500+ Words Essay on Status of Women in Our Society
The position of a woman or a girl-child is not very happy in India. Girls are often regarded as a liability in our society, and the birth of a daughter is looked upon as an unwelcome event by poor parents. But we should bear in mind that our country has achieved its greatness through contributions from both men and women. Ancient India produced many great women like Gargi, Maitreyee, Gayatri, and Arundhati. Medieval and modern India has also had notable women like Razia Sultan, Lakshmi Bai, Matangini, and Indira Gandhi, who sacrificed their lives for the sake of their country. Annie Besant and Sarojini Naidu proved their ability in politics.
But in general, the dignity of women has not been uniformly and continuously maintained in our country. We must admit that our society is basically patriarchal and dominated by males. It has brought about various kinds of inhuman oppression like the burning of ‘sati’ and child marriage through the ages. Though these medieval oppressions have been reduced by great reformers like Raja Ram mohan Roy and Iswar Chandra Vidyasagar, a major section of the womenfolk is still deprived of their due rights to property, proper nutrition, minimum education, and freedom. Even recently, Roop Kunwar of Rajasthan fell victim to ‘sati’. Shah Bano, a Muslim divorcee, could not gain maintenance from her husband, despite the Supreme Court granting it, due to the overriding influence of the Shariat. Discrimination in salaries and wages paid to women workers still prevails in some private concerns. Female children of poor parents often serve as maidservants in various families. At home too, parents do not bring up their daughters as they do their sons.
The dowry system is another curse in our society. It turns brides into a saleable commodity like cattle in the marriage market. Her suffering does not cease even with the ceremony of marriage. In many cases, young brides are tortured or driven to suicide or homicide by their husbands and in-laws so that the grooms can remarry for a larger dowry. Keeping all these points in mind, the seven members of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) decided to observe 1990 as ‘The Year of the Girl-Child’. Since then, efforts have continued to uplift the girl-child and womenfolk. International Women’s Day is observed on March 8th every year by the UNO and is designated as a holiday in many countries, but not in India. The charter of the UNO, signed in 1945, was the first international agreement to proclaim gender equality as a fundamental right. In India, the government has enacted some legislation to uphold the rights of women, but it is not sufficient. Moreover, these laws are not always backed by action plans.
Rape and sexual violence or assault occur not only in villages but also in towns and cities. Though the government and the courts are passing stricter laws and punishments, what we need essentially is an attitude of honour toward girls in our society.
Recently, the dignity of women has been further compromised by the misuse of new scientific inventions. Nowadays, an embryo may be tested in the mother’s womb, and if it is found to be female, it is killed instantly. In this matter, the rich are more culpable than the poor. Over 9 million female embryos or just-born female babies are killed every year in India!
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But now the scenario is changing for the better. Women’s organizations and political parties are fighting for more rights for women. Their struggle for legitimate rights is steadily gaining ground. Daughters now have an equal share with sons in inherited property. Moves are underway to reserve one-third of the total number of seats for women in all levels of government—from the panchayat to the parliament.
We must remember that men and women are the two wheels of our social carriage. If both these wheels roll rhythmically, our society will move faster and achieve better progress and prosperity. Hence, we need greater female education, as it is said: when we teach a man, we teach an individual, and when we teach a woman, we teach a whole family. What is most needed in our society is a fundamental change in our attitude toward female children. We should view them not as a burden but as assets. We want our women to live in dignity and grace.