Women’s empowerment is a topic that women discuss and fret often. Men discuss and support often but lack the intent when required. So, women’s empowerment remains only in the annals of what is possible. With AAP promising Rs 1000 every month to every woman above 18, as a poll sop if he wins elections in Punjab the battle lines seem to be drawn. Whereas he terms it the biggest ever women empowerment, the question is, is it really so? Apart from the tax payer milked dry, is it not moral corruption? What women need is respect and equality in everything. Nothing less. Not sops anyway.
The International women’s day celebrated, March 8th every year has a theme. “Choose to Challenge” this year. A little surprised and annoyed that we still expect women to challenge the system in order to be free.
“Still, I Rise”, a poem by Maya Angelou must be read for its profundity. ’You may shoot me with your words, You may cut me with your eyes, You may kill me with your hatefulness, But still, like air, I’ll rise.’ Will the words ever come true for every woman?
The UN recommends creating high-level corporate leadership for gender equality, treating all people fairly and human rights for all, ensuring health, wellbeing and safety, promoting education, training and professional development, implementing supply chains, marketing practices and enterprise development that empower women and championing equality. Very lofty and admirable.
Let’s do a reality check. In a report of the United Nations in a report published recently, 750 million women and girls alive today were married before the age of 18. 1 in 5 women have experienced physical or sexual violence in the last 12 months. Human trafficking has been devastatingly pervasive. 23.7% representation of women in political offices. These are Global figures. In this milieu, I wonder if all those UN principles are just feel-good postures and lip services or are really worth anything.
Indeed, we must celebrate women’s achievements. However, we must raise the awareness of continued gender bias and imbalance that exists. In most forums, we discuss need for gender parity while speaking on promising ideas and solutions to achieve it. Do we really follow up on them? The patriarchal society and their ego will not let us do it. Of course, women also must help themselves and stand for what they believe and deserve.
Gender equality is a basic human right, and also fundamental to having a peaceful, prosperous world. But girls and women face significant challenges, are typically under-represented in power and decision-making roles, receive unequal pay for equal work, and often face legal and other barriers. In our country, girls and women are often seen as less valuable than boys. Instead of being sent to school, they are often made to do domestic work at home or are married off before they become adults. Some societies even seek female premarital chastity. Women subjugation in another of the evils. One who wields power subjugates one who is weak. More so if the weak constitute women and children. Consequently, they experience low status, exploitation, oppression, and loss of self-determination.
What must be done to make a difference? For me the epithet of “empowering women” is itself a bad use of semantics. Why should anyone empower women? Is it a commodity? Is it a domain of someone else and that if it has to be given to someone there is a price attached? Is there an inadvertent give and take built into this?
Be that as it may, many efforts to empower women do not address the real problems at all. “Empowerment” must bring a sense of hope and pride for all women. Far from it, it is treated as creating some development strategies that often fail to provide women with meaningful solutions.
Empowerment doesn’t happen because someone wants it. There are several downstream functions that must come alive. For example, Mental health. It is very important for there exists a link between mental health and development. Why mental health alone? All health is vital.
One must put down sexual violence with all the power at one’s command. The narrative has to change from “#MeToo to Time’s Up”. There must be more open dialogue for empowerment and empathy. The Time’s Up movement must target action, and provide legal and public relations assistance.
Probably, as many researchers say, sexual violence should be treated as a social and cultural problem rather than an individual problem. Though sexual violence is found more among women with weak support systems, it is equally prevalent in more endowed societies as well. Prevention strategies however, will need to address the systemic inequalities that influence sexual violence. There is lack of resources for women to approach locally-led women’s rights organizations. We need to create a “Time is up” fund in our country too, like the Urgent Action Fund for Women’s Human Rights (UAF)
Maybe it is necessary to disturb the patriarchy to make a difference. Some religion-based personal laws are historically overseen by male clerics. Qazi’s and pundits decide everything. One would think of women clerics or Qazi’s or Pundits to interpret laws as a simple solution. Does that really solve the multi layered problem in our society?
Above everything else, a large part of empowerment comes out of financial stability. One must promote entrepreneurship in young girls and women. Skills like goal setting, decision making, money management, people skills, technology skills and business ethics are all desirable skills for independence. The government too must promote new and enhance old schemes of support for female entrepreneurs. However, true empowerment happens only when all opportunities are extended to girls residing in slums, orphanages, and correctional homes, as well as those displaced by militant conflict.
How do we empower girls and women then? There are no easy answers. One can sponsor a girl child. This gives an opportunity to be educated and give the rights she deserves. Healthy, educated and empowered women and girls are agents of change. Water, sanitation, hygiene, health, nutrition; livelihood training; and education programs are all needed.
Finally, Men and women are two sides of the same coin. Whether humans or any other living form, nature maintains a delicate balance. One doesn’t exist without the other. Let’s not disturb or disrupt that balance. Debates of one dominating the other is fraught with dangers. One must look impassionedly the passion that binds them as one.