gender inequality
Video showing the plight of women in india
causes
This problem of gender inequality in India could have partly been arisen from the beliefs and religions of the Indians. In the Indian society, "boys are perceived to be more useful than girls since they possess the privilege to inherit the family name and properties and are hence seen to be an additional status to their family" (Raj; Gautam, 2012, pg. 3). In addition, due to the stronger physique of males as compared to females, boys are thus believed to have "a higher economic utility due to the fact that they can provide additional labour in agriculture"(Raj, 2012; Gautam, 2012, pg. 3), which an "approximate 70% of the Indian population survives on" (APCO Worldwide, 2011, pg.2). Apart from this, the "exclusive role of males in carrying out religious practices for their parents' afterlife also plays a significant responsibility in making sons more attractive than females"(Raj, 2012; Gautam, 2012, pg. 3). The impact of Hinduism also comes into play, with Hindus learning that a "woman's bodily functions such as menstruation is polluted and filthy, while men who on the other hand, do not have such issues, are naturally associated with divinity and superiority in terms of morals and ethics" (Academic Room, 2013). Hence, contributing as a factor to the gender inequality problem in India with another reason for the Indian society to favor males over females.
Besides the people and society aspect of India that results in gender inequality, poverty in the Indian society plays a non-negligible part as well. "One woman dies every hour in India as a result of dowry-related crimes, with the National Crime Records Bureau reporting that 8223 women were killed across India in 2012 due to the presence of disputes in dowry payments — a form of payment given from the bride's family to the groom's at the time of marriage" (Associated Press, 2013). As a result of the dowry demands, which could be persistent to the extent of lasting over a period of several years, "thousands of young Indian women are doused with gasoline and burnt to death due to the fact that the groom or his family felt that the dowry was insufficient"(Associated Press, 2013). Hence, females are seen to be an economic burden. Also, dowry related implications such as the emotional torture of experiencing the lost of one's daughters through dowry killings etc due to the inability to give the ideal amount of dowry wanted by the groom's family, adds on to the reasons as to why females are not welcomed in the Indian society. Thus, showing how poverty attributes to the growing problem of gender inequality in India.
consequences
From another perspective, gender inequality also worsens the situation of poverty in India. As a result of gender inequality, "60% of all females in India are illiterate, a figure evidently much higher than that of the males in India. These females are deprived of their education opportunities and are mostly compelled and forced by their parents to perform household chores as well as attend to the needs of the family by staying at home. As these girls grow up into adulthood, many of them are still illiterate at the age of 40" (Synojiva; Bhadiyadra et al, 2009). Due to inadequate education received by the females in India, they are trapped in poverty, which will unknowingly lead to a vicious cycle between poverty and gender inequality. "With a lower female participation rate and incompetent allocation of labour as a result of gender inequality"(Wikipedia, 2014), gender discrimination took a toll on India's economy. In addition, as a result of the "backward social set up which is unfavorable to a more rapid development of India, the laws of inheritances, caste systems, traditions and customs are deterring the progress of India and thus exacerbates the issue of poverty in India" (Bhuvaneshwari, 2012) as well. This particular issue of poverty will subsequently lead to more females being deprived of education, due to the fact that males are seen to be an asset to their families and any small amount of money set aside for education will be given to the males instead of the females. Thus, as it can be seen, these two factors — gender inequality and poverty, are inter-related, each aggravating the other with its presence.
Poverty then in turn results in issues concerning the environment as well. With poverty as a contributing factor where "32.7% of the total population in India fall below the international poverty line of US$1.25 each day" (Worldbank, 2010), "68 million of the population in India live in slums" (Zeebiz, 2013). Such slums have a lack of basic hygiene and sanitation, which thus makes the transmission of infectious diseases much more faster especially in overcrowded living conditions where "half of the total households living in slums lived in only one small room or have it shared with another family" (Johnson, 2013). Throughout India, "more than one-third of the slum homes surveyed had no indoor toilets and 64% were not connected to sewerage systems" (Johnson, 2013). Without proper sewerage systems, defecation and excretion are commonly seen in these slum areas. This hence results in a faster spread of diseases as well as contributes to the air and land pollution situation in India. The "improper methods of treatment and disposal of human wastes in slums increase the toxicity of the land, thereby contaminating it. The accumulation of such wastes has considerably damaged the earth, with these wastes having a high tendency to drain into water bodies such as the Ganges River, which thus adds on to the problem of water pollution in India" (TutorVista, 2014). Likewise, such improper management of waste practiced in India,will also affect the air quality in India negatively.
With gender inequality leading to poverty, the most common form of occupation in India is "agriculture which is the backbone of India's economy" (India Brand Equity Foundation, 2013). An approximate "72% of Indians rely on agriculture" (Tripathi; Prasad, 2009, pg. 2) as "a form of employment and livelihood" (India Brand Equity Foundation, 2013). However, "proper agricultural practices are not being put into place, with more than two billion tones of agriculture wastes which consist of substances such as farm animal wastes, fertilizers and pesticides, enter water bodies during the cleaning of animal confinement areas or during the period of heavy rainfall where run-off washes such substances into the water courses. Substances such as animal wastes, being organic in nature, raises the bio-chemical oxygen demand (B.O.D.) of the river water while chemical substances such as pesticides used for agricultural purposes, are non-biodegradable and insoluble in water" (Parvez, 2012). This is especially so with the low percentage of the Indian population being educated, since "uneducated farmers tend to not follow the recommended dosage of pesticides. Hence, often resulting in an excessive use of fertilizers and pesticides for the maintenance of their crops, which will lead to such harmful chemicals remaining in the soil and being accumulated on stones, further contributing to the water pollution in India during the monsoon season" (Parvez, 2012).
Poverty then in turn results in issues concerning the environment as well. With poverty as a contributing factor where "32.7% of the total population in India fall below the international poverty line of US$1.25 each day" (Worldbank, 2010), "68 million of the population in India live in slums" (Zeebiz, 2013). Such slums have a lack of basic hygiene and sanitation, which thus makes the transmission of infectious diseases much more faster especially in overcrowded living conditions where "half of the total households living in slums lived in only one small room or have it shared with another family" (Johnson, 2013). Throughout India, "more than one-third of the slum homes surveyed had no indoor toilets and 64% were not connected to sewerage systems" (Johnson, 2013). Without proper sewerage systems, defecation and excretion are commonly seen in these slum areas. This hence results in a faster spread of diseases as well as contributes to the air and land pollution situation in India. The "improper methods of treatment and disposal of human wastes in slums increase the toxicity of the land, thereby contaminating it. The accumulation of such wastes has considerably damaged the earth, with these wastes having a high tendency to drain into water bodies such as the Ganges River, which thus adds on to the problem of water pollution in India" (TutorVista, 2014). Likewise, such improper management of waste practiced in India,will also affect the air quality in India negatively.
With gender inequality leading to poverty, the most common form of occupation in India is "agriculture which is the backbone of India's economy" (India Brand Equity Foundation, 2013). An approximate "72% of Indians rely on agriculture" (Tripathi; Prasad, 2009, pg. 2) as "a form of employment and livelihood" (India Brand Equity Foundation, 2013). However, "proper agricultural practices are not being put into place, with more than two billion tones of agriculture wastes which consist of substances such as farm animal wastes, fertilizers and pesticides, enter water bodies during the cleaning of animal confinement areas or during the period of heavy rainfall where run-off washes such substances into the water courses. Substances such as animal wastes, being organic in nature, raises the bio-chemical oxygen demand (B.O.D.) of the river water while chemical substances such as pesticides used for agricultural purposes, are non-biodegradable and insoluble in water" (Parvez, 2012). This is especially so with the low percentage of the Indian population being educated, since "uneducated farmers tend to not follow the recommended dosage of pesticides. Hence, often resulting in an excessive use of fertilizers and pesticides for the maintenance of their crops, which will lead to such harmful chemicals remaining in the soil and being accumulated on stones, further contributing to the water pollution in India during the monsoon season" (Parvez, 2012).
Nonetheless, gender inequality in India has also resulted in an unbalanced sex ratio within the country. As stated by the Population Census of 2011, the population ratio in India was 940 females per 1000 of males (Census Organisation of India, 2011). This problem of having a severely lopsided sex ratio could have been partly due to the "disproportionate numbers of aborted female foetuses as well as newly born female infants being intentionally neglected and left to die as a result of them being unable to fend for themselves. As India's economy gradually improves over the past decade, more Indians are hence able to afford foetus sex-determining devices such as ultra scan. Due to the fact that females are generally unwelcomed in the Indian society, a misuse of modern technology in the form of selective abortion, or in other words known as female foeticide, is thus being induced. However, the carrying out of female infanticide is still prevalent in rural areas where technology is not easily accessed and affordable to the people living in such areas. Research done by the United Nations shows that an estimated number of 2000 girls are illegally aborted everyday (since professional healthcare in this area is more expensive and illegal abortion which is usually at a much lower cost, is hence more appreciated and used) and an approximate number of 15 million girls were not born in India over the last decade" (Kumar; Maurya, 2013). Arising from the current situation of an unbalanced sex ratio in India, phenomenons such as "marriage squeeze and lower replacement rates occur as a result of the insufficient number of females in the Indian society" (Kumar; Maurya, 2013). With a relatively low proportion of females, the "total population in India will decrease as time passes, resulting in an unbalanced population pyramid and consequently a smaller workforce as well as an aging population" (People's Daily Online, 2012) in the future. Hence adversely impacting India's development too.
Therefore, as it can be seen from the above factors and outcomes, the gender inequality problem in India is an interplay of several factors and such an issue regarding gender discrimination has also led to several other problems that has hindered India's progress in numerous ways.
Therefore, as it can be seen from the above factors and outcomes, the gender inequality problem in India is an interplay of several factors and such an issue regarding gender discrimination has also led to several other problems that has hindered India's progress in numerous ways.
incidents arising from gender inequality
Gender inequality has been a major problem in India, resulting in incidents such as rape cases, dowry killings etc. However, the multiple rape incidents arising as a result of female inferiority was still the one that caught the most attention from the public eye globally. "In 2013, there were about 25 000 reported rape cases in India" (Bialik, 2013), with many of which still remain unreported. With approximately "21 rapes reported every min in India" (Pandey, 2013), not mentioning those who are unreported, many of these misfortunes experienced by the females in India become forgotten. As a result, the gender inequality issue in India has been one concerned by many globally. Some instances of rape cases that has stirred plenty of public fury are as follow:
1. "A 25-year-old Mumbai nurse Aruna Shanbaug was strangled with metal chains and left to die by her attacker, Sohanlal Bharta Walmiki, on 27 November 1973. This attack left her brain dead, after being sodomised by a cleaner working in the same hospital as her. For the past 39 years, Aruna has been in a vegetative state while her attacker was not even charged for raping her.
2. In Manipur, 32-year-old Manorama was taken away from home by the soldiers of Assam Rifles in 2004, who accused her of helping insurgents. A few hours later, her mutilated body was found by the roadside, her pelvis riddled with dozens of bullets.
3. In year 2012, 14-year-old Sonam was raped and killed inside a police station in Uttar Pradesh." (Pandey news, 2013)
4. "On 16 December 2012, 23-year-old medical student, Jyoti Singh, was gang-raped by a group of 6 males. She was mutilated, with a portion of her intestines pulled out of her body with a metal rod inserted into her body. 13 days after her severe injuries, she succumbed to the injuries sustained and died in a Singapore Hospital." (Wikipedia, 2014)
There were also cases of "a 10-month-old raped by a neighbour in Delhi, an 18-month-old raped and abandoned on the streets in Calcutta, a 14-year-old raped and murdered in a police station in Uttar Pradesh, a husband facilitating his own wife's gang rape in Howrah as well as a 65-year-old grandmother raped in Kharagpur" (Pandey, 2013).
1. "A 25-year-old Mumbai nurse Aruna Shanbaug was strangled with metal chains and left to die by her attacker, Sohanlal Bharta Walmiki, on 27 November 1973. This attack left her brain dead, after being sodomised by a cleaner working in the same hospital as her. For the past 39 years, Aruna has been in a vegetative state while her attacker was not even charged for raping her.
2. In Manipur, 32-year-old Manorama was taken away from home by the soldiers of Assam Rifles in 2004, who accused her of helping insurgents. A few hours later, her mutilated body was found by the roadside, her pelvis riddled with dozens of bullets.
3. In year 2012, 14-year-old Sonam was raped and killed inside a police station in Uttar Pradesh." (Pandey news, 2013)
4. "On 16 December 2012, 23-year-old medical student, Jyoti Singh, was gang-raped by a group of 6 males. She was mutilated, with a portion of her intestines pulled out of her body with a metal rod inserted into her body. 13 days after her severe injuries, she succumbed to the injuries sustained and died in a Singapore Hospital." (Wikipedia, 2014)
There were also cases of "a 10-month-old raped by a neighbour in Delhi, an 18-month-old raped and abandoned on the streets in Calcutta, a 14-year-old raped and murdered in a police station in Uttar Pradesh, a husband facilitating his own wife's gang rape in Howrah as well as a 65-year-old grandmother raped in Kharagpur" (Pandey, 2013).
actions taken by the government of india
Such atrocities committed to the females in India, with females infants as well as elderly women not pardoned from being raped, has led the Indian government to take certain measures as well as implement certain laws to improve the current situation in India.
Examples of government measures and laws implemented:
1. "In 1961, the India Government passed the Dowry Prohibition Act, that caused dowry demands made by the groom's family towards that of the bride's, in wedding arrangements illegal. However, this law does not seem to be very effective as many cases of dowry-related domestic violence, suicides and murders have still been reported" (Womensdevelopment, 2012).
2. "The 73rd Constitutional Amendment Act was passed in 1992. This ensures that one-third of the total seats for women in all elected offices in local bodies regardless of whether it is the rural areas or urban areas" (Purnima, 2011). This act is passed with hopes that by setting aside one-third of the total seats for woman, woman will have a better say in voicing out their opinions and views on matters, which will thus hopefully improve the welfare of the females in India with better decisions made.
3. "The National Plan of Action for the Girl Child from 1991 to 2000 was put into place so as to ensure the survival, protection and development of the female children, with the ultimate objective of building up a better future for these children" (Purnima, 2011).
4. "National Policy for the Empowerment of Women was implemented in 2011 to bring advancement, development and empowerment of women through the creation of a more responsive, judicial and legal system that pays more attention to women, as well as to mainstream a gender perspective in the development process" (Purnima, 2011).
5. "The Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act was made by the Government of India in 2005, in hopes of providing more effective protection for the rights of women who are victims of violence. This act also provides for immediate and emergent relief to women in situations of violence of any kind in the home" (Purnima, 2011), hence taking the welfare and security of these women into account.
Examples of government measures and laws implemented:
1. "In 1961, the India Government passed the Dowry Prohibition Act, that caused dowry demands made by the groom's family towards that of the bride's, in wedding arrangements illegal. However, this law does not seem to be very effective as many cases of dowry-related domestic violence, suicides and murders have still been reported" (Womensdevelopment, 2012).
2. "The 73rd Constitutional Amendment Act was passed in 1992. This ensures that one-third of the total seats for women in all elected offices in local bodies regardless of whether it is the rural areas or urban areas" (Purnima, 2011). This act is passed with hopes that by setting aside one-third of the total seats for woman, woman will have a better say in voicing out their opinions and views on matters, which will thus hopefully improve the welfare of the females in India with better decisions made.
3. "The National Plan of Action for the Girl Child from 1991 to 2000 was put into place so as to ensure the survival, protection and development of the female children, with the ultimate objective of building up a better future for these children" (Purnima, 2011).
4. "National Policy for the Empowerment of Women was implemented in 2011 to bring advancement, development and empowerment of women through the creation of a more responsive, judicial and legal system that pays more attention to women, as well as to mainstream a gender perspective in the development process" (Purnima, 2011).
5. "The Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act was made by the Government of India in 2005, in hopes of providing more effective protection for the rights of women who are victims of violence. This act also provides for immediate and emergent relief to women in situations of violence of any kind in the home" (Purnima, 2011), hence taking the welfare and security of these women into account.
Articles to read up more about gender inequality in India...
1. http://www.theguardian.com/global-development-professionals-network/2013/jun/06/unsanitary-truth-gender-india
2. http://www.theinternational.org/articles/467-violence-against-women-in-india-culture
3. http://www.thenational.ae/arts-culture/ngos-help-girls-in-rural-india-tackle-female-illiteracy-gender-inequality
Videos to find out more about gender inequality in India
1. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KwtMaQufHmU
2. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M3gafLeQrQI
1. http://www.theguardian.com/global-development-professionals-network/2013/jun/06/unsanitary-truth-gender-india
2. http://www.theinternational.org/articles/467-violence-against-women-in-india-culture
3. http://www.thenational.ae/arts-culture/ngos-help-girls-in-rural-india-tackle-female-illiteracy-gender-inequality
Videos to find out more about gender inequality in India
1. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KwtMaQufHmU
2. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M3gafLeQrQI
“To call woman the weaker sex is a libel; it is man's injustice to woman. If by strength is meant brute strength, then, indeed, is woman less brute than man. If by strength is meant moral power, then woman is immeasurably man's superior. Has she not greater intuition, is she not more self-sacrificing, has she not greater powers of endurance, has she not greater courage? Without her, man could not be. If nonviolence is the law of our being, the future is with woman. Who can make a more effective appeal to the heart than woman?" - Mahatma Gandhi