“In the first eight months of 2024, the issue of women’s equality has surfaced repeatedly, particularly at the national level. Some of the more prominent incidents include:
- A senior Member of Parliament, Ms Jaya Bachchan, protested against being referred to as Jaya Amitabh Bachchan by the Speaker of the Upper House. “Sir, only Jaya Bachchan would have sufficed,” she said, stressing her concern with women being identified only by their husbands’ names as if “they don’t have their own identity.”[i]
- The Justice Hema Committee’s scathing report on sexual exploitation in the Malayalam film industry. Released on August 19, 2024, it presents a damning indictment of the pervasive and systemic sexual harassment afflicting female professionals within the Malayalam film industry.[ii]
- The brutal rape and murder of a 31-year-old female postgraduate doctor in a state led by a woman Chief Minister. This case, when heard in the Apex Court, prompted the Chief Justice of India, Justice D.Y Chandrachud, to term the incident “horrific” and “horrendous”.[iii]
- The sexual assault of two young girls under the age of five in a village school in Badalpur, Maharashtra, has led to nationwide protests.[iv]
These events have sparked widespread condemnation from the public, experts, administrators, and politicians, highlighting the unfortunate state of affairs regarding women’s safety and equality in our country. Despite various initiatives, rape and sexual abuse continue to plague women and girls worldwide. Statistics show that Sweden, known for its development and progressive laws and attitude towards women, has the second-highest reported rate of rapes in the world. Therefore, the knee-jerk reaction of labelling India or Bharat as the “Rape Capital” of the world is both immature and unfair.
However, it cannot be ignored that even today, when we are the fifth-largest economy and the fastest-growing economy in the world, with both the largest and youngest population, women remain at risk for their safety in their homes, workplaces, and public spaces. Women also earn significantly less than men and work much harder, yet own less than 30% of agricultural land.
It is also true that, especially in the last decade, significant steps have been taken to introduce and strengthen laws to safeguard women and encourage their increased participation in economic activities. Initiatives such as the Jan-Dhan Scheme, the law banning Triple Talaq, the Prevention of Sexual Harassment at the Workplace Act, the law granting new mothers six months of maternity leave, and many other such measures have positively impacted women’s lives across India.
Despite all these efforts, the on-ground situation shows that equality is still a distant dream for women in India. Socio-cultural factors like religion, customary practices, lower levels of education, limited access to finance, lack of skills training, poor access to the legal system, early marriage, and pervasive patriarchy prevent women from being given an equal chance. In the Global Gender Gap Report, India ranks 18th from the bottom; we are 17th from the bottom among the 153 countries included in the 2023 report.[v]
How do we change this situation? Clearly, more than just making laws is required. Creating supportive infrastructure helps but does not always ensure women can use such facilities equally. There are also significant differences among women themselves. It cannot be assumed that all women promote or practice gender equality. The State, meaning the Government, cannot achieve this alone. We, the people, must also play our part.
As stated earlier, India has the youngest population in the world, with a staggering 50% of its people below the age of 25, and 65% below the age of 35. According to World Bank data from 2022, 48.41% of India’s population are women. These women represent both a significant challenge—if they are not given equal opportunities to participate—and a massive asset in helping India achieve its dream of becoming the third-largest economy in the world.
In India, women do an average of seven hours of unpaid domestic work daily, while men do less than three hours. It is acknowledged that women’s unpaid care and domestic work enable men to “go out and earn.” This also means that women who work outside the home often face a “double burden,” managing household duties alongside their professional responsibilities. Despite this, women still lag far behind men in owning fixed assets like land and housing. It is well known that the peak years of productivity coincide with the prime years for childbearing.
Furthermore, women are generally paid less than men and often lack access to essential facilities like toilets and restrooms. Naturally, such factors restrict women’s capacity to maximise their productivity. For example, over 70% of women in India work in agriculture and construction. How often do we see or hear of female agricultural labourers giving birth not in hospitals but at home to minimise days off? Similarly, it is common to see young children and even babies of female construction workers at construction sites.
Despite these challenges, there are many shining examples of Indian women who inspire generations to participate in nation-building. From Rani Ahilyabai Holkar to Rani Lakshmi of Jhansi, from Sarojini Naidu to Indira Gandhi, from PT Usha to Saina Nehwal, and many other notables, India has a history of women’s leadership. And the spectacular growth of social media has provided vastly improved access to girls and women who aspire to greater equality.
We, however, must think outside the box.
For example, questions must be included in the next census to shed light on which sections of women need greater facilitation and access to empowerment, when these women need it, and what kind of support they require most.
India also needs urgent investment in early childhood care. Instead of providing doles to women who do not work outside their homes, it makes more sense to offer accessible and affordable childcare, even at subsidised rates if necessary. This approach will contribute significantly to the GDP. Similarly, the care of older people must also be addressed. The government should explore ways to support middle and lower-income groups in these two areas. Both are likely to yield substantial economic benefits, such as lower health expenses, increased productivity for women, and more employment opportunities for semi-skilled workers. The spin-offs are obvious.
One largely unexplored avenue to gender justice is sports. We already have several sportswomen who have brought laurels to our country and inspired millions of young, aspirational Indian girls. Sports are not just about winning medals; they foster discipline, greatly benefit physical and mental health, improve socialisation, strengthen self-respect, and present new economic opportunities. However, too few girls are provided the opportunity to participate in sports.
It would not be amiss to highlight Abhinav Bindra’s unique effort to grow a sporting culture in India. Bindra is the first Indian to win a gold medal in an individual event at the Olympics. Unfortunately, the initiative by his foundation in Orissa and Assam is significantly underreported. In partnership with the Olympic Values Education Programme, this initiative aims to improve lives and build better communities by enabling over 15 million children (both boys and girls) in these two states to access sports. Sports can thus be a low-cost, inclusive driving force for progress and development. This example can easily be replicated nationwide and will significantly improve the lives of many youngsters, including girls.
India is known for its traditional, age-old knowledge of health, beauty, and textiles. An untapped treasure trove of such knowledge lies with our women and is still largely unexplored for its socio-economic potential. The moringa, neem, tulsi, turmeric, hibiscus, lotus, and a myriad of other trees, plants, and flowers are used to treat ailments ranging from indigestion to pimples, hair fall to burns, body aches, and the common cold. While some pharmaceutical companies have made millions by utilising these resources, many women could be encouraged to improve nutrition and health with local-level support. With targeted skilling, small-scale local initiatives with low investment can provide employment and income opportunities for women.
Unfortunately, the continuing lack of physical safety puts all initiatives and plans for the pursuit of socio-economic gender justice to nought. Women in India are still at risk, and this reality cannot be ignored anywhere in the country. Overt and covert intimidation, economic and social exclusion, and physical violence against women remain our most significant barriers to justice. A massive change in mindsets, more strictly enforced accountability systems at local, state, and national levels, urgent reforms in the judiciary and police, and addressing the increasing socio-cultural “Talibanisation” of women’s lives need far greater attention than they currently receive—not just on paper or in theory, but in practice.
Otherwise, despite all our country’s achievements, as long as our women and girls remain vulnerable to any form of violence, both as a country and a people, we will remain “In Churn.”
Author Brief Bio: Ms. Lalitha Kumaramangalam was Chairperson, National Commission for Women (NCW) from 2014 to 2017. She has extensive experience in working towards the empowerment and advancement of women from the vulnerable and underprivileged sections of society. She was also Director of India Foundation. Ms Kumaramangalam holds a Masters degree in Business Administration from the Madras University, and graduated with honours in Economics from St Stephen’s College, Delhi.
References:
[i] https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/jaya-bachchan-again-objects-to-amitabh-in-her-name-6267867
[ii] https://www.newindianexpress.com/web-only/2024/Aug/23/hema-committee-report-this-is-not-cinema-but-shockingly-real
[iii] https://www.livemint.com/news/india/horrific-animal-like-instinct-sc-hauls-up-mamata-banerjees-bengal-govt-on-kolkata-rape-murder-horror-10-points-11724133234370.html
[iv] https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/massive-protests-after-2-nursery-girls-sexually-assaulted-in-thane-school-6378672
[v] https://www.weforum.org/publications/global-gender-gap-report-2023/
