Independant Woman

Amidst the political frenzy leading up to Prathibha Patil’s ascent to the post of First Citizen, many believe that event clearly marks the emancipation on Indian women and the end of an era of persecution and struggle. However, others opine that Ms. Patil’s victory in no way signals a shift in the miserable state of most women in India. “Poverty is no more an economic term- we have a culture of poverty; absence of the quality of life”. Dr. Amartya Sen clearly alludes to the feminization of poverty that is present despite our current age of liberalization and globalization. The census shows a falling sex ratio, which ironically, is higher in Ms Patil’s very own home state of Rajasthan. The question is: can the law bring about social change?

Society has always been staunchly patriarchal-this longstanding bias is intrinsic due to irrational tradition and convention. Even the West only in recent times achieved some level of equality- adult franchise for women was ratified only in the 1940s’. Men and women have had clearly defined roles in the society of yesteryear. In today’s world, roles seem to overlap with the evolution of the character of women. However, this change has not permeated to the lower strata of Indian society. Women are poorly represented at the grassroots level in the village Panchayat.

Evidence has revealed that a plethora of laws do not necessarily enforce values. Lawmakers and the executive are inept if the mindset hasn’t changed at various levels. These laws can also be blamed for the low status of women. Despite the basic right under any convention being equality, the reality is much different. Here are some examples of the law’s double standards:
1.The Syrian Orthodox, which is governed by the Travancore Act, does not give women the right to equal property.
2. Conviction rates for crimes against women are less than 30%. Often, the victims are afraid to approach the law enforcers because the perpetrators constitute the latter.
3. The fallacy that even though he is wicked, man must be served as he is God still prevails
The IPC is increasingly losing its objectivity- people choose to interpret the law to suit their needs. The Widow Remarriage Act of 1856 was originally drafted to enable widows to remarry. Section 2 however states that the widow loses her right to inherit the property of the deceased. The blatant hypocrisy is facilitated by loopholes in the system.

Proponents of affirmative action are now beginning to realize that it will take more than just reservation to improve the plight to women. Empowerment must sweep over the nation from bottom up, right from the grassroots level. An increased representation of educated women in the Panchayat is desperately needed. Education is the key to mitigating most evils that plague Indian society. “Culture” is often used in the defense of the indefensible. It is a strong tool that fosters unequal power relations. Culture is evolutionary and this has to let gender roles be dynamic.

The media plays an imperative role in changing the minds of the next generation. It is time we stood up and gave everyone the right to choose. Biology certainly does not define our destiny.