1. INDRONEEL DAS
OJASVI JAIN
MEERA MIDHA
PANKHURI SONI
AYUSHI AGRAWAL

2.  Unlike current times, wherein women are fighting and struggling to get
what actually is their right and trying to hold on to their status in the
society, according to many historians, in the glorious, ancient India-
women were treated equally, had all basic rights, had a say in all family
and society matters and were not considered inferior to men in any
respect.
 Right from having women play the glorious central role, like those of Devi
Sita, in epics like the Mahabharata, to having unparalleled warriors like-
Rani Lakshmibai, having great visionaries and leaders in- Sarojini Naidu,
Indira Gandhi and Kiran Bedi and “high flying” women in the field of
science and technology, like- Kalpana Chawla, India has had it’s fair share
of strong, capable and motivating women.
 These women and many others have played a very significant role in
shaping the history of India. So now, the question is- what went wrong?
Why did women go from being worshipped, respected and loved to merely
being treated as objects of a man’s pleasure, without any rights or sense
of self-respect.

3.  It is difficult to pinpoint any one time period as the one that saw the
fall in the social status of women. However, medieval time period in
India saw a sharp plummet in the respect and rights given to them.
 The social evils like- polygamy, child marriage and Sati either came
into being or were popularised during this period.
 Their say in the matters of the family and society reduced. Moreover,
daughters were now beginning to be considered a burden, an issue
which, in today’s modern day and age has the taken the form of –
massive female feticide and infanticide. Widow remarriage became
socially looked down on. The Devadasi system was also propounded
in the same time period.
 As a result, they were now forced to refrain from active decision
making processes of the society and restricted to doing household
chores.

4.  If we have to find solutions to the miserable plight of women in the
country, we have to assess the biggest factors that contribute to it. The
primary reason, responsible for the current abysmal state of women in
India, is the fact that they are thought of as the weaker sex. They are
looked at, with a pre-conceived notion of being- “ The dependent”. They
are considered to be inferior to men in almost all walks of life and hence,
get a reduced share of privileges and rights, or in some cases, none at all.
 It was the change in thinking of both men and women, that caused this.
Men started subjugating women to their judgements and oppressed them,
through physical, psychological and social means.
 Women also started considering themselves as the weaker sex. The
concept of a woman’s life being dedicated to her father first, her husband
next and at last, her son, was now firmly in place.
 This, soon changed and subjugation to men turned into domination and
abuse by men. Over time, women came to be objectified by men. The direct
consequence, over a period of hundreds of years, was women getting left
out from- family, social, political and many other aspects of life.
 All positions of power, in the- family, societies, workplaces, politics
belonged to men, when women didn’t even get their basic rights.

6.  Lack of respect for and inadequate promotion
and protection of the human rights of women
 Violence against women
 Inequality between men and women in the
sharing of power and decision-making at all
levels
 Insufficient mechanisms and infrastructure at
all levels to promote the advancement of
women

7. Lack of respect for and inadequate promotion
and protection of the human rights of women
Men need to treat all women with as much respect
as they would treat their own mothers or sisters,
and stop treating them as mere sexual objects or
raw material for bearing children.
Extending support to women and setting up forums
for them to openly share their problems.
Encouraging women to form strong support groups
to help each other and understand that they are
equal, if not superior, to men.
Severe and public punishment for men who violate
the human rights of women.

8.  Putting in place more effective programmes (like Bell
Bajao) to save the women from the wrath of men
inside and outside the household.
 Educating women to understand that they do not
“deserve” violence of any form, no matter what they
were led to believe by the men who hurt them. They
should be encouraged to speak up and take action
against such men. Understand: Walking away from an
abusive man is NOT a taboo.
 Support should be provided to victims, rather than an
attempt by authorities to justify the man’s actions.
 Sensible men need to play a role in changing the
mentality of abusive ones.

9.  Children need to be brought up to believe that they are
different, but not in terms of their roles in society, but
merely in their physical appearance.
 From a young age, men should be taught that it is normal
for a woman to be their superior. It is not a blow on their
ego or something to be ashamed of.
 Women should be discouraged from shying away from
power, and to take decisions with strong conviction.
Women must stop “sacrificing” their career for the benefit
of their family, as the family is the responsibility of man
and woman in equal parts. At the same time, a man should
encourage and support his wife’s career and dreams. A
man’s job is in no way more “important” than a woman’s.
In fact, women work harder, but are paid less.
 Even at home, a woman seeks approval from the man of
the house to validate her decision. If not, she is chided for
the same.

10.  In all courts, equal male and female representation
is required in the judgment procedure.
 Special programmes to educate women about their
rights, not just their responsibilities. Young girls
need to learn to respect themselves. At the same
time, their families must be given the strength to
support and encourage tough decisions.

11.  Other measures, such as- Improvement in health care for
pregnant women and neo-natal health care, better education
policies to promote education of the girl child, harsher laws
to protect women against any form of abuse, stricter divorce
laws etc. will also go a long way in empowering women and
paving the path for equality in the society.
 Men and women are like the two wheels of a cart. Like it is
impossible for the cart to move unless both the wheels move
ahead together, similarly men and women must move ahead,
shoulder to shoulder, if this country is to reach greater
heights.