Gender equality is something that India has never fully achieved. Discrimination against women is prevalent in many parts of India even today. The reason could be the orthodox belief that most of its citizens are subject to, which is the fact that women are usually expected to do only house work alongside serving the family members, especially after they are married. The idea of her stepping out to work is something that is frowned upon in many families in India even today.
The mentality of the people in the Indian society can only change when they learn to respect women. This respect can only come when they see the potential in women through their work in society and their ability to earn money. When they see that women are as capable as men to become financially independent and their intellectual capacity is equal or maybe more than that of men, they will automatically stop limiting the women to do only household work.
There are two exceptional examples of this:
Gunavathy Chandrasekaran of Sivaski, Tamil Nadu, was determined to be financially independent. She taught herself how to make scraps of paper into art pieces. Today, under the brand name “Guna's Quilling”, this woman entrepreneur sells quilled art work such as wall art, greeting cards, miniature figurines, jewellery and much more. She has also conducted workshops and trained over 2,000 artisans, of whom most are women, homemakers, students, and children in orphanages.
Pabiben Rabari of Bhadroi village, Gujarat, couldn't complete her formal education because of financial constraints, so she stayed at home learning traditional embroidery from her mother. Today, she runs an enterprise that empowers women artisans. The all-women company makes bags, dhurries, files, quilts, cushion covers and more.
Hence, in a society like India it is imperative that women are empowered in order to raise their status in society and provide them with the respect that they deserve.
Ishani Paul -