Today as we mark the beginning of the 9 day festival of Navratri, to pay obeisance to the nine forms of Goddess Shakti, it is worthwhile to glorify the power of Womanhood.
Women – the creators of life, nurture life and have the potential to transform the World!
Infact, in our country, women were traditionally referred to as ‘Shakti’ – the ultimate power.
#NariTuNarayani has been the tradition of our nation.
It is ironic that in a land where we worship Devi, women have lost their revered status and turned into objects that are quite unbecoming to their existence.
As enlightened citizens, we all are aware that the prosperity of a nation is not possible without the contribution of its people – which includes both men and women. In India, women constitute roughly 48% of the total population.
And the Constitution of our Nation, not only grants equality to women, but also empowers the State to adopt measures of positive discrimination in favour of women. Within the framework of a democratic polity, our laws, development policies, government plans and programmes have aimed at women’s advancement in different spheres.
Moreover, the principle of gender equality in enshrined in the Indian Constitution in its Preamble, Fundamental Rights, Fundamental Duties and Directive Principles. It is a part of the basic structure of the Constitution and cannot be altered under any circumstances.
As a result, we have made significant strides in the field of education, health, economic empowerment and political participation of women but we are still a few miles away from the ultimate dream of a gender – just world.
It is heartening to see that today women are making their mark in every field, every domain. However, safety of women both at home and workplace is still a cause of concern and needs attention.
Studies have suggested that through fixing the gender gap, the Indian economy may experience 6.8 per cent increase in its GDP. But, women’s lower participation in economic activities, especially as an entrepreneur has a huge cost to the economy in terms of financial, technological, and innovation loss.
Recently there has been a discussion around paying the women for their household chores. While it will be instrumental in improving the GDP of the economy. However, this step can prove antithetical to its intended purpose by gendering the household work.
It is important in the 21st century to break the gender stereotypes so that each member of the family takes ownership of the familial duties. It is high time that we stop defining a person by their gender and value them for their innate capabilities.
In the age of digital media, women have definitely found their lost voices and freely expressing their fears, experiences, joys and expectations from the future. The use of digital platforms is providing women with greater access to markets, knowledge and more flexible working arrangements. These can result in higher female employment rates on platforms than in traditional industries and be instrumental in economic emancipation of the female population.
However, as a woman change maker, I would want more women to come into decision making and leadership roles and be role models for the younger generation.
As a daughter of this great nation, I have complete faith in the power of its people to challenge gender stereotypes and build a gender just society. I believe if each one of us fulfils our duty to respect each other and the noble ideals enshrined in the constitution, the right of every individual (be it a woman or a man), will automatically be protected. The common and shared dream of all Indians to take our motherland to the path of development and get its lost glory back will become easier to achieve if we adopt a gender inclusive approach that provides a more realistic view of the world by taking into account a fuller range of human experience.
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