Women's Empowerment Year

Anu Celly talked to men and women belonging to different professions and occupations in order to reveal their views on what women’s empowerment means to them and what are the ways and means in which empowerment can be sought.

Brinda Karat "No amount of legislation will be effective as long as the political will to promote gender equity is absent. On the one hand, the government's globalisation policies are pushing women below the poverty line, and on the other, it announces an 'Empowerment Year'.	Najma Heptulla "All three sessions of Parliament are over but the Women's Reservation Bill has not even been discussed. When the government is not ready to give political empowerment to women, how will economic empowerment be possible?"	Shabana Azmi "Change towards empowerment can only come through drastic changes in mindsets. And for that, we need more than seminars and slogans. A film festival on women too was part of the agenda— but do these get translated into changes in women's daily routines?”

Beginning with a bang, ending with a whimper
Sakuntala Narasimhan

The Government of India had ushered in the new millennium by declaring the year 2001 as Women's Empowerment Year, to focus on "Our vision in the new century of a nation where women are equal partners with men". Thus spake Union Minister for Human Resources Development, Murli Manohar Joshi, in a nation-wide announcement a year ago. He was purportedly endorsing Mahatma Gandhi's belief: "As long as women of India do not take part in public life, there can be no salvation for the country."

So what was the grandiose official declaration all about? A lot of programmes with fancy names, for one—Swa-Shakti ("to help women empower themselves"). Swayam Sidha came with an allocation of Rs 116 crore to benefit 9 lakh women through micro-credit programmes (9 lakh in a rural female population of around 30 crore, works out to under 0.3 per cent); Stree Shakti; Balika Samrudhi Yojana; and some 2,000 other projects, all with unimpeachable good intentions.

Grand words and intentions no doubt— if only they had got translated into real and meaningful programmes for women's betterment. To give only one example— by the end of this year, a mere Rs 5 crore has materialised of the Rs 116 crore allocated to the Swayam Sidha programme.

Political empowerment still remains a distant dream for Indian women. The Congress party began the "empowerment year" by lowering its quota for women in the AICC panel, after announcing its allegiance to 33 per cent representation. Reservation for women in Parliament was among the promises made in the ruling BJP's election manifesto. Three years after the Vajpayee government came to power, the Bill still remains in cold storage. It is not a priority for the government, 'empowerment' promises notwithstanding. Politics, not equity, is the deciding factor.

"Women's Empowerment Year was announced with much fanfare. But where are the results? Except for organising seminars and making speeches, what has the government done?" asks Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairperson Najma Heptulla. "All three sessions of Parliament are over but the Women's Reservation Bill has not even been discussed. When the government is not ready to give political empowerment to women, how will economic empowerment be possible?" As for the programmes announced by the government, Heptulla feels that they should be considered normal developmental initiatives. "After all, women are 50 per cent of the population so the government is supposed to formulate such programmes. They are not special to Empowerment Year."

The number of family courts to help resolve matrimonial disputes, was supposed to be increased from 85 to nearly 500 during the year. That target is nowhere near being met. The National Commission for Women was supposed to acquire more powers during the empowerment year. Nothing has been heard about this, either.

A Bill for protection against domestic violence is still pending in Parliament. And another proposed Bill against sexual harassment in the workplace has not even been tabled.

But as one battered roadside woman banana seller said when asked to comment on such initiatives, "Is the sarkar going to stay in my hut to ensure that I don't get beaten up by my alcoholic husband every day?" Pushing the sari edge off her shoulder, she showed purple bruises along her neck and back where he had hit her. "Where can I go?" she said plaintively. This, then, is the reality of women's lives. As activist Member of Parliament Shabana Azmi points out, "Change towards empowerment can only come through drastic changes in mindsets." And for that, we need more than seminars and slogans.

Discrimination against women was all pervasive in 2001. For instance, a female joint secretary in the law ministry made news recently with a complaint regarding sexual discrimination and harassment. She is now suing the secretary of the department. The Central Administrative Tribunal has conceded that her grievance was valid and that she had been denied the promotion she deserved, but the government that has proclaimed its commitment to gender equity has moved the High Court contesting her claim.

The end of the 'empowerment' year also saw reports about an IPS (police service) officer and an ex-serviceman arrested in dowry cases. The Dowry Prohibition Act has been in force for four decades, and yet, at the beginning of a new millennium professedly ushering in a new era for women, those responsible for enforcing the law are among those accused in dowry cases. These are not isolated examples but cases that typify the social milieu.

December also saw a controversy about the participation of a minister in a mass marriage mela in north Karnataka where several brides were reported to be under-age. Child marriages, banned by law, continue to take place and get reported in the media. And nothing happens. Whether it is technology or tradition, the female, and the girl child in particular, co ntinues to be treated as a lesser being, even at the end of "Women's Empowerment Year.

As Brinda Karat, general secretary of the All India Democratic Women's Association observes, "No amount of legislation will be effective as long as the political will to promote gender equity is absent." On the one hand, she points out, the government's globalisation policies are pushing women below the poverty line, and on the other, it announces an 'Empowerment Year'. Feminist-activist Madhu Kishwar, likewise, strongly decries the gimmicks of announcing new programmes, which merely mean "more money spent on seminars, more paper work and more siphoning off of funds".

True, seminars were planned on women's property rights, a micro-credit 'summit' was planned, a task force was asked to submit a report and five national Stree Shakti Awards were instituted in the names of eminent women. And a film festival on women too was part of the agenda - but do these get translated into changes in women's daily routines?

At another level, the year's pre-budget economic survey was supposed to "take gender aboard", with a gender review chapter. But in reality, this budget had less on women-specific proposals than earlier ones — less than five per cent of the budget goes on gender-specific expenditure.

Credit facilities and economic betterment do not guarantee that a woman's vulnerability to domestic violence is reduced, or that the woefully low rates of conviction in rape and dowry harassment cases (less than three per cent) get addressed. Extending loans does not address the need to change social perceptions (especially male viewpoints) regarding a 'woman's place in society and in the family'.

And then there are a series of other examples, culled from the last month of women's empowerment year, which show how ineffective these grandiose declarations have been.

A woman of Bangarpet in Karnataka committed suicide after throwing her four young daughters into a well because she could no longer bear the harassment and taunts from her husband and in-laws for failing to produce a male child. Science has proved that it is the father's chromosomes rather than the mother's, which determine the sex of the conceived child, and yet, socio-cultural attitudes of son-preference are such that a woman is blamed, to the point of driving her to suicide, for not producing a male offspring.

Then there was a leading English newspaper which caused a furore among women's organisations and activists by publishing an editorial in support of an advertisement it carried, for a 'gender selection kit' for couples desiring sons. Given the pervasive socio-cultural preference for male progeny and the relentless reduction in the sex ratio from 972 to 927 per 1,000 males during the century, this justification of an ad for pre-natal selection in the name of "freedom of choice for couples" shows that even senior media persons who mould public opinion are not sensitive to the implications of gender inequities.

Pre-natal sex determination tests (which facilitate abortions if the foetus is a girl) are illegal, but the debate generated by the advertisements for the 'Gen-Select kit' revolved around whether it was "better not to conceive daughters, than to eliminate them through abortion". What kind of "empowerment" do women enjoy, if modern technology merely provides more alternatives for 'doing away with the female', before or after conception?

So much for official enthusiasm and effectiveness in carrying out rules meant to improve the status of women in society. It was left to a non-governmental organisation (NGO) to file a case in the Supreme Court to draw attention to the large-scale illegal sex determination procedures being carried out in different parts of the country. In response, the Court summoned the health secretaries of 11 major states to chastise them for flouting a court order decreeing punishment for clinics that continue to conduct illegal sex determination tests. The Act prohibiting the misuse of ultrasound techniques for determining the sex of the foetus has been in force since 1994, and yet the three-judge bench of the Supreme Court expressed serious doubts about the commitment of the officers to enforcing the law.

And finally, we asked 10 women chosen at random from among construction labourers, nurses and office assistants, what the empowerment year meant to them. Seven of them did not know about it, two said these gimmicks would do little to change their lives, and only one thought it was a good idea.

This is the crux, and till socio-cultural attitudes are addressed, there can be little meaningful empowerment for gender parity.

Nirmal Bhatia, President, Inner Wheel Club:

The Constitution of India grants equality to women in various fields of life. Yet they continue to suffer domestic violence, gender discrimination and exploitation. Women make up 52 per cent of our country’s population. Hence there can be no progress unless their needs and interests are fully met. Women should be made strong, aware and alert. Politics should be framed to bring them into the mainstream of life. They should be empowered both economically and socially so that, along with men, they can become equal partners in the task of national development.

The most important aspect to be kept in mind when we talk of empowering women is that a woman has a distinct identity and voice of her own. She should be heard and not just to be seen, she should be paid heed to and not treated with an air of diffidence and indifference. Empowerment has to be a way of life, of striking a balance between one’s rights and duties and of making a space for oneself. Empowerment is a state of mind and denotes how strongly one fortifies oneself against oppression through physical strength, psychological security and financial independence.

Since, the connotation of empowerment is not related to the five senses but has a direct impact on the intellect, perhaps, an empowered human being is more intellectually awakened. When the empowerment of women takes place, there dawns a renaissance of intelligent decision-making. This phenomenon has already taken place and is building up to a forceful crescendo. No organisation, society or even a nation can survive and grow unless it taps every existing resource. Women are very capable of deciding about all options for the good of not only other women but also in the larger interests of society.

Understanding of the oppressive forces which systematically marginalise women to a disadvantageous position and a right to exercise her free will under all circumstances is what I call ‘women’s empowerment’. But, at the same time, it has to be self-assertion combined with a collective resistance that can challenge the basic power relations between men and women. In fact, to me the term means a remodelling of the social attitude and challenging the basic social structure that perpetuates the subjugation of women. A woman should be instilled with confidence and self-respect so that she can transcend the complex web of religious sanctions, social taboos and cultural conventions.

In my view, just the celebrations don’t mean a thing unless the government caters to the basic needs and problems of women at large, especially among the so-termed lower classes. There should be greater participation in the political process especially from the grassroots level and problems like dowry deaths, character assassination and even the poor sanitation and bad roads in our areas should be rectified. The police needs to be more receptive and positive towards women who approach them for true empowerment to occur. (As translated from Punjabi)

To me, women’s empowerment means creating an enabling environment which ensures that women realise their fullest potential on a par with men. This requires affirmative action in various fields – social, political, economic and religious. As an I.A.S. officer, I have not encountered any problems which can be attributed solely to my being a woman officer. Everywhere women are storming the male bastions – we have women in boardrooms, finance, administration, stock-markets, advertising etc. where they are doing exceedingly well. (Behind every successful woman, there are thousands of unsuccessful men!)

(name changed on request):

Though the year 2001 has been observed as the "Women’s Empowerment Year", yet most people would ask, "What is the necessity to empower women?" The answer obviously is that without adequate empowerment for women, any step taken for the uplift of society cannot be successful. In the case of women, it has been the lack of authority, autonomy and bargaining power that renders women without any redress in the face of exploitation and injustice. Women’s empowerment challenges the existing power relations in society, requires the development of skills and access to resources like credit, income, land, labour, and even the freedom to have a say in subjective variables like marriage, sexuality and reproduction.

Though the Women’s Empowerment Year was celebrated, but have many women come up in politics and public service? Only few courageous women have been able to wriggle through the male- dominated society and make their mark in these fields. Whenever the women of India have tried to rise, they’ve always been suppressed by men who think that women are good only for household chores. Its high time we stopped looking down on women and encourage them because a woman is equal to a man, no less.

Women are the weakest link in Indian democracy and illiteracy, inequality and gender bias are the main reasons for this. The solution lies in opening residential coaching centres for girls at the block, primary, tehsil levels and also after matric. Even at district level, centres should be set up after plus two for higher education. Preference in admission should be given to girl children of widows, deserted and low income group, irrespective of caste and greed. These centres should be above politics and provide multi-dimensional opportunities of education for girls to shine in every sphere and explore their skills and enhance them.

For me the true definition of empowerment means total respect for women. It is wrong to devaluate women and they should always be revered as mothers, sisters and daughters for the progress of our nation. Reservation in jobs will facilitate women in reaching the highest positions of authority. For this vocational training and even adult education programmes ought to be initiated for them.