Women want change, society needs change

Source: This post has been created based on the article “Women want change, society needs change” published in The Hindu on 11^th October 2023.

UPSC Syllabus Topic: GS Paper 2 Social Justice — Welfare schemes for vulnerable sections of the population by the Centre and States and the performance of these schemes.

News: This article discusses the necessity of the recent Women’s Reservation Act in enabling gender parity. It also highlights the privileges enjoyed by women in leadership positions and changes in regressive ideas required for women emancipation.

Global Gender Gap Report 2023 concluded that at the current rate of progress, it will take 131 years to close the global gender gap; and 149 years in South Asian countries including India.

What are some misplaced criticisms of the policy of women’s reservation?

Reservation is the most effective form of affirmative action and equity is the first step to equality. Excuses such as it leading to inefficiency or incompetency are simply means to guard spaces from ousted classes.

Incompetencies, even if they arise, are short term, and are removed soon after opportunity for skill building is made available.

Statistics show that women perform much better than men in academics, more women graduate from colleges than men, and more women enter the workforce than men.

In contrast to this trend, the number of women is sharply lower in leadership positions not because of their incompetence, but because of the hegemony of men.

Across the world, women are appreciated by society in supportive and emotional roles, but very seldom in leadership roles. The world hates and denigrates ambitious women.

In the Indian context, India was early to adopt universal adult suffrage, but the participation of women in the country’s polity still remains minimal. Hence, affirmative action was needed.

In light of this, the Women’s Reservation Bill, 2023, cleared overwhelmingly by both Houses, was a ground-breaking event.

The present Bill is the first step towards actualizing gender parity.

What has been the socio-economic background of women in leadership roles?

Historical evidence points out that most women who have assumed leadership roles did not get there by sheer industry, competence and intelligence.

Historical evidence also shows that most women in leadership positions have a mix of privileges — of higher education, the support of influential mentors or families, or belong to upper classes or castes, or nepotistic advantage.

They were allowed only for the convenience of men who were disqualified from assuming these positions, or, if it served some political agenda.

In India, women leaders were, most often, just convenient choices.

What is the issue with privileged women in leadership positions?

Privileged women who assume leadership are not supportive or empathetic to the aspirations of those women who do not even have access to basic needs.

For instance, the All-India Women’s Conference, the Women’s Indian Association, and the Central Committee of the National Council of Women in India demanded neither discriminatory nor favorable treatment based on gender in legislative representation in the Round Table Conference.

The biggest block in the realizing of gender parity is the regressive views held by men and women. It is time to quickly set right historical wrongs. Women want change. Society needs change. And there is no reason why it should be late.