Jobs For Women: Why India Does Worse Than Somalia

As Women’s Day rolls in and various debates around the Indian woman unfold–such as her role, education, freedom, responsibilities and job prospects–one thing is clear: the percentage of women in India’s workforce is declining.

Women’s workforce participation in India is the lowest among the BRICS nations. A range of countries, such as Bahrain, Malaysia and even Somalia (37%) do much better.

A law with flaws

By M H Ahssan

If the government fails to take on board some of the constructive suggestions made on the draft Women's Reservation Bill, it might not serve the purpose for which it has been conceived.

Here we go again. Even those who feel most passionately on this subject must now feel weary at hearing the same set of arguments repeated for and against the long-pending Women's Reservation Bill. While across party lines women politicians are convinced that the Bill must go through - the notable exceptions being Jaya Prada of the Samajwadi Party and Uma Bharati of the Bharatiya Janashakti Party - the same set of male politicians who opposed it in the past continue to do so.

Sharad Yadav of the Janata Dal (United), who will long be remembered for his remark that the Bill would bring into Parliament more women with short hair, has once again staked his claim to notoriety by threatening to drink poison rather than allow the Bill to pass. Although he has retracted this comment, his penchant for the dramatic remains unaltered over the years. Of the other Yadavs, Mulayam sets out the same arguments as Sharad, about a separate quota for Backward Castes, while Lalu, after initially maintaining a diplomatic silence, has now aligned himself with Mulayam and Sharad. And interestingly, while the BJP is whole-heartedly supporting the Bill, its allies, JD (U) and Shiv Sena are opposing it.

Real possibility
The major difference this time from the episodes in the past when the Bill was introduced and then pushed to committee in the face of opposition is that the government has enough support to get two-thirds of the votes in Parliament. Thus, regardless of the threats and noises made by those who oppose it, the Bill could be passed.

It will not happen overnight or even within the 100 days promised by the government because it is still in committee and that committee has to be reconstituted. Given the way these processes work, even setting up a new Committee on Law and Justice will take some time. So the earliest we could see the Bill emerge again would be in the winter session of Parliament. A great deal can happen before that eventuality.

In its anxiety to push through the Bill, the government could brush aside genuine reservations about the current draft of the law and place it before the House unchanged. If there is a constructive debate, something that is not at all guaranteed, then once again the Bill could go into committee to incorporate recommendations. If there is no debate but disruption, as in the past, the government might withdraw it and send it to committee. Or if there is some debate but little opposition, the Bill could go through in its current form.

The last outcome would be the most unsatisfactory. For, if the government fails to take on board some of the constructive suggestions that have been made on the draft, the Bill that is placed in Parliament and somehow pushed through might not serve the purpose for which it has been conceived. The main reason for advocating a quota for women in Parliament is because women do not have a level playing field in the world of politics. Even though political parties have promised to field more women candidates, in fact their numbers have not increased. More women were elected to the 15th Lok Sabha because women's success rate is much higher than that of men. Given this, if political parties had ensured that at least a third of their candidates were women, it is possible that their number in Parliament would have seen a dramatic increase. That this has not happened illustrates the problem women face, particularly those without family connections, to find a place in the political arena.

A quota will automatically bring up the numbers. But will it make a difference? Who are the women who will get elected? The Yadavs believe that this will only empower the "elite class" of women. That can only be proven if tested.

Doesn't work
What has been tested and has not worked satisfactorily is the system of rotation of seats. Through the 73rd and 74th amendment, the 33 per cent reservation for women in panchayats and nagar palikas is implemented by reserving one third of the constituencies for women. But as this changes after each election, women cannot stand from the same constituency. A study by the Panchayati Raj Ministry had recommended that this system be scrapped as they found that only 15 per cent of the women got re-elected for a second term.

This happens because when male politicians find that their constituency has been reserved for women, they make their wives or women relatives contest. And once the constituency reverts to being general, they reclaim it and send the women back to the kitchen. Thus, the women literally tend the constituency for their men until it can be returned to them. This makes a mockery of the spirit in which the idea of quotas was conceived. Only a few women have managed to break through and win from "general" seats after first having won through the women's quota.

Needs review
Several alternative systems have been mooted but none of them are as simple to implement as the rotation system. Even so, given the experience at the local government level, the issue of whether the Bill should continue with the rotation system for Parliament and State assemblies must be addressed before the final draft of the Bill is placed in the House.

We love symbols in this country. We have a woman President and a woman Speaker of the Lok Sabha. We also have powerful women heading leading national parties. But all of this and the Women's Reservation Bill together do not necessarily add up to women's "empowerment". Symbolism serves a purpose if it is followed up by solid programmes and efforts that can make a difference to the lives of women, that can give them economic and physical security and above all that can guarantee that their voices will be heard regardless of their caste or class.

Lifestyle@Work: What Women Do And Men Ought To Do?

By Peter Dean / Molly Shepard (Guest Writers)

We’d like to request that you list on a piece of paper the attributes that best describe the behavior of the ideal leader to whom you would happily report. Please do this now. When your list is completed, please read the article first before referring again to your list.

At The Leader Edge or Leaders By Design, we have decades of collective experience researching leadership. Recent findings in neuroscience, along with decades of observations running a firm dedicated to coaching executive men and women leaders, have led us to the insights we share below.

Political carrots for India's women

By M H Ahssan

The freshly-minted Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government has wasted no time in relaying an unequivocal message to a lucrative Indian constituency - women. Close on the heels of earning political points for appointing Meira Kumar as the country's first Dalit (untouchable) woman speaker of the Lower House (Lok Sabha) last month, the UPA has now committed itself to a cachet of women-empowerment measures.

As showcased by President Pratibha Patil in her parliamentary address on June 4, the UPA has now promised to reserve 50% of its seats for the fairer sex in village councils and city municipalities in its 100-day action plan. The measure is a throwback to erstwhile Congress prime minister Rajiv Gandhi's move in 1992 to earmark 33% of all seats for women in panchayats (elected village councils).

Widely seen as a deft political masterstroke, this radical move will give a substantially larger representation to Indian women in a country with a population of 1.1 billion - an increase from their current entitlement to a third of the seats in urban and rural councils.

When viewed along with the government's commitment to push for the path-breaking Women's Reservation Bill - that seeks to reserve a third of the elected seats in parliament and in state legislatures for women - this move will ensure the largest-ever political space to Indian women compared to any other country in the world at any time.

Among the UPA's other women-centric welfare measures include 100% literacy for women (as against the current figure of 54%) in the next five years through the National Literacy Mission, fixing the women's quota in central government jobs and setting up of the National Mission on Empowerment of Women for the implementation of women welfare programs. All these items are listed as priorities in the government's "100-Day Action Plan" with the women's reservation bill leading the list of 25 promises for action.

However, what has most spiked the adrenaline of Indian feminists is the UPA's resolve to pass the contentious Women's Reservation Bill within the first 100 days of its five-year term. Laden as this promise is with political, economic and social overtones, it will be interesting to watch how the government steers this controversial bill through the corridors of parliament. The bill has been scuttled repeatedly in the past by caste-based parties which are emphatic that its benefits will accrue only for the elite and not the underprivileged.

Unsurprisingly, the UPA's announcement about the bill's passage generated its share of drama with Sharad Yadav, a longstanding critic of the bill and Janata Dal (United) leader, declaring that he "will consume poison and die but won't allow the Women's Reservation Bill without a quota for Dalit/tribal women".

Amar Singh, the Samajwadi Party leader, has also asserted that "instead of the government earmarking seats for women, it should leave it to political parties to choose the seats on which they want to field women candidates". Singh demanded that the bill be recast after discussion with political parties, "otherwise in its present form, it would uproot many established political leaders from their constituencies".

The drama over the bill, which is close to the heart of UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi, prompted the government to say it would hold consultations with all political parties to get around the resistance from caste-based parties who are insisting on a separate quota for Other Backward Caste (OBC) and Muslim women.

Given the bill's explosive nature, all eyes are now focused on how the Congress-led government will fulfill its promise. More so considering the bill requires a constitutional amendment and a two-thirds majority in both the houses for its passage. In the Lok Sabha, where the UPA government has a majority, it still needs the support of 364 members. No wonder the legislation has hit roadblocks since 1996 when it was drafted during prime minister H D Deve Gowda's tenure.

In other words, while the UPA government has successfully used the opportunity of the parliament's inaugural session to herald path-breaking announcements for women's empowerment, and be seen as a party with an inclusive agenda, it is their successful implementation of the promises that will truly test the party's mettle.

Meira Kumar's appointment as speaker is definitely a savvy move, given the fact that Dalits feature at the bottom of India's deeply-entrenched caste pyramid. She was elected on a Congress ticket from the state of Bihar.

But while Kumar may be part of a record 58-strong contingent of women MPs in the new parliament, the fair sex constitutes just 10% of India's Lower House. The Congress party thus seems to have got a tad carried away while proving its earnestness for women's welfare. For instance, its decision to recast the National Literacy Mission (NLM) as the National Mission for Female Literacy is definitely driven by political considerations considering the Human Resources Development (HRD) Ministry, under whose ambit the scheme falls, is yet to even flesh out its implementation details.

Plus, the funding for the literacy mission has not yet been upgraded since its inception many years ago. Observers point out that it is rather audacious of the UPA government to envision that 100% literacy for Indian women will be achieved in the next five years considering currently only 54% of this demographic is literate as against 75% men, according to a 2001 census.

According to a HRD Ministry source, it will be impossible to achieve this feat through the current NLM template. And by the time the mission's format is reworked and more money pumped in, it will be difficult for its benefits to percolate down to more than 5.5 million women as against the promised 500 million.

But regardless of inherent flaws in UPA's women-oriented schemes, there's no doubt that in one fell swoop the party has endeared itself to women voters. It is a move that will obviously help the party reap rich demographic dividends when it next goes to polls. At least for the time being, UPA's astute thinkers have managed a coup of sorts.

A Message To Women From A Man: You Are Not “Crazy”

You’re so sensitive. You’re so emotional. You’re defensive. You’re overreacting. Calm down. Relax. Stop freaking out! You’re crazy! I was just joking, don’t you have a sense of humor? You’re so dramatic. Just get over it already!

Sound familiar?

If you’re a woman, it probably does.

Do you ever hear any of these comments from your spouse, partner, boss, friends, colleagues, or relatives after you have expressed frustration, sadness, or anger about something they have done or said?

When someone says these things to you, it’s not an example of inconsiderate behavior. When your spouse shows up half an hour late to dinner without calling—that’s inconsiderate behavior. A remark intended to shut you down like, “Calm down, you’re overreacting,” after you just addressed someone else’s bad behavior, is emotional manipulation—pure and simple.


And this is the sort of emotional manipulation that feeds an epidemic in our country, an epidemic that defines women as crazy, irrational, overly sensitive, unhinged. This epidemic helps fuel the idea that women need only the slightest provocation to unleash their (crazy) emotions. It’s patently false and unfair.

I think it’s time to separate inconsiderate behavior from emotional manipulation and we need to use a word not found in our normal vocabulary.

I want to introduce a helpful term to identify these reactions: gaslighting.

Gaslighting is a term, often used by mental health professionals (I am not one), to describe manipulative behavior used to confuse people into thinking their reactions are so far off base that they’re crazy.

The term comes from the 1944 MGM film, Gaslight, starring Ingrid Bergman. Bergman’s husband in the film, played by Charles Boyer, wants to get his hands on her jewelry. He realizes he can accomplish this by having her certified as insane and hauled off to a mental institution. To pull of this task, he intentionally sets the gaslights in their home to flicker off and on, and every time Bergman’s character reacts to it, he tells her she’s just seeing things. In this setting, a gaslighter is someone who presents false information to alter the victim’s perception of him or herself.

Today, when the term is referenced, it’s usually because the perpetrator says things like, “You’re so stupid” or “No one will ever want you,” to the victim. This is an intentional, pre-meditated form of gaslighting, much like the actions of Charles Boyer’s character in Gaslight, where he strategically plots to confuse Ingrid Bergman’s character into believing herself unhinged.

The form of gaslighting I’m addressing is not always pre-mediated or intentional, which makes it worse, because it means all of us, especially women, have dealt with it at one time or another.

Those who engage in gaslighting create a reaction—whether it’s anger, frustration, sadness—in the person they are dealing with. Then, when that person reacts, the gaslighter makes them feel uncomfortable and insecure by behaving as if their feelings aren’t rational or normal.

My friend Anna (all names changed to protect privacy) is married to a man who feels it necessary to make random and unprompted comments about her weight. Whenever she gets upset or frustrated with his insensitive comments, he responds in the same, defeating way, “You’re so sensitive. I’m just joking.”

My friend Abbie works for a man who finds a way, almost daily, to unnecessarily to unnecessarily shoot down her performance and her work product. Comments like, “Can’t you do something right?” or “Why did I hire you?” are regular occurrences for her. Her boss has no problem firing people (he does it regularly), so you wouldn’t know that based on these comments, Abbie has worked for him for six years. But every time she stands up for herself and says, “It doesn’t help me when you say these things,” she gets the same reaction: “Relax; you’re overreacting.”

Abbie thinks her boss is just being a jerk in these moments, but the truth is, he is making those comments to manipulate her into thinking her reactions are out of whack. And it’s exactly that kind manipulation that has left her feeling guilty about being sensitive, and as a result, she has not left her job.

But gaslighting can be as simple as someone smiling and saying something like, “You’re so sensitive,” to somebody else. Such a comment may seem innocuous enough, but in that moment, the speaker is making a judgment about how someone else should feel.

While dealing with gaslighting isn’t a universal truth for women, we all certainly know plenty of women who encounter it at work, home, or in personal relationships.

And the act of gaslighting does not simply affect women who are not quite sure of themselves. Even vocal, confident, assertive women are vulnerable to gaslighting.

Why?

Because women bare the brunt of our neurosis. It is much easier for us to place our emotional burdens on the shoulders of our wives, our female friends, our girlfriends, our female employees, our female colleagues, than for us to impose them on the shoulders of men.

It’s a whole lot easier to emotionally manipulate someone who has been conditioned by our society to accept it. We continue to burden women because they don’t refuse our burdens as easily. It’s the ultimate cowardice.

Whether gaslighting is conscious or not, it produces the same result: it renders some women emotionally mute.

These women aren’t able to clearly express to their spouses that what is said or done to them is hurtful. They can’t tell their boss that his behavior is disrespectful and prevents them from doing their best work. They can’t tell their parents that, when they are being critical, they are doing more harm than good.

When these women receive any sort of push back to their reactions, they often brush it off by saying, “Forget it, it’s okay.”

That “forget it” isn’t just about dismissing a thought, it is about self-dismissal. It’s heartbreaking.

No wonder some women are unconsciously passive aggressive when expressing anger, sadness, or frustration. For years, they have been subjected to so much gaslighting that they can no longer express themselves in a way that feels authentic to them.

They say, “I’m sorry,” before giving their opinion. In an email or text message, they place a smiley face next to a serious question or concern, thereby reducing the impact of having to express their true feelings.

You know how it looks: “You’re late :)”

These are the same women who stay in relationships they don’t belong in, who don’t follow their dreams, who withdraw from the kind of life they want to live.

Since I have embarked on this feminist self-exploration in my life and in the lives of the women I know, this concept of women as “crazy” has really emerged as a major issue in society at large and an equally major frustration for the women in my life, in general.

From the way women are portrayed on reality shows, to how we condition boys and girls to see women, we have come to accept the idea that women are unbalanced, irrational individuals, especially in times of anger and frustration.

Just the other day, on a flight from San Francisco to Los Angeles, a flight attendant who had come to recognize me from my many trips asked me what I did for a living. When I told her that I write mainly about women, she immediately laughed and asked, “Oh, about how crazy we are?”

Her gut reaction to my work made me really depressed. While she made her response in jest, her question nonetheless makes visible a pattern of sexist commentary that travels through all facets of society on how men view women, which also greatly impacts how women may view themselves.

As far as I am concerned, the epidemic of gaslighting is part of the struggle against the obstacles of inequality that women constantly face. Acts of gaslighting steal their most powerful tool: their voice. This is something we do to women every day, in many different ways.

I don’t think this idea that women are “crazy,” is based in some sort of massive conspiracy. Rather, I believe it’s connected to the slow and steady drumbeat of women being undermined and dismissed, on a daily basis. And gaslighting is one of many reasons why we are dealing with this public construction of women as “crazy.”

I recognize that I’ve been guilty of gaslighting my women friends in the past (but never my male friends—surprise, surprise). It’s shameful, but I’m glad I realized that I did it on occasion and put a stop to it.

While I take total responsibility for my actions, I do believe that I, along with many men, am a byproduct of our conditioning. It’s about the general insight our conditioning gives us into admitting fault and exposing any emotion.

When we are discouraged in our youth and early adulthood from expressing emotion, it causes many of us to remain steadfast in our refusal to express regret when we see someone in pain from our actions.

When I was writing this piece, I was reminded of one of my favorite Gloria Steinem quotes, “The first problem for all of us, men and women, is not to learn, but to unlearn.”

So for many of us, it’s first about unlearning how to flicker those gaslights and learning how to acknowledge and understand the feelings, opinions, and positions of the women in our lives.

But isn’t the issue of gaslighting ultimately about whether we are conditioned to believe that women’s opinions don’t hold as much weight as ours? That what women have to say, what they feel, isn’t quite as legitimate?

Politics of Discourse: Feminism as a Global Epidemic

By M H Ahssan

Talking to a friend that was criticizing someone for being a feminist and becoming friend with men, I glanced at him with an explicit question in my eyes and unintentionally laughed loud- maybe that loud laugh depicted the anger I had internally, not against him but against politicization of feminism as “anti men” which I call “violence against discourse”.

So I asked him what feminism meant for him and without a second thought he said, those who are pro women and hate men and some of them eventually marry women being women themselves because they hate men.

Now hearing such a definition from a development specialist was a bet to digest but rather than criticizing him for having such an idea about feminism, I want to look at the process in which definitely something gone wrong- my definition of wrong here is that “something happened against what was intended unintentionally or by deliberate efforts.

So its important to see where does feminism come from or how it started? Now rather than giving you a history lesson, simply let’s say that the theory was an invention of struggles for women’s rights, struggles for women labors by social activists to integrate women and their existence into state and public spheres. No matter how feminism started, it meant o decrease the deprivation of women to live and contribute as an active member of any society, so that women also enjoy their fundamental human rights. I am sure that scholars and experts of feminism theory would agree with me that feminism epistemologically never meant to discriminate against anyone’s human rights, even not of “men”.

Today feminism has become like the antibiotic pill that its side affects are stronger than the treatment or curing of an illness, especially in the developing or less developed countries. So during the journey of around 40 years, feminism has carried a negative baggage, heavier than the healing it can provide for women in the so called “third world” countries.

Working on women rights and gender equality, I have learned that most of those who created the “agenda” of making feminism as anti men, labeling feminists as lesbians only, have created a more violent attitude of men towards women, which I don’t criticize at all. Feminism theory or its movements were carried out in a way to isolate women and claim independence and authority for women, which is obvious that if women are in the corners not challenging their stereotypes, then they are independent, aren’t they?

However, the main question would be “is it all what feminism wanted to bring to the women of the world?” I do value the significant international movements that brought “women’s issues” to the fore front of the United Nations and other international instruments policies. In additions, I am sure women right activists that are now labeled as feminists; don’t want to create a world only for women, but to have women having the equal rights as men in their societies. It is very important not to overlook the gender power relations among women and men that shape women’s and men’s identity in a society.

So the dilemma exists among the theory versus application that most of the time theories are developed with a certain parameters that may or may not fit properly with contextual feasibilities of any society. No matter how globalized the world has become today, still each society has its own context and characteristics that needs to be understood and recognized, otherwise anything alien to the context and characteristic would make an opposite impact.

So now it’s also important for theorists and academia to understand that no academic doctrine can be effective in addressing global issues unless they aren’t associated with realities of people’s lives not only what they are, but why they are having certain subjectivities. This is very timely that lessons learnt from around the globe are incorporated in global discourses, researching and documenting the harms that are created by such discourses particularly “Feminism” in various parts of the world, so that countries and communities especially women aren’t the escape goat for the global theories that didn’t change their lives but increased their burden and curses.

Women in medicine—whatever next?

By Reema Fatima Subia

The Changing Face of Medicine: Women Doctors and the Evolution of Health Care in America

One afternoon at the Royal College of Physicians, I expressed mild interest in the fact that in the election for my successor as Academic Vice President, there had been no female candidates. My (senior and male) colleague looked at me in astonishment and said “haven't there been enough women already?” An interesting perspective given that in around 500 years there have been only two female presidents and only three female vice presidents of the Royal College of Physicians of London. What is this all about?

Historically, caring for the sick was seen as women's work. The baton was taken back by the men when it secured professional status with the creation of the first medical royal colleges and societies. Since then, medicine has been dominated by men. But times are changing—just more than 500 years later—and women now make up the majority of medical school entrants, and are likely to become the dominant gender in the medical workforce in the next 10—15 years. Is this a triumph for those seeking gender equality, or is it a problem for the profession?

In the UK, this issue first hit the media spotlight in 2005, following which the Royal College of Physicians of London developed proposals for a research project to find the evidence base for a number of developing issues related to the increase in the number of women in the medical workforce. As the newest appointed female College Officer, I was asked to chair the research steering group. We appointed a researcher, and set off on an interesting journey to produce an unbiased and accurate evidence base. The research, done by Mary Ann Elston, will be published by the Royal College of Physicians next month. Perhaps I should have anticipated the potential controversy around the interpretation of those facts, given that each participant in the project was either a man or a woman, and came to it with their own values and experiences on the subject.

Ann Boulis and Jerry Jacobs' book about women doctors and their relation to the evolution of health care in the USA is timely and discusses these issues from a perspective that is pleasantly sympathetic to women. They have collated and analysed an impressive dossier of qualitative and quantitative data and put forward some suggestions as to why the “gender gap” still exists in the USA and how to address it. Not surprisingly, most of the challenges facing women doctors in the USA echo those being experienced in the UK, but interestingly, the UK seems to be doing better.

One explanation for why there has been this increase in women in medical schools is the depressing thought that it has come from the decline in status of the medical profession overall. Boulis and Jacobs have posed convincing arguments to show us how it is not a simple as that. The status of medicine was apparently declining before the rise in female applicants, and has been influenced by complex societal changes that reflect current general sociological trends in the USA. Moreover, American women are now better educated so provide a better pool of applicants and have access to impressive female role models.

There have also been government initiatives to reduce barriers and discrimination affecting women in the professional workforce. The authors describe a positive feedback loop of declining discrimination, expanding opportunities, women's early success, and continued women's interest in medicine over time. There was concern in the USA that the number of male applicants to medical school was declining, but the research in this book has shown that this is also not really the case. The percentage of male applicants has declined, but actual total numbers are still rising, although at a slower rate than the numbers of female applicants.

This is also the case in the UK. An interesting aside is the effect of the Vietnam War Draft in the USA, which encouraged men into the medical profession to avoid being called up, although this levelled off and then declined in the 1980s.
Another observation that also holds true for the UK is the so-called gender segregation within medicine: that women tend to aggregate in specialties with particular characteristics. These have been described as the more planable and less technical specialties, and those with a higher emphasis on the caring aspects of medicine. For example, there are more women in general practice and palliative care, and fewer in surgery or clinical research.

Why is this? The evidence presented in the book suggests that women and men have a similar approach to patient care, and practise in very similar ways, so segregation is not only caused by women's choice of career, there are other factors. What is interesting is that those in favour of better equality for women refer to these factors as “barriers”, whereas those who think there is no problem with gender equality attribute the career differences to choice. A choice becomes a barrier when it is influenced by external factors that make women decide not to choose that specialty. Examples include: gender stereotypes about appropriate roles for women; lack of flexibility in the structure of the working day; and out of hours work at times when child care is hard to find. All these become barriers that influence the choice about whether to enter that specialty.

Part-time working is a continuing source of controversy in medicine. With the increased number of women coming into the workforce, and their likelihood of working less than full time to complete their families, there will need to be alterations in the current pattern of the working day, and more opportunity for part-time work. It is essential to maintain the workforce, which means keeping women in the workplace. But this means that more people (jobs) will be required to fill the same number of working hours. An alternative approach would be to encourage women to work longer hours, but this would need to be supported by more flexible and accessible child care. Either way, an increase in part-time working will be more expensive.

Here in the UK, a 2006 report called for action in taking steps to increase the number of women in the most senior positions in medicine. A working party chaired by Baroness Deech has been set up and will report later this year. Although women will soon be the majority of medical school entrants, the numbers at the top do not reflect those going in at the lower levels. One of the arguments here is that it is not possible to become a part-time leader, and it is difficult to reach leadership status if you have not invested in the necessary extra activities along the way. The barriers to this—or the “choice” not to do these activities—is influenced by a number of issues. The working week has become longer, and societal expectations still presume that women will continue with the majority of the household chores and the child care. This makes it difficult for women with family responsibilities to participate in the “extras”, which involve going to meetings before or after the working day and participating in international travel.

The gender gap in medicine is narrowing. Gender equality is slowly filtering into the medical workplace, but there is still a way to go. The situation in the UK is better than the USA, with better pay equality, maternity leave provision, and opportunity for part-time working at consultant level, but organisational and cultural barriers continue to inhibit true equality in the medical workplace. Books like this, together with the research completed by the Royal College of Physicians, have presented the data in a usable form. It is now up to the profession to interpret it and act on it.

When I first became interested in women in medicine, I thought that I personally had not come across any discrimination in the workplace, but I now think that it was there, but subtle. It is only when you look carefully that you notice problems with the perceived normality around you.

India’s Pioneering Women Qazis Ask Muslim Men: Have You Read The Quran?

Newly trained women Islamic clerics, or Qazis, have started work in towns across India, offering an invaluable support system to Muslim women, and inviting opposition from orthodox circles.

Iqra's world fell apart in six months.

In her telling, it began, as it often does, with marriage. The 23-year-old's marriage to Ali was an exchange programme of sorts. Ali was her cousin, son of her khaala, her mother's sister. In turn, Iqra's brother married the same khaala's daughter. Her khaala also became her mother-in-law. Such marriage between first cousins is commonplace among Muslims in South Asia.

Domestic Violence: Behind The Closed Doors

We can now celebrate the fact that India is one of the few countries around the world that recognises that domestic violence is a violation of the human rights of women. The law alone is not enough, but it surely strengthens the hand of those who want to establish these rights.

No one speaks of it. Women suffer it in silence. They are schooled to believe that ultimately it is their fault. Behind the closed doors of many a home, women are abused, physically, emotionally, verbally. But these stories rarely make it to the public domain because the victims themselves will not speak. They think there is no option but to keep quiet and accept. Marriages are made in heaven, they say, but for millions of married women, it is a hell on earth. 

Not any more. For, even if Indian society has failed its women on many counts, we can now celebrate the fact that India is one of the few countries around the world that recognises that domestic violence is a violation of the human rights of women. 

Path-breaking bill

The Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act, 2005, which was notified on October 25, 2006, is path breaking in more ways than one. Most significant perhaps is its definition of "domestic violence" as spelt out in Chapter II of the Act. All forms of physical, sexual, verbal, emotional or economic abuse are defined as "domestic violence" by this law. It offers women victims of such violence civil remedies of a kind not available to them earlier. Till now, women could use Section 498 A of the Indian Penal Code to file a complaint against an abusive spouse. But this did not give the woman the right, for instance, to stay on in her matrimonial home or to demand a maintenance if thrown out or seek protection orders from the abusive partner. The law now provides her these civil remedies that are as important as the punishment provided under the law for committing the offence. 

In many ways, such remedies are almost more important because the first challenge the woman faces, if she summons up the courage to report domestic violence, is where she will live until the law determines her case. Most women only turn to the police or the courts when they have already been physically thrown out of their homes, or have been so severely abused that they cannot hide their physical wounds from friends and family. 

The problem cuts across caste, class and creed. It matters little whether the woman is educated or not, rich or poor. But while one could argue that a poor uneducated woman would be unaware of her rights, or would not know how to turn to the law, why do so many educated middle class women also tolerate abuse? The Lawyers Collective, which was one the groups that was at the heart of the discussions and campaigning for this law, surveyed some of the victims of domestic violence who turned to them for help in Delhi and Mumbai. While the findings are by no means representative as the sample is very small, they are indicative of the reality in our cities. Most of the women who came to them were middle class women in the age group 18 to 35. Significantly, a substantial number of them did not have independent means of income and were thus in an economically dependent situation. So these women suffered the abuse because they believed they had no option. 

Since the law came into effect, there has been considerable discussion in the Letters columns of several newspapers, whether such a law can actually make a difference. There are two things that have to be done first before one can even discuss whether the law will work. First, women have to be made aware that such a law exists. I am amazed at the lack of knowledge on women's legal rights even amongst educated young women studying in some of our premier educational institutions. These are the very same middle class women who will get married. Some of these marriages could turn out to be violent. And despite their education, these women could end up like the women surveyed by the Lawyers Collective, believing that they have to tolerate abuse because they have no option. So public information and education, of the kind that has taken place on the Right to Information Act, is essential on this and other such laws. 

Making the law effective

Second, and equally important, the police need to be informed and trained to use the law. Already there are instances being reported in the media where women have gone to the local police station to register a complaint about domestic abuse. Instead of using the provisions of the law, the police have advised them to think again and try and reconcile their differences with their husbands. The Act on the other hand lays down clearly what a police officer must do if a woman comes to the police station with a complaint about domestic violence. If this is not done, the policeman is also held accountable under the law. 

We know, however, that even the best laws have their limitations. Laws alone cannot bring about a change in societal attitudes. We have reams of progressive laws in this country but crimes against women continue to be perpetrated, virtually unhindered by the criminal justice system. Yet, just because these laws are either not properly implemented, or women fail to use them enough, is not an excuse to allow crimes such as domestic violence to continue unchecked. Every new law of this kind strengthens the hands of those who want to establish that women's rights are truly human rights. 

After 66 Years, Why The Glass Is Half Empty For Women?

By Abhilasha Khaitan (Guest Writer)

Sixty-six years on, you hope to see the glass as half full. Desperately so. But scan the newspaper, switch on the television or scroll down your Twitter feed and you find that there is little evidence that it isn’t. In fact, it is half empty.

India’s independence from the Raj has little to do with the freedom of its women. On the contrary, there are enough examples of major social reforms benefiting women under the British rule, for instance, the abolition of sati (the practice of self-immolation by women on their husband’s funeral pyre) and the betterment of widows.

Drought In India: Women Battle Cruelties Everyday And Exit Isn't An Option

By SWETA SALVE | INNLIVE

It's a women's drought", declared Avik Saha, my partner in imagining and designing this padyatra, and now my co-passenger. This was the third day of our padyatra in Marathwada. We had just gone past yet another queue of women and girls waiting for water with their pitchers and cans.

It took some time for his formulation to sink in. Avik is always on the lookout for a way to summarize what we have seen. I guess his astonishing range of experience - a high-flying real estate lawyer, a humble organic farmer, the patron of a classic guitar society and a connoisseur of indigenous seeds - accounts for his knack for thinking a step ahead of everyone else. I had learnt not to let his remarks go past me.

Armed With The 'Qura'an' And The 'Constitution', These Strong Women Are Fighting 'Fundamentalism' In Life!

SUCCESS STORY: India's Muslim women, often called a minority within a minority for their double handicap of gender and faith, are challenging medieval religious laws that have oppressed them for centuries. 

In 2007, two women co-founded the Bharatiya Muslim Mahila Andolan (BMMA), a group that is leading this fight. When Noorjehan Safia Niaz (43) and Zakia Soman (50) came together to empower Muslim women, they did not imagine the response they would get.

International Women’s Day: Why India Cannot Keep Its Promises?

The theme for this year’s International Women’s Day observed today appears to have been coined with India in mind: “A promise is a promise — time for action to end violence against women.”

It’s public knowledge across the world that India is a horrible place for women, with some even saying that it’s the fourth worst; but the pain, outrage and the simmering anger that followed the Delhi gangrape almost entirely turned the world’s gender-spotlight on the violence that women face in India.

No other incident in the recent past brought so much notoriety to the country.

There were no two opinions on the fact that the Delhi gangrape victim was a symbol of India’s inability to protect its women, and the country’s poor gender equality index, which is even worse than that of Pakistan and Bangladesh. No other single incident had enraged people, particularly the youth in Delhi and across the country, so much.

Unsurprisingly, our politicians — men and women — shed crocodile tears and made promises.

“A promise is a promise” said the UN, but did India keep its promise? Or will it keep its promise?

Hardly. It neither has the intent or the ability because it truly doesn’t care for its women.

If it had, in roughly about a month after the gangrape, Delhi wouldn’t have witnessed roughly two rapes a day and the figures of the National Crime Records Bureau would have shown at least a temporary blip.

Nothing of that sort happened. Rapes, particularly that of minors, continued to make headlines from literally every part of the country even as the central and state governments continued its promises and announcements of law-and-order fixes. The country also witnessed other forms of gender-based violence such as acid attacks, which claimed the lives of two young, educated girls in Tamil Nadu.

There will be so much fanfare and customary banalities to mark the Day today — but India will not be able to be truthful to the theme of a promise because there is something fundamentally wrong with this country.

Last week, union law minister Ashwani Kumar said that 24,000 cases of rapes and sexual harassment are pending in the countries’ courts — both the Supreme Court and the High Courts of various states.

The numbers plainly betray two horrors — one, a huge number of our women and girls suffer rapes and sexual violence, and that our judicial system is unable to get them justice.

Extrapolate these numbers with the fact that for every rape reported, at least three others go unreported for reasons of stigma and shame, fear of further violence and other social reasons. And of all the reported cases, only a very few go to court. If we have 24,000 cases still pending, how many rapes and instances of violence would have happened?

Of the numbers Ashwani Kumar gave, 335 are pending in the SC and about more than a third in a single state — Uttar Pradesh, the republic of people like Raja Bhaiya. The next big number is in Madhya Pradesh (3758) followed by Punjab and Haryana (2717).

Here is how other states fare: Chhattisgarh (1,533), Odisha (1,080), Rajasthan (1,164), Bombay HC (1,009) and the Delhi HC (924).

Going strictly by statistics, these figures are not necessarily an indication of the reported cases. Madhya Pradesh, which accounts for 14 percent of rape cases in the country according to the National Crime Records Bureau, is India’s rape state, which in fact comes second in the list in terms of justice.

UP has the second highest number of rapes, but comes on top in not delivering justice. West Bengal comes third in terms of the number of reported rapes, but there are only 27 cases pending in the Calcutta High Court – either the state has an exemplary Court or there is hardly any law and order or justice system that is useful to women.

A further break-up of the figures highlights the worst kept secret—- India’s lawless and poor states, which pull down the country’s development indicators, are the worst for women, when it comes of justice for the violence they suffer. It’s certainly a BIMARU-trend in sexual violence and rape as well and it shows a coorelation between poor human development and status of women. It’s nothing new — development economists been saying this for ever.

This will be our problem in making a promise and keeping it as the UN and the rest of the world want us to do on the Women’s Day because our backyard is littered with inequalities, contradictions and vested interests. And we don’t have the political will or intent to clean it up.

WHO notes that “ideologies of male sexual entitlement” and “the unequal position of women relative to men and the normative use of violence to resolve conflict” are associated with violence against women. In layman terms, it means men have this irrational notion of power over women.

India also has this culture of masculine-control. Our dismal data on women shows it too: it has a poor sex ratio (more men than women and a son-bias), very poor gender inequality index and shameful indices for women’s economic opportunity, literacy and income.

India is a signatory to CEDAW – Convention of Elimination of All forms of violence against Women. The convention demands that we

• incorporate the principle of equality of men and women in our legal system, abolish all discriminatory laws and adopt appropriate ones prohibiting discrimination against women;

• establish tribunals and other public institutions to ensure the effective protection of women against discrimination; and

• ensure elimination of all acts of discrimination against women by persons, organizations or enterprises.

Doesn’t this sound like a joke? They are very simple, but we cannot handle it. If the central government says they do, let’s throw the figures and the contradiction (actual figures Vs the number of cases in the courts, for example, in West Bengal) back at them.

Where do we start?

We have to start with our men — in politics, in popular culture, in community and at home. There is an increasing acknowledgement of the role of men and boys in reducing violence against men. Studies show that boys who grow up watching gender-based violence, whether at home or in society, tend to be violent against women.

The men who exercise dominance over women, whether in parliament, khap panchayats, public places or in movies, set the norms for other men to exercise power in a similar way. Kids who grow up watching this tend to be like them.

These role-models have a pathological problem, whether they are our politicians or film-stars.

The countries that have ratified CEDAW are legally bound to implement its provisions into practice. And they have to submit reports on measures that they have taken to comply with their treaty obligations.

It will be interesting to read India’s CEDAW report of tall claims.

How about including this in the report as a big achievement: “On the eve of the World Women’s Day, a church in Kerala has asked the Suryanelli rape victim not to come to the church until her case is settled.”

The girl, as a minor, was abducted, trafficked and raped by 42 men in roughly as many days 17 years ago and has since been shunned by everybody. She and her family are still fighting for justice justice and even after so many years, the church also wants to ostracise her. Even recently, the opposition leader of the state visited her and promised whatever helps she needs.

“A promise is a promise”.

Do we need Women’s Day?

Women’s activists in India have opted to go on a contentious and confrontationist path that can only lead to social disharmony when the need is to move jointly with men to end gender discrimination by harmonising rival aspirations, says CHANDAN MITRA

I find the growing practice of designating certain days of the year for promoting causes of various hues a meaningless and primarily commercial enterprise. Although I have nothing against celebrating Valentine’s Day and vehemently decry physical intimidation of young couples by Hindu extremist outfits, the fact is that media organisations promote its observance for pure commercial reasons. In the early 90s, The Times of India stumbled upon a novel route to make more money by enticing youngsters to place mushy classified advertisements declaiming their love. This in turn led to a huge spurt in the sale of demented gift like heart-shaped balloons or pillows, squeaky stuffed toys belching out pre-programmed jingles and other such useless merchandise.

Over the years big brands too have jumped into the fray and February 14 every year is fast climbing the list of prime shopping spectacles of the year, just a few notches below Diwali and New Year’s Day. In other words, there are massive commercial stakes in the mass observance of Valentine’s Day, which explains why the electronic media gives virtually 24/7 coverage to it in the weeks leading up to the event. Media also willfully attempts to make it controversial so that more people get glued to the idiot box. I am sure the time is not far off when, having run out of happy things to celebrate commercial interests will dig up unhappy occasions to be observed.

For example, we could soon have Enmity Day as a counter to Friendship Day. Cards vowing badla, replete with gory Dharmendra-type dialogues like “Kuttey! Kaminey! Main tera khoon pee jayoonga, teri boti-boti kare ke magarmachh ko khilaoonga! Vengefully yours…” may become bestsellers. And then, why not Ex-lovers’ Day when people can exchange spiteful messages with their former boyfriends/girlfriends? The possibilities are immense. I am sure profit-crazed media organisations are already exploring options.

There are also certain days that are primarily dedicated to NGOs although even these are not devoid of commercial considerations. World Anti-Smoking Day, Heart Day, Diabetes Day, AIDS Day, Earth Day, Water Day, Environment Day etc, fall in this category. They are observed by activist groups in a big way to garner sponsorships from Governments and corporate houses. A plethora of schemes are announced by the authorities to mark these events and Government departments concerned issue massive advertisements to newspapers and TV channels on such occasions. Naturally, everybody loves such events being celebrated. Arguably, seminars and discussions are also held but they are usually attended only by stakeholders in the NGO industry. In effect, experts at such gatherings end up preaching to the converted. How much awareness these occasions generate among the ignorant public is a matter of speculation, but NGOs dutifully list their achievement in allegedly generating humungous public interest. That the number of smokers doesn’t come down or the number suffering from diabetes goes up annually and the environment continues to be massacred by the very same Governments and corporates that sponsor the events is, of course, another matter.

I am not sure in which category we ought to place International Women’s Day. It is largely an NGO-type occasion and since that sector is women-dominated, it is not surprising that the Day is observed on a big scale, at least ritually. Personally, I don’t believe there should be anything of the kind. If we have a Women’s Day (as also a Children’s Day in India) what wrong have men done not to have a Day dedicated to them? Putting the popular scooter ad upside down, I would say “Why should women have all the fun?” Admittedly though, International Women’s Day is not a fun affair. In fact, it is almost a grim occasion. Ponderous seminars are held in which experts narrate in graphic detail all the injustices that have purportedly been heaped on women over the centuries, quasi-successful women rail against the glass ceiling and a huge crowd attired in carefully crushed cotton saris chant slogans demanding equality. This is also an occasion to press for early passage of the Women’s Reservation Bill by Parliament — something that has been hanging fire for over a decade.

I don’t doubt that Women’s Day once served a purpose. In the heady days of the sexual revolution of the 60s and the emergence of the women’s liberation movement in Europe there was a symbolic need to demand opportunities and empowerment for the neglected half of humankind. Unfortunately, over time Women’s Day has degenerated into a ritual with markedly commercial overtones. This is not to suggest that women have achieved equality in society. A long battle lies ahead to change mindsets in those societies that still remain male-dominated. But the women who most need empowerment rarely find their cause represented at the highly publicised events to further women’s rights.

Take the case of long-forgotten Imrana of UP’s Muzaffarnagar district who was raped by her septuagenarian father-in-law. The young mother of two got no support from the family, including her own husband. Conservative clerics ruled against her, declaring her marriage as annulled and ordered her to leave the in-laws’ home. Having shown astonishing pluck initially, Imrana got intimidated by the high-decibel campaign conducted by urban women’s activists and eventually cowered under the pressure of mullahs. Those political butterflies who call for a nationwide “pub-bharo” by women can hardly be expected to empathise with Imrana’s plight.

In terms of legislation, though, the Indian woman has come a long way. Admittedly, Jawaharlal Nehru, the westernised intellectual he was, laid the basis for her political emancipation by insisting on universal adult franchise from the beginning. Whereas in the mother of democracies, Great Britain, women won the right to vote after a long struggle only in 1906, in India they got it just 46 years later. In recent decades, panchayati raj has taken women’s empowerment down to the grassroots. Reservation of panchayat seats (up to 50 percent in States like Bihar) as well as the post of sarpanch in one-third of these local bodies has helped raise political consciousness and participation of women in rural areas to an astonishing degree. Sadly, however, recent studies show that as much as 80 percent of women panchayat members opt out of contesting a second time.

It is at that level that women’s emancipation has to be fought for. If the cause of women is nowadays treated with growing irritation by urban men it is because of the shrillness of their demand for stringent implementation of the draconian Anti-Dowry Act with its obnoxious Section 498a — a byword for harassment of men. Similarly, the Domestic Violence Act has not helped bestow more rights to women. Instead, it has made divorce inevitable even in marriages that could have mended with some gentle care and counselling. Women’s activists in India have opted to go on a contentious and confrontationist path that can only lead to social disharmony when the need is to move jointly with men to end gender discrimination by harmonising rival aspirations. I can only hope that sane voices begin to prevail over the discordant ones, starting today.

India’s Moral Crisis: Travel Rape Advisories Are Now Real!

If you think that responsible countries should formally warn their women travelers of the high risk of rape they face in India, especially in the wake of the gangrape of a Swiss tourist in Madhya Pradesh, don’t be surprised.

Western countries have already issued travel advisories to their women travelers clearly telling them they are not safe in India; that they are at risk of being raped.

What a great image make-over for a super-power aspirant and the Incredible India campaigners. It’s incredibly shameful that in the whole of South Asia, it’s only India that has been singled out for this rape travel advisory! That too in a country that gets more than USD 120 billion every year from tourists.

Bangladesh, Pakistan, Nepal and Sri Lanka don’t have the size and money to come anywhere close to India. On paper, they may be more lawless and crisis-ridden too, but the men in those countries do not pounce on women the way we do in India, and the rest of the world are more relaxed in advising their women while they travel there.

But guess what? 85 percent of South Asia is India and therefore, India’s taint besmirches the whole of the region. The rest of South Asia, for once, should be ashamed of India!

There are only very few countries in the world that carry such an ignominy. Even Papua New Guinea, which appears to be India’s cousin in its pastime of raping women, carries a less severe advisory.

This is what the UK tells its citizens of the rape-risks in India: “Women should use caution if travelling alone in India. Reported cases of sexual assault against women and young girls are increasing; recent sexual attacks against female visitors in tourist areas and cities show that foreign women are also at risk. British women have been the victims of sexual assault in Goa, Delhi, Bangalore and Rajasthan and women travellers often receive unwanted attention in the form of verbal and physical harassment by individuals or groups of men.”

And what does America tell its women travellers? “While India is generally safe for foreign visitors, according to the latest figures by Indian authorities, rape is the fastest growing crime in India. Among large cities, Delhi experienced the highest number of crimes against women. Although most victims have been local residents, recent sexual attacks against female visitors in tourist areas underline the fact that foreign women are at risk and should exercise vigilance.”

The advisory goes on to add that women can be “Eve-teased”, subjected to sexual harassment that can be frightening, and there could be “sexually suggestive lewd comments to catcalls to outright groping.”

“Women should observe stringent security precautions, including avoiding use of public transport after dark without the company of known and trustworthy companions, restricting evening entertainment to well-known venues, and avoiding isolated areas when alone at any time of day.”

Why the heck should any woman travel to India in such scary conditions? Just to be shut up in their hotel rooms or eat, pray and love? It’s better, perhaps, to go to the Central African Republic.

Last month, even Switzerland had advised its women to be careful in India, but perhaps the tourist in Madhya Pradesh fell for the romantic allure of India’s lawlessness and hopelessness, which some philosophise as mystic chaos. Almost exactly how we are adept in reconciling with our abject poverty as part of our spiritual being, some have even started philosophising on rapes.

The western countries have now realised that the risks of rape in India are real. Rape of women appears to be a national pastime. The Delhi gangrape had provoked an unprecedented citizens’ response in the national capital and the states, but that didn’t make any impact on the situation.

Delhi alone reported at least two rapes every day in the two months following the gangrape. There were equally horrendous incidents of rapes from different parts of the country, which are still continuing. Going by the number so far, perhaps we might surpass last year’s rape-tally of 24,000.

In the case of Madhya Pradesh, the Swiss national will be just a speck because it anyway accounts of 14 per cent of the country’s rapes.

Right now, we are in the middle of legislating a tough law to protect women against sexual violence. Will this law make any difference to the safety of women in India?

Mostly unlikely, because, as we argued earlier, the sexual violence against women has to be looked at in the context of the overall lawlessness and gender-inequality that prevails in India. No law will be able to address this. It will require a fundamental social transformation, wherein rule of law and equal rights to women is a reality.


But, this will be bad news for our politicians and hence is unlikely to happen.

The new law might scare some people, but as post-Delhi evidence shows, nothing is likely to change in terms of the risk of women to sexual violence and rapes because majority of our rapists or potential rapists won’t even know the gravity of their criminality and its consequences.

A Haus Khas student didn’t think twice before spiking an overseas girl’s drink and raping her last month even as the national media was abuzz with post-Delhi outrage. Neither was a resort manager in Bhopal deterred from raping a south Korean girl in the same month.

Even from a narrow perspective of making the new law work, the state and central governments should undertake an extraordinary nationwide campaign against this phenomenon just as it took on polio or AIDS. It should tell people from every possible outlet and street-corner that they will be in jail if they aggress women. The government needs to spend at least a couple of billion dollars for a few years at a stretch on this because it is an extraordinary epidemic that needs an extraordinary response.

The silent revolution

By M H Ahssan

Despite the severe social and political constraints in our country - caste system, feudal setting, patriarchy, illiteracy, uneven development - the last 10 years have witnessed notable progress in women holding office in panchayats and municipalities.

More than 10 years ago, on December 23, 1992, when Parliament amended the Constitution (the 73rd and 74th Amendments) making the panchayats and municipalities "institutions of self-government" - reserving not less than one-third seats for women in these bodies - it was hailed as the beginning of a silent revolution.

The two constitutional amendments became laws on April 24 and June 1, 1993 respectively. In 1994, all Indian states passed the Conformity Act reshaping their Panchayati Raj system according to the new amendments. Today, thanks to these amendments, out of 3,200,000 members elected every five years to the panchayats and municipalities, more than 1,000,000 are women. Women head one-third of all the local bodies. Quite naturally, April 24 is celebrated as women's political empowerment day in India.

Stories of empowerment can be found in many states. Geeta Rathore (44) belongs to Jamonia Talab gram panchayat, Sehore district, Madhya Pradesh. She was elected sarpanch in 1995 from a reserved seat; but in 2000, the village people rewarded her for her admirable work by electing her again - this time to a non-reserved seat. From a humble housewife, Geeta has grown into a leader displaying political farsightedness - she has harnessed the collective energy of her panchayat to renovate water tanks, build a school building, construct village roads, fight against domestic violence and atrocities against women, create environmental awareness, encourage afforestation and water management in her village.

But in the same state, there was Sukhiya Bai - the tribal sarpanch of Gubrail panchayat in Betul district. A year ago, she died in a hospital in Bhopal with 80 per cent burns. Sukhiya tried to struggle against the corrupt officials who demanded a cut for releasing money for development work. Simultaneously, she was under pressure from the villagers who demanded the money due to them for their labour. She had even borrowed Rs 4,000 from a relative to pay the panchayat secretary who had been demanding a bribe for releasing the money for a well that had been constructed by the villagers. Unable to bear the constant tension, she set fire to herself.

In Tamilnadu, Leelavathi contested the Madurai municipal elections in 1996, promising to bring water to the ward. She was elected as councillor and within six months water came to the area. This threatened the mafia of the water tanker owners, who had a flourishing business in the area. Within days of her victory to get water in the area, Leelavathi was murdered by those who lost their water business.

After the decadal journey, although leaders like Geeta Rathore have emerged, the big concern is the way this silent revolution is being threatened by the same forces it set out to defeat - patriarchal violence, inequality and discrimination. Why did the journeys of Sukhiya and Leelavathi have to have a violent end? They contested the elections according to the Constitution of India, occupied the constitutional positions and attempted to discharge their duties as per the law of the land.

But despite the severe social and political constraints in our country - caste system, feudal setting, patriarchy, illiteracy, uneven development - there are several aspects we can be proud of. The last 10 years have witnessed a steady progress as far as the inclusion of excluded sections of Indian population in the decision-making process from the village to the district level is concerned. About 3 million women are contesting the elections to panchayats and municipalities. This is no mean achievement in a hierarchical and male-dominated society.

With this, we have shown to the world that Indian women are not politically passive or uninterested in public life. Today, many women who fight the elections are from poor economic and backward social backgrounds; breaking social, cultural and economic barriers.

The notion that women's political connections matter and only the kith and kin of known leaders or those connected to them will enter the local bodies has been proved wrong in the recent past. The common refrain that it is the menfolk in the families who control the women elected members may be partly true; but studies show that the situation is rapidly changing. Some state governments have already taken measures to ensure that sarpanch patis (husbands of women office bearers) don't interfere with their wives' duties.

The number of women getting elected from general constituencies (defeating men) is also increasing. For instance, in Karnataka, 43 per cent women are now getting elected to local governments. Taking advantage of the new ethos, innovative and creative experiments in local governance involving women, like gender budgeting and self-help groups, are taking place in several states.

However, there are structural and systemic problems that women face. For instance, if women panchayat presidents do not yield to pressures from powerful landowners or contractor lobbies, no-confidence motions are moved and they are removed from office.

In some cases, the women panchayat members have had to face violence, intimidation and harassment for questioning male dominance and asserting their rights as elected representatives. Although society has by and large accepted the concept of women in the panchayats, women sarpanches in socially conservative areas face obstacles every day in their work.

Further, several states have passed legislations whereby those having more than two children cannot hold office and if a child is born when they hold office, their membership in the panchayats or municipalities ceases to exist. This is a discriminatory law, only applicable to panchayats, and women in the villages are at the receiving end.

In certain areas, male officials do not hold elected women members/presidents in high esteem because of their low social status. Women are thus doubly disadvantaged: carrying the burden of household chores and demands from the community as well as the office they hold.

Ten years is a short journey. Even if the representatives have not worked wonders, they have made small but significant beginnings. And even for these small beginnings, they have had to pay a huge price. We cannot and must not allow the sacrifices and dreams of the Sukhiyas and Leelavathis to fade away, although the insensitive would like to have it that way.

This is the biggest challenge facing India today: can she turn the present phase of women becoming victims of oppressive structures into one of gender equity and create a public life with dignity for all? It is encouraging that enlightened citizens, NGOs and media are taking the initiative to meet this challenge with some measure of success. If the trend continues, India will soon have Geeta Rathores occupying 50 per cent of public offices and positions of power.

Super Women-Women of today

By Samiya Anwar

"I am challenged when I have not mastered a situation. Until I master it, I feel pressure-- and that comes from me, not any individual. I myself, I am striving to be the best." - Super Women

Today, women are moving shoulder to shoulder with men, fighting gender stereotypes at home and at the office. The closed women are opening up. And the 21st century women are progressing in all key areas and fields undoubtedly. Here is a super woman, challenging, outstanding, excellent, exceptional, belongs to present day world. Very less know, as who is a super women.

If you think, she is a wife of Super Man. No, she isn’t. She is a human being, like all of us. If you imagine, she is having some super power. You’re at erring. She is not enchanted or wizardry. Think again. Super women lives right in our families, relatives, neighbors and our knower. Yes. She is different. She is extremely superior. She is special too.

Well, life of female species is betrothed, cannot be denied, right. And I don’t have to say, for women, the day begins with rise of sun but does not set with sun. Poor women, get up early (say 5 or 6 A.M.), pull herself to storm-full of activities. Voluntarily or forcedly, she is mixed up with number of things. Making a wholesome breakfast for family, shouting at kids to awake, sprucing them up for school, looking after husband’s breakfast, clothes, socks, even hankies, enough of, please. Need a break. But no. she is again ready to dress up perfectly for work. Sometimes with or most of the time without breakfast she reaches office. Her day at work goes hectically pressurized. Once home, the evenings are spent playing the perfect mother and wife. She is a super woman- woman of today who balances a job, kids, husband and house work. They are amazing. Really! Isn’t she?

Super women juggle number of activities at a time. They are struggling for perfectionism. Their instinct pushes and they feel burdensome unless they do everything perfectly. They are hyper-stressed, bewildered and troubled. It is not easy being a super woman. Strenuous job, labored fully because women has a tendency to say the world, "Look what I can do;” They want “appreciation”. They want “compliments”. Super women do anything to feel more wanted. At home, being a wife or mother. She wants to do all by herself. At work place she is same, hungry for praises. She craves for accolades everywhere.

Shilpa, a full-time Fashion Designer (married with two kids) says, “I do a lot of stuff. My family thinks I'm crazy (may be ‘Yes’) and my friends sadly shake their heads with pity in their eyes. Their concerns are well founded; I do way too much. But all is essential”. She is boarded in a train which probably has ‘no stops’ and ‘no station’ yet. She is just moving. There is ‘no break’. Her life is ‘break-free’. She has no time for herself. But she doesn’t agree and really don’t mean it either. This is a “super women” complex.

Fulfilling multiple roles coupled with a lack of time leads young women to neglect their own diet and health. She is expected to be successful at work, take care of the family and at the same time, still look beautiful. Moreover; there are real ‘superwomen’ who balances all tasks successfully. It is important that a woman takes care of her health whilst juggling her duties, very true.

Scientist has recently discovered a new ingredient isolated from soy beans. This ingredient is known as ‘Genistein’ which amazed many researchers with its amazing health-giving properties which many superwomen need to keep their health at the peak. Genistein is chemically similar to the female hormones, oestrogen. This similarity enables genistein to regulate any imbalances in oestrogen levels that may potentially upset a woman’s health.

Also in an online survey of work-life balance, asked women why they can't turn down favors, the top reason was--"I don't want to hurt anyone's feelings or make them mad at me." Second to that: "They're showing faith in me and I can't let them down.”. There are loads of statistics that show that doing things for others results in lasting happiness. However, where is a room for self? Ask yourself “what will am I doing for myself today. The answer would be “nothing’. And it is just because you’re so involved in the life of others; you forget your own purpose. There is no ‘Me Time’ or ‘My Time’ in super women’s life, sadly.

Despite multitasking is becoming the norm of present day women. Multitasking makes you slow and it is hard to do everything perfectly and be best all the time. The multitasking women are redundant. They need better balance as there aren’t any breaks in life because being working women; super women are endlessly fulfilling every obligation except the one to themselves. For mental, physical, and psychological well-being, sometimes you just need to stop. Then you need to do something you want to do. You need to take some ‘Me Time’ says a recent study on urban working women.

The Families and Work Institute (FWI) found that working mothers spend both more time at the job and more time with their kids than their counterparts did 25 years ago. Where are they finding that extra time? "It's coming from time for them," says Ellen Galinsky, FWI president. So, by taking a break from the same time is no big deal. Women should understand. It is not to stop work but to rest and re-think our strategy to go about it from another angle. If you shift your focus, you go back to the other areas of life with more energy. She continues saying” You’re less stressed, more satisfied with life in general."

Nevertheless ness, it would be of no value to be called a “Super Women” if you’re tension-filled all the time. Handle stress by giving time to you as a person. Not in any way, caught up with hectic pace of every day life and be harried by screwing up everything. Rejuvenate, do what you like, involve in a hobby and see. Try it, I dare you! You’ll love life more than before. All the best!