Gender Justice, Why & How?

There's hardly any qualitative distinction between a child and a grown up woman when it comes to defining of an ideal child or woman .They are ideal and praiseworthy when they listen, obey and follow the man or men whom they belong to both socially and individually. Women all over have more or less accepted their secondary social status either under compulsions or obligations or both .They are expected to compromise and that just means 'Get back or else …!' They are supposed to be the peace keeping force at least at family level if not at the global level. There's hardly any society or even a democracy in the modern world that speaks out against this historically in built societal role of women.
In case they dare resist or protest, there's an ultimate weapon flashed against them; The Religion. Indeed it's a weapon used by one and all in male-chaunistic world to
define the women's role. The man's worldly religion (that survives on myths, mystification, morals and marriages about women all over) has ever been busy in transforming woman's natural capacities into 'natural restrictions' For them, its God sent, eternal and hence unchangeable. We would never know if the Almighty ever thought about gender justice or at least general justice while playing Chief Justice of the Universe! In a sense, God and Religion in the civilized societies have proved to be the worst grounds of pessimism to keep the women from enjoying social, economic and gender justice. The political systems designed and developed by the men have also been proved to be systems functioning against human rights of the enslaved men and more so in case of women's human rights. The men's God, Religion and politics have no room for Eva.
May be it's our problem and we have to solve it in our own interest. We have democratic societies, culture, religions and a fine blend of them, laws, rules and regulations that have some views and counterviews about women around. They also keep talking a lot about their roles, rights, duties, of course again in terms of their status as mother, wife and daughter. No Great Escape for the poor lot called women folk. The women all over the World longed for nothing more than equal social status within their societies and nations but still appear to be languishing without securing anything much tangible to their credit. Is it because there's something called male superiority to women that holds the men folk back just because they keep doing certain jobs that seek more physical strength which the women folk lacks ? When it comes to natural build up of the body proper, nature has endowed the female with awesome capabilities to bear and rear her off springs. We call the earth 'the mother 'precisely for her in built capabilities to hold every thing she creates and procreates including her 'Masters' who boast themselves to be stronger than the 'Mistresses' for no absolute reason. But then, even the reasoning has been gagged and women have been non plussed for centuries.
The presumption is still effective and influential even though science and technology have made us realize that physical power or strength has nothing to do with productive efficiencies. A Car, a type writer, a computer or plane won't question your sexual status but knowledge, training, skills and alertness while working or operating them .The S& T has cleared lot of myths and doubts about women's capacities and capabilities but the
fundamentalists and communalists have maintained strongest apprehensions against the near half of the humankind through out.

The globalization process also rose to encourage discussions on empowerment of women that came up during the fourth International Women's Conference held in Beijing in 1995. Earlier, UN Decade for Women(1975-85) spoke out for gender justice in the context of ever growing fundamentalism and communalism that played heavy weight against women empowerment that came up for world wide debate during Beijing conference. The women representatives from various nations in all continents spoke and shared their plea, experiences, observations, comments and well defined plans to create a place of their own in the men's world. There was something quite common and mutual in their plight irrespective of their nationality; communal forces and their outfits had succeeded in strengthening their hold on key spheres of the state or nation and society challenged and shared by their own mothers, wives, sisters and daughters. They also held at ransom the Constitutions and judiciaries followed by Communalization of culture, Media, Religion, Ethics. Morals and life styles that dared locate some space and vent for their sexual counterparts all over. The issue in main for the fundamentalists was so much simple; " How dare women divorcees, widows, deserted, and single women and minors stay without male protection?" It means the fundamentalists and communal politicians in each well established civilized society have had something in common to share ;Dear Women, never take our love for granted ; it comes with a tag.. You deserve NO liberty.
Yes! Communal Politics has played a succeeding role in determining the role and rights and limits of women of course without their consent!
Though the G-process opened flood gates for welcoming empowerment of women in key spheres in developing competent nations ,mainly to serve the imperial interests and it allowed certain space for women to speak out their case , the over all process also restricted areas of operation and they in main consisted of beauty contests, fashion shows , ideal moms and hubbies,sexuality etc. that carried and spread the inherent message of secondary and subjugated citizenship for women in the man's trans national marketing process and promoted pro male mental set up.
For now, woman is effectively projected by all the MNCs as viable and easily available means of consummation and consumption .For them (MNCs) the new woman is one all set ready for a go to make her man happy .Our eyes are sour to the sight of half clad beauties sitting or spreading over newest models of cars and bikes .First you will see the luring beauty that's looking at you and roll your eye balls over the vehicle which you hardly can afford to own .But nothing wrong in fantasizing in owning both the beauty and the beast for a moment and You have carried the message; both are created for you and you alone! The Media has played a role in the process. They carry those lustrous ads and the modern happy-go-like nucleus families fantasize with the characters for a while. So is case with No .of other products which project women in their conventional roles; they are free to choose any one of them! Is this new woman is really free (of chains) or just free of charge?
But this is again is not without hidden roles of communal politics and culture. The beauties are from Europe or US since western culture and religion have been projected to
be 'liberal 'in attitude towards women. They love half clad women moving around like tail wielding cows .But show a beauty from Islamic world and they are sure to get another 9/11 within no time. Come India and see the Ideal women popularly known as Bhaaratiya Naari doing her surf washing, carrying cup of coffee or tea for the just returned seemingly tired hubby or a kid jumping straight into the kitchen for a Maggie soup or noodle plate and the ideal mom clad in designer saari serves him what HE wants with a smile.
For Indian male and female, culture and religion move hand in hand and they perform their age old duties as if they are human rights .Even the Indian Constitution has not dared question the practice but allows to continue unhindered. This has proved to be a fine case as to why IC has not made inroads in the family norms designed and nourished since Manusmriti times. As a matter of fact, both IC and Manusmriti have come up with some compromise; IC to take care of political and economic Rights and duties of the Indian citizens and Manusmriti will survive peacefully within the four walls of Hindu families' as it is religion and culture for them with which they identify themselves .Manusmriti just outlines codified duties for man and woman and asserts those duties as eternal. If you flip through some pages, you will come across a fact that it's the Right of man to see to the effective ands result oriented adherence to the duties designed and devised exclusively for woman !The Indian society still prefers to identify it's existence in tune with Manusmriti rather than Indian Constitution .
Yes! It's a matter of choice for free Indians but still so much chained to the social system that never spoke in favor of liberty, equality and fraternity and socio-economic-gender justice.
Let's have a look at the Indian women folk. A recent statistics observes that 85 per cent women in India are religious in practice. They are Hindu in general sense. What about those women with other followings? They are not Hindus in the first place; belong to 'other' religions and faiths and mostly the women belonging to tribal or 'uncivilized' lot that constitute 8 per cent of Indian demography .They (the tribal) have cultures but not religion of their own. Can we say these 15 per cent women lot is secular and enjoys every right conferred on them by the Indian Constitution? Or rather they go by primitive standards of gender justice? This 15% lot must be in parliament or Assemblies by such standards but you still find them in their jungles, Churches and mosques.

Muslim women, they have a different story altogether .When Islam in origin speaks out for equal status and respect for women, the Islamites all over have designed a distinct language of their own and each Muslim woman in India knows well what it stores for her! She is under complete control of introvert Muslim men, clergies, leaders and their fatwa.

If you think Buddhist women enjoy equal status, just meet some of them; they can't call their husbands by personal names, their hubbies or male folk doesn't help them in household work; the women go out to fetch water while the Buddhist males assemble nearby doing nothing. While Jains(trading community) who believe in non-violence etc. have women with single social job; raise rates of dowry for their highly placed sons and nieces and celebrate when a son is born in the family! Equal rights for women? It's western and foreign to us!

The Indian Constitution has conferred equal socio-fundamental rights to each Indian citizen regardless of gender, religion, caste, creed and place of domicile within political and geographical boundaries of India since 26.1.1950. The Indian socio political scenario suggests something else for Indian women. They are destined to learn and practice the religious duties enshrined in Manusmriti that was 'kind enough' to confer lowest status to Indian women in the stratified versions of Manusmriti. So it's here lies the reason why
we have 85 per cent of women practising religious duties for; life time ambitions that include in main, a good husband, healthy kids, stable income and some security .

We now have a Government that says, 'Literate woman means literate family' .And on the face of it we have some around to say 'Literate woman means religious woman '.The learned city dwelling woman has proved to manage both of these features and that must speak out for her in built capabilities to compromise anything that comes her way. That's her version of empowerment; she opts to acquire more and more form man's world step by step without hurting his ego, buying his nod salted with some convenient murmurs worth ignoring.
does cater needs of the vulnerable women in various areas of operation ;they need education, training in self employment, better wages and earnings , some encouragement for saving their own earnings, need a legal and ethical support to protect them from atrocities unleashed on them by their husbands and in-laws , local leaders and Police administration.
They also seek defense against forced marriages and unrestricted flesh trade and prostitution which again have religious sanctions. Rapes have now become a rule to stay rather than exception. Rapes, sexual abuse and sexploitation of women were unknown during pre-historic times .But they have now become cruel most means of control over female body surrounded and justified by fundamentalists, fascists, communal politicians, MNCs ,cynic policy makers, male chaunistic political parties and communalized societies at the root level. The feminist version of 'Our Body Ourselves" has hardly any taker even when the humankind has stepped in 21st century.



Case for empowerment

Background

The issue of women empowerment came into live debate in India during 90s when the then Congress Govt. was apparently busy in sorting out the aftermaths of Dunkel Draft that solicited unilateral globalization process that went duly in favour of US imperialism. Conversion of GATT into WTO. The GOI probably for the first time since independence, sought consensus on the India's role and share in globalization process that initially boasted to bring together all the nations on the earth for all round material development and progress and war less world. Nicknamed 'Global Village ', the process had an hidden agenda to gain and regain due support from the less fortunate nations recognized by the UN and its auxiliary units to ensure imperial interests in the New World Order .It soon turned out to be a clash of sharing world markets and MNC sharks from the West world had to retreat two step backward when some Asian nations set their tigers free to face those sharks.

We need understand what made the powerful nations to switch over from unilateral globalization debate sprinkled with awesome sanctions on nations that questioned political motives behind the so called New World Order to enter into amicable 'dialogues' with less fortunate nations including India . It was a resolute measure to rule the world under the guise of Whiteman's Burden II .The first one opened it's jaws and paws during 18th century during industrial revolution era followed by building up of industrial societies during British colonialism. The Burden II has been unleashed by the US imperialism and is here to stay with 'reachable and rechargeable' compromises with frightened but alert nations .India was instrumental in devising GATT during 1948 and India is still instrumental in mitigating the tensions created during last two decades or so while switching over from GATT to WTO regime .India did pay a price for the episode by agreeing to take up structural adjustments back home( privatization, liberalization and globalization popularly known as KHAUJA – Khasagikaran, Udarikaran and Jagatikikaran).

Will and Ariel Durant defined the new world order in their unique way,'
" The fear of capitalism compelled socialism to widen freedom and the fear of socialism has compelled capitalism to increase equality."

Since India is a unique nation that has combined salient features of both capitalism and socialism during post independence era for planned economic development, we have no way but to view and review the process in the context of what the Durant preferred to observe as it fits well to Indian situation and psyche.

The Indian Govt. ventured into the 'New World Order ' by honoring the 'dialogues' with horny G-8 and launched heavy preparations to convince the Indian voting class simultaneously about its strategic moves and measures to direct the g-process to India's advantage in the long run. One of the measures adopted was Empowerment of the deprived sections including women by allowing some space in high level decisions making process and dignified self employment
It came in package for development, construction of free express high ways inter- connecting all zones, project funding, roping in NGOs, dis-investment measures ,33% Reservation for women in Parliament, State Assemblies , local Bodies and Panchyats, small saving schemes for self employed women and group insurance of the rural artisans ,bank-funding for housing and higher education , measures to raise purchasing power of the employed sections ,promotion of marketing co-operatives, Reservations and filling of posts for OBCs, support new avenues for generating employment and self-sustaining jobs etc.


It also came up with another line of measures; closure of non-performing production units both in Govt. and private sector, VRS, reduction of grants, grant-in-aid and other financial assistance by lessening burden of on plan expenditure for rural industrialization etc.
It as well came with modest smile to welcome the fresh white men burdened with their briefcases full of proposals, offers, collaborations, investment and market plans, take over designs ,electronic house hold appliances and gadgets , donations , project aids, Soft loans, ATM cards, soft drinks , designer clothes, burgers , home delivery system, health care aids , Viagra and pills , call centers and you can make your own additions in the list . All these measures have some share in the making of New Urban India!

Case for women empowerment

Let's ponder for a while over what exactly we mean by Empowerment of women.
Is it something the women in India and elsewhere wish to acquire in the Man's World with or without struggles? How the Government keeps soliciting for women empowerment and tries to keep from it at the same time? What is holding the political parties back over the issue of 33% Reservations in legislatives? Is it the case for earmarking 30% of the seats for OBC and other categories within 33% still under debate? Do we have any plans on hand or mind to curtail drop out rates of girls at primary and secondary level? Can we say women in corporate and service sector efficiently working at par with their male counter parts can be an ideal case for empowered women? Do we have any logical answers for increasing atrocities on new women in the same old way ? Can we dare say a woman farm worker demanding a mere Rs.10 or 20 rise in her wages deserves gang rape by the land lords or their Crop Protection force in broad day light in public? Or at least have we any answers for those women outfits with extreme right wings parties and fundamentalist groups instigating their male foot soldiers to gang rape and destroy the Muslim women and girls during communal riots? What is our stand towards nuns and sisters attacked and paraded naked by the fascist groups within free India now planning for women empowerment?



The circumstances and ground realities compel one to categorize the empowering women in India in the following way;

1. Empowerment of women under Constitutional provisions that are known only to
the students of Political Science in Colleges and the toiling women have no
Knowledge of their citizenship and rights (The rural India)
2. Empowerment of women step by step with religious approval and consents from
Husbands both liberal in attitude and henpecked ones. (The great Indian middle
Class mainly located in cities and towns.)
3. Empowerment of women in affirmative sense in all areas with a view to identify
Their political space and involve them in decision and policy making process in
7.
Progress from village to national level.(The Indian Dance of Democracy)
4. Empowerment of women by honest implementation of the fundamental rights
Provided under Indian Constitution, refurbished through the Mandal
Commission's recommendations and incorporated in UPA's Common Minimum
Program. (Yet undecided consensus among political parties ranging from
Extreme right to extreme left wing parties and paths.
5. Empowerment of women through NGOs and women groups by extending
Funds and facilities by the Govt. (Role of true representatives of the people in
A secular democracy with due commitment and ideological clarity.) .

As it may, the fifth category is to stay to pursue the case for the first four categories. Indeed, the ngos have been supporting the cause of women empowerment in a big but scattered way. The development process is project based, time bound and isolated .It therefore calls for unifying the efforts or at least share and keep the interactions alive.
The Indian secular democracy aims at sustainable socio-economic and gender justice and empowered woman is to respond positively by extending helping hand to those yet in waiting for empowerment with or without any help from men around them.

The women in the past made the earth live worthy for human kind. The present women feel powerless and much disturbed as human beings. The future belongs to women empowered.
After all, what the men want from women?
Peace on Earth. Peaceful society. Peaceful mind .Women can create it if only the men don't disturb it and accept a society based on peaceful co-existence of men and women……… Rest will follow!

--Pradeep Deshpande (Socio-Economic-Political Writer)