74 Years On, How Free Are Our Women? A Look At Things They Still Need Freedom From

In his satirical fiction Animal Farm, George Orwell wrote: “All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others,”- a phrase at which all women of our country would unanimously nod their heads.

(Photo by STR/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

Independence Day 2020: 74 years on, Indian women have come a long way to excel at different fronts. They’ve ventured and proved their mettle even in the fields that were earlier believed to be only men’s strong suit. In the past couple of years several landmark changes have swept in, aimed at empowerment of the womenfolk. Right from the ban on triple talaq practice to permanent commission for women in Army, some seminal moves have bolstered India’s march towards gender equality. A lot has been attained, yet more than that still remains to be done. 2020, is already here but India of their dreams, still eludes the women of the country. Increased rape cases, eve-teasing, workplace harassment, domestic violence, trafficking are some of the issues which are so rampant across the country, that most of these, except the rare ones, often go unaccounted, unreported and unattended. On these issues, we often hear the intellectual minds discuss, debate and shake their heads in dismay. Several women’s rights crusaders have undergone years of ordeals to push women to the spot they’re at today. In his satirical fiction Animal Farm, George Orwell wrote: “All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others,”- a phrase at which all women of our country would unanimously nod their heads. Global Gender Gap Index: India dropped four spots below Talking of gender parity, India cuts a sorry figure. As per the World Economic Forum’s Global Gender Index 2019-2020, India dropped four places , from 2018, to take the 112th rank. The index measures the extent of gender based gaps in economic participation and opportunity, educational attainment, health and survival and even political empowerment. Even worse is India’s ranking in the health and survival parameter - 150 out of 153 countries. “None of us will see gender parity in our lifetimes, and nor likely will many of our children. That’s the sobering finding of the Global Gender Gap Report 2020, which reveals that gender parity will not be attained for 99.5 years,” the report states. Though, the situation is grim worldwide, Indian women everyday are struggling for things as basic as stepping out ..or in graver cases freedom to even take birth. Freedom to step out fearlessly and as per their will. (Photo by Gireesh Gv/ Getty Images) An academically bright student Sudiksha Bhati, pursuing entrepreneurship course, at the Babson College, Massachusetts (US), on a scholarship, must not have thought that stepping out during her lockdown stay at her native place in Uttar Pradesh, with her relative would put an end to her dreams. Forever. Police have ruled out the harassment angle in the case but the Family of Bhat has alleged that she died in a road mishap after she fell from a bicycle. Reason stated: Her relative, who was riding, could not balance the vehicle due to a couple of bike-borne boys performing stunts around them. One can also vividly recall killing of journalist Vikram Joshi, when he raised voice against men harassing his niece. And can we forget the 2012 Delhi rape case or the one in Kathua or in Kannauj? We know about these, because media picked up these cases strongly. Hundreds of such cases cases go unreported. In India, a rape is reported every 15 minutes, according to recently released official government crime data, the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) data from 2018 revealed the dismal figure. Women in the country yearn for an atmosphere where they can go out, as and when they please, as a free citizen, without the fear of getting, molested or raped. Freedom from misogynistic marriage norms: In normal Indian marriages (regardless of what city it is), women are viewed as somebody who is naturally tasked to take care of husband, his family and the kids. She is expected to give up her career to make time for family and the household chores. Undeniably, family is important, but the sense of equal responsibility for both partners right from earning money to taking care of children, a basic partnership is elusive to most of the families. One look at the matrimonial ads, that demand “gori house-wives” for their sons, would substantiate the argument. In the worse cases of marriage, there are dowry demands, there are tantrums from the groom’s side of family, marital rapes and so on. As a matter of fact, marital rape is not even considered a criminal offense under the IPC. Freedom from glass-ceilings: Getty Images That invisible barrier has been breached by many women, who have occupied top leadership roles. However, when speaking for majority of women, who toil equally hard at work, if not more, are still at lower positions, and are paid lesser than men. The basic reason behind this is women in most cases are not made aware, and are not given equal opportunities, despite possessing caliber and competency. A simple example can be viewed in Bollywood itself. Women actors, who contribute equally to a film are paid less. Another way to gauge this is taking in account the number of films which are women centric as compared to those with male protagonists. Freedom from stigma & indifference around female health: There is a lot of stigma surrounding women health and hygiene. Menstruation is still in many parts viewed as a phase of impurity of girls. In rural areas, most women want to keep their period a secret, resulting in lack of acceptance and not using sanitary hygiene products. A number of girls drop out from schools on attaining puberty in such areas. The National Family Health Survey-4 report has found that about 58 percent of adolescent girls use  unhygienic or unsafe menstrual practices. For working women, the fight is on for getting a day off in a month as menstrual leave, Recently, Zomato introduced period leave for its female employees, which has stirred the debate around the subject again. Freedom from violence: Women are subjected to different forms of violence. Female foeticide, domestic violence, honour killing, vitriolage, witchcraft related murders and dowry deaths are the forms of gender based violence. Recently, citing experts, news agency PTI reported that domestic violence cases in India increased since the March 24 lockdown with husbands venting their frustration on wives, who have no escape from their abusers. Most of the problems stated are a resultant of the long-established patriarchal setup which is so deep-rooted that people have accepted it to be a natural way of living. India still has a long way to go in eradicating it. (Views expressed by author are personal)