considered a burden in our country and this is the reason that we finish them before they come.

State of World Population 2020 report to the United Nations Population Fund(UNFPA), showed that in India, around 4.6 crore females are ‘missing’. And the Female Foeticide Statistics in World shows India has one of the highest female foeticide incidents in the world. The female child population in the age group(0-6years) declined from 78 million in 2001 to 75 million in Census 2011 and the Census 2011 shows child sex ratio (0-6 years) declined from 945 to 914. As per the World Bank Report of Labour Force Participation 2020 shows workforce women is 50.9% in World and 21% women workforce in India.

As we know that India is a male-dominated country, which is half the power of the country. Now to make India a powerful and develop country half power of women needs to be added. As stated by Mahatma Gandhi on this subject, If you want to see change in the world, start with yourself. Those golden lines mean that no matter the plans the government makes, but real change will come only when we bring changes in ourselves.

When we change our thoughts, thinking and work style towards women only then will there be meaningful changes in the subject of women empowerment because education is the only weapon that gives the rights to achieve the goal of women in every field, women are not weak rather than men and it’s our responsibility to give the awareness for everyone and give participation as a volunteer to achieve India as a developing country.

“Our goal for development of a good family, good society and, ultimately, a good nation, will occur only after empowering women knowledge.”