India: The Women Question

The Women Question!

When one is born born in a country which has inherited a longstanding ancient heritage, life could be hampered with the unnecessary burden of carrying this innate heritage. In the modern world this could be very challenging, and demeaning at times. This is especially true for the women of India. Their every step is measured in view of the inherited culture, and their life is supposed to be led by the inherited wisdom of the past.

Democracy is only 60 years barely past its midlife crisis, if compared with a human life span, and could not be expected to have solved all the social issued India had inherited. The women question came of age only during the past decade owing to the slow, but stead work of feminists and strong women's rights advocates.

When India became an independent democracy in 1947, universal franchise was adopted, but the women question was not addressed, due to the lack of a strong women's voice. If women were given constitutional enactments that gave them certain rights and privileges, such as those given to the Scheduled castes and Tribes, it would have done miracles for the development of women by now. Women were ignored then and are also being ingnored now, where a comprehensive act for the Women's welfare is not taken up by any of the 16 successive governemnts in India. Women's issues are dealt with on an ad hoc basis as and when they come up and deemed necessary, leading to haphazard flood control measures rather than comprehensive attempt to address, and change the core concerns. There is no planned program of education, family and child welfare, and development focussed on women. Until the government of India enacts a comprehensive policy addressing a number of issues concerning women it is impossible aspire for any change in the condition of women in India. This then brings forward that lack of safety, and security for women, which made newspaper headlines recently, making it a law and order issue. Even though women's issues are brushed off as an issue of culture, the crux of the matter is that it is a law and order issue. Until the government establishes a separate judicial body and police infrastructure to address the women's issues the status quo would remain with little change.