The real face of Woman Empowerment in India
In a country where 1.3 billion people are having a tug of war to make ends meet, is women empowerment even an issue of importance? It is gross that even after women have made it to different areas like the arts, sports, politics, education and space, empowering has not yet knocked the doors of some women who are still braving hardships. It’s almost unbelievable how most women fight left, right and centre to see that little spark of light in their lives.
Stories of HER
#1 — She was married off at an early age. Probably by 19, she recalls. At the hands of her inlaws, she faced crippling domestic violence. Out of the three daughters she gave birth to, the younger one and her husband bid her an early goodbye. After which, she also witnessed the death of her elder daughter who by then had two babies now left with her to look after. It was a tough time, as she was constantly ill-treated by her inlaws but had no other option but to take care of the infants and her only daughter. She struggled through her life, at first working as a maid and then as a tailor. She then decided to put her tailoring experience to work in a bag making business and was finally empowering women like her to do the same. But her life came to a crippling halt when she was diagnosed with cancer. Fortunately, she was cured of her illness and returned back to expand her bag making business with courage gathered than ever before.
#2 — It was 4 years ago that her family faced a financial crisis. Due to which her husband developed a mental disorder and has been staying at home since then. With two young children to look after she could not help but find work in other people’s homes. Finally, she came across rickshaw drivers training for women and learned to drive after working as a security guard and as an insurance agent. Although she managed to buy a rickshaw on loan, the other drivers who were all men made life miserable for her. They wouldn’t let her stay in the queue, puncture the tyres and threaten her to leave. But her fight was for survival and she wouldn’t give up until her voice was heard loud enough. Today life with her rikshaw is peaceful and she rides her passengers home with the same strength with which she drives her family.
#3 — She started living the life of a married woman in the first year of her college. Life took a deviation to do household chores while her dream was to continue studying. While her husband was away to work, she joined a madrasa to teach students from underprivileged families. Where she met girl children who worked as maids while struggling to attend classes at the same time. The girls she taught dreamt high of their future which motivated her to further pursue her education. She finally completed her teaching training and education managing her family hand-in-hand. Today she recalls how much she loves teaching and doesn’t get tired of doing it even after 15 long years.
These stories do not end as long as there are women in India like them who never let their circumstances define their destiny. While some defied their caste, class and gender boundaries to chase their dreams, others somehow found a way to pick up their lives from the mess it had fallen into. These women are the representations of every other “she” and “her” who do every bit of what they can to have power over their lives. But, this also points at an alarming reality that the oiled-structure of patriarchy is present in families despite the urban or rural society in which these women belonged to. And also that many such women are left to counter with its effects in India even in the 21st century.
What is really the perspective of “empowered women” in our country?
There is a lot of background “noise” associated with women empowerment. Much of it has to do with the virtual cry of feminist movements that fight against the gender imbalance in society. But the gender bias is only one step into ensuring women empowerment. And for those who buy into this story do not understand other forms of injustice that are easily swept under the rug. So, What does an empowered woman in a 73-year-old independent India even look like? We believe it has the footprints of those women in the stories above.
Next time you see a woman who is struggling to put her life together instead of the male counterpart in the family, you can call her an empowered woman. Next time you walk across the street and notice a daily wage working woman taking home the little she makes every day to feed her family, you can call her an empowered woman. Next time, you see a girl child fighting the odds of society to educate herself and make a living for her future, you call her an empowered woman. Any woman who went straight ahead to crush the walls that stood erect for decades before her is an empowered woman.
How can you contribute to empowering a woman?
- Education is key to the success of any individual. If not it can get rid of most of the abuses that girl children face at an early age in their lives. Girls who are denied education are usually pushed into child marriages, trafficking, labour and other abuses. The Global Education Monitoring report’s that if a girl child is educated for 12 years it is likely that the rates of child marriage worldwide may go down to 64%. An educated girl turns out to be an asset to her family and herself contributing to the earning of the family up to 50% more than what men do. In fact, when a girl is educated she is increasingly aware of what is right for her, to set boundaries and stand up against violence. She gives birth to fewer children who are healthy, educated with better life expectancies. Therefore, supporting the education of a girl child is the first and biggest donation you can ever make.
- Women-led organisations small and big are great places to donate, shop or support. How good would it be if you helped do your bit in expanding their livelihood opportunities? You might as well contribute to women shelters or share your knowledge to improve their work experience.
- Change begins from home. You can appreciate the women and girls around you to be their real self, to never hold back from using their voice, to celebrate their self-expression and to make them aware of how strong, special and capable they are.
Pattem Foundation also believes that a quality life is a right and not a privilege restricted to any gender. And we stand together to bring not just economic relief to our women in India but a huge share of confidence and self-worth. In order to reach out to those women who are still under the fault lines of our society, we have devised women empowerment initiatives to bring donors, supporters, and volunteers to make true happiness a reality to every woman. When you donate, share your time or refer a friend, you encourage a woman to take action. Your support matters to us!
