Eumind Values 16

Women
Empowerment

The Question
We have reached an era in which we can proudly boast of being a progressive and socially
advanced civilisation. Reformist ideas and liberal thought now form the base of modern society
as we know it and we stand assured that we have waved our goodbyes to the numerous ills and
injustices that prevailed in the past. However a question that has remained through the years
as if stuck in time, and continues to loom over humanitys pride over its progress is Have we
achieved equality between the sexes? Has the stage finally arrived where being a woman is not
a disadvantage?
The question, on many levels, is an immensely important one. It is an undeniable fact that since
time immemorial the world has been gravely unjust to womankind. Up until recent times, a
countless number of women in history have been denied opportunities to rise and refused
acknowledgement for their potential. As Virginia Woolf once so eloquently put it - Women
have served all these centuries as looking glasses possessing the magic and delicious power of
reflecting the figure of man at twice its natural size. After a past so full of discrimination, it
becomes our moral duty to ask ourselves whether we have made the world a better place for
its women. The questions importance is also highlighted by the fact that it is impossible for the
world to progress if half its population is not empowered.
Gladly, the matter has become one of the hottest topics of discussion today. Besides being a
common occurrence in the media, the question is being debated about in households, schools
and colleges. The very fact that we have received the question as the topic for this project
stands as a testament to its popularity.
The answers and opinions surrounding the question are many. While there are always
followers of the opinion that the struggle for equality must go on, there is also the sceptical
bunch who believe that the efforts over the years have brought women at an equal footing to
men in all aspects. We bring to you this project as a group of keen and socially conscious
teenagers trying to find the answer to the question for themselves. After months of rigorous
research and observation, we now present our findings and conclusions.

Research
Our research has been classified into 5 divisions to assess womens position in all strata of
life:

I. Work
II. Feminism And Women In The Media
III. Education
IV. Safety
V. Power and Decision-Making

Each section has been further divided into a) Statistic, and b) Public Opinion. Statistics contains facts
and figures taken from current reports by the United Nations. Public Opinion, on the other hand,
feature responses from a mother, father, grandmother, grandfather and feminist who we interviewed
together in an hour-long session; and the results of polls we conducted in a classroom of 40 students
from the 10th grade.

I. Work
1. Some Statistics

Only 50 per cent of women of working age are in the labour force, compared to 77 per cent
of men.
Women are more likely than men to be unemployed or to be contributing family workers,
which usually implies that they have no access to monetary income.
Older women aged 25 to 54 increased their labour force participation in most regions, while
that of men in the same age group stagnated or declined slightly across regions.
Women are significantly underrepresented in decision making positions such as legislators,
senior officials and managers, but are overrepresented as domestic workers, positions that
are characterized by low pay, long hours and lack of social protection.

Across all sectors and occupations, women on average earn less than men; in most
countries, women in full-time jobs earn between 70 and 90 per cent of what men earn. Many
developed countries show a long-term decline in the gender pay gap, but the trend is
mixed in recent years.
(Taken from http://unstats.un.org/unsd/gender/chapter4/chapter4.html)

2. Public Opinion
Q1: Over the years, there has been a massive increase in the participation of women in workplaces.
Large corporations like General Motors, HP, Pepsi, Oracle and Xerox have women CEOs. How do you
feel about this? And feel free to share any related experiences.
Mother: It is definitely wonderful to see more working women coming forth and occupying
the top-most positions. Though I am currently not working myself, I feel all women should be
strongly encouraged to work instead of staying at home.
Grandmother: The fact gives me a lot of joy, personally. Back in my day, there were a
countless number of girls who werent even sent to school after the 10 th grade, let alone
pursue a career. After being given a basic education a lot of us were kept at home to aid in
household chores or married away. So I cannot help smiling whenever I read about a
womans accomplishments in the newspaper or the television, or hear things like what you
just told me about the CEOs.
Father: It was really sad hearing what Geeta (grandmother) said and Im really glad that
things for women are a lot better now. Women working is definitely something everybody
should approve of. Keeping half of a countrys workforce at home can have no positive
impacts for anybody.
Grandfather: During my time as a young man, I rarely saw women occupying any significant
positions. The handful of working women I knew of worked as typists, receptionists,
telephone operators, etc. Seeing women reaching such heights, as you mentioned, is a great
pleasure.
Feminist: I feel theres still a glass ceiling for the ladies in the working world. There are a lot
of working women but not enough. The number of female entrepreneurs is depressingly
low, just take a look at the Fortune 500 CEOs list; and engineering and fields in science
particularly need more women. But I think well get there eventually, with efforts from young
and concerned people like you.

Q2. A lot of women stop working after marriage. Do you approve of this, or are you against it?
Mother: I am absolutely against the idea of women staying at home after marriage. Now that

my children have grown up and no longer require as much time from me as they did earlier,
there are moments when I regret leaving my career and wish to work again. Thatd be
difficult, however, considering the years I have remained inactive. So Id encourage every
woman to pursue her career. Everybody needs the sense of purpose in life that a job
provides.
Grandmother: It is only by venturing out into the world that a person gains exposure and
learns to be independent. Women should definitely continue working, no matter what.
Staying at home only makes you miss out on life.
Father: Marriage should never be a hindrance to anybodys career. Men continue working
after marriage so why shouldnt women? Its not always necessary for the woman to parent
the children. The mother and father can both spend equal time with the kids so nobody has
to leave their job for the sake of parenting. My wife and I are both working, and I feel our
son is growing up just fine.
Grandfather: Personally, I think children need their mother in their life more than anybody
else. The woman can work and be a mother at the same time if its possible, but parenting
should remain the first priority, at least when the kids are of a young and impressionable
age. Thats what I feel.
Feminist: Women should definitely continue working after marriage. Children arent really
an excuse, in my opinion. Most offices grant new mothers maternity leaves and flexible
working hours for maintaining a work-life balance, and like Aditya (father) said, good
parenting is possible with a little support from other family members. In fact, most of the
families I know today have both the parents working.

Classroom Poll

Do You Feel Women Should Continue

Working After Marriage?

Yes: 30
No: 10

II. Feminism & Women In The Media

1. Some Statistics
The media remains a male-dominated industry that reinforces gender stereotypes.
Women in the media industry represent:
7% of the directors
20% of film makers
20% of writers
23% of producers

2. Public Opinion
Q1. Do you identify yourself as a feminist?
Mother: Yes, definitely. And I feel everybody should.
Grandmother: Yes, I do.
Father: Yes, I do. Theres nothing to be afraid of in calling yourself a feminist. It just
means that you stand for equality between the sexes.
Grandfather: Yes, to some extent.
Feminist: Yes.

Q2. What does women empowerment mean to you?

Mother: To me, it means freeing women of all the unjust and unnecessary restraints that
society may impose upon them and giving them every freedom that a man has the
freedom of making their own decisions, most importantly.
Grandmother: Giving a woman enough freedom and opportunities to lead an independent
life. Its that simple.
Father: Treating women like you would treat men, what else?
Grandfather: Bringing women shoulder to shoulder with men in all aspects, maybe.
Feminist: At its core, it means creating an environment where being a woman does not
make a difference.

Q3. What do you feel about the portrayal of women in the media?
Feminist: It could certainly use improvement. In most of the media I consume personally,
especially Bollywood, there is a lot of objectification of women involved. It seems to have
become some sort of trend these days.
Mother: I absolutely agree with Reshma (feminist). However, I feel that the media in a lot
of ways is a reflection of the society. It gives us what we want to see. So, to put an end to
all the objectification and misogyny we see in movies and music, etc, we as consumers
must stop encouraging and demanding for it.
Father: Yes I agree too, that there is a lot of media out there that doesnt portray women in
a very dignified light, and they mostly do this to sell their product since there is large
audience for such stuff. However, there has been a lot progress since more and more
people are realising how wrong it is and speaking out.
Grandmother: I do not know much about the media of today, but listening to you people
talk of it, it seems to be in a pretty terrible condition. As far as I remember, the movies I
watched when I was young didnt have any of the objectification you speak of. In fact, a
lot of my favorite movies featured strong female leads.
Grandfather: I do not watch a lot of movies. So I wouldnt know (laughs).

Classroom Poll

Do You Identify Yourself As A Feminist?

Yes: 29
No: 11

III. Education
1. Some Statistics

Today 58 million children are out of primary school and more than half of these are girls.
Female participation in tertiary education overall has increased globally and currently
surpasses male participation in almost all developed countries. However, women are

clearly underrepresented in fields related to science, engineering, manufacturing and

construction.
Women are also underrepresented in the more advanced degree programmes,
especially in science-related fields, resulting in fewer women than men in research.
Women account for 30 per cent of all researchers.
Nearly two-thirds of the total number of illiterate people aged 15 and over, are women.
(Taken from http://unstats.un.org/unsd/gender/chapter3/chapter3.html)

2. Public Opinion
Q1. Traditional knowledge or Education do you prefer either one over the other. Why, if so?
Mother: Ideally, a lot of women I know would want a mix of western and traditional
knowledge, I feel. The knowledge of traditional practices would keep the cultural ethos
alive, while modern education would enable them to differentiate between ancient
wisdom and superstition. But if I had to choose one, it would undoubtedly be education.
Grandmother: Education over traditional knowledge. However, traditional knowledge is
important too, not only for women, but for everyone.
Father: I would surely choose modern education. Traditional training definitely helps at
home and keeps old cultural values alive, but it is education that gets you a place in the
world and gives a chance to achieve and contribute to society, without which life would
be pretty meaningless in my opinion.
Grandfather: I would prefer a balance of both. Being well cultured is as important as
important as being accomplished, and like Geeta (grandmother) said, not only for
women but for everyone.
Feminist: Modern education of course. Knowing of tradition and culture does have a little
significance, but is nothing compared to the importance of a well-rounded education. A
woman cannot achieve her dreams and aspiration if she isnt formally educated and
being uneducated also greatly lowers a persons position in society.

Q2. What do you feel about the shockingly low number of women in engineering and sciencerelated fields?
Mother: It is sad and science and research does need a lot more women. But I feel that its
mostly because a lot of women arent interested in those fields. Instead of engineering,
the prefer fields like the arts or humanities.

Father: I would love seeing more women in science. And Im sure I will, in the coming
years. Looking at the way the societys mindset is developing, Im confident therell be
change.
Feminist: I feel it has a lot to do with how women are raised. While we give our sons
construction toy sets and telling them of the way cars and machines function, we are
busy giving our daughters plastic dolls and telling them silly tales of princesses and
castles. The lack of interest in engineering is natural. We must raise our daughters to
have ambition and develop useful interests, just like we raise our sons.

Classroom Poll

Students In The Class Who Would Like To

Work In a Science-Related Field
18
16
14
12
10

Students In The Class Who

Would Like To Work In a
Science-Related Field

8
6
4
2
0
Boys

Girls

IV. Safety
1. Some Statistics

Women across the world are subjected to physical, sexual, psychological and economic
violence, regardless of their income, age or education. Such violence can lead to longterm physical, mental and emotional health problems.
Around one third of women worldwide have experienced physical and/or sexual
violence by an intimate partner or sexual violence by a non-partner at some point in
their lives. Intimate partner violence is the most common form of violence, peaking
during womens reproductive years in both developed and developing countries.
Prevalence declines with age but still persists among older women.
In the majority of countries, less than 40 per cent of the women who experienced
violence sought help of any sort. Among those who did, most looked to family and
friends as opposed to the police and health services. In almost all countries with
available data, the percentage of women who sought police help, out of all women who
sought assistance, was less than 10 per cent.
Womens reluctance to seek help may be linked to the widespread acceptability of
violence against women. In many countries, both women and men believe that wifebeating is justified in certain circumstances.

Womens reluctance to seek help may be linked to the widespread acceptability of

violence against women. In many countries, both women and men believe that wifebeating is justified in certain circumstances.
(Taken from http://unstats.un.org/unsd/gender/chapter6/chapter6.html)

2. Public Opinion
Q1. Do you think that the women in our country are as safe as the men?
Mother: Is that even a question? Absolutely not (laughs). Just open a newspaper or put on
a news channel, thatll tell you!
Grandmother: Based on the things I hear, the women are certainly not as safe as men.
Thats the reason we hear parents telling their daughter not to go out at night more often
than they tell their sons.
Father: The women are a lot safer than before, but definitely not as safe as the men. Not
yet, at least.
Grandfather: Almost everyday there are shocking cases of brutality and Ive noticed
theyre mostly against women. I feel that creating a safe country for women is a
challenging task owing to many reasons, one of them being that women are physically
weaker.
Feminist: No, theyre not as safe as men yet. There are many times that, as a woman, I feel
afraid of doing certain things that men can do without a second thought.

Q2. How do you suggest we can create a safer environment for women?
Mother: We can start by spreading more awareness. The society still contains certain
prevailing mindsets that need to be gotten rid of. I have come across a countless number
of people with shockingly complacent attitudes towards violence against women. This is
a result of our societys habit of clinging to the past and refusing to accept newer liberal
ideas. I think this project you guys are working on could be a great form of awareness.
Grandmother: Apart from all the fines and the laws, we must educate our children about
respecting women. A lot of the incidents I hear about could have been prevented, I feel,
if the parents of the perpetrator had spent a little time shaping his attitude well.
Father: You told me how most of the violence and harassment faced by women is not
reported, it was shocking and depressing to hear. I think this is one of the most major
problems and deserves a lot more attention. We must work towards ending the social
stigma associated with reporting harassment and abuse so that more victims can come
forth with their cases without fearing what the society might think of them or their family.

Grandfather: I think better implementation is the key here. The laws and the punishments
are all already in place, but are often not enforced the way they should be. There still
remains a sense of complacency in a lot of the police force, I feel, and that may be the
reason.
Feminist: Much of the cases are results of lacking education and so I think awareness is of
the utmost importance. Like Madan said, the laws are all in place, but I feel there are
certain areas that require improvement like a law against marital rape. India still doesnt
have a law that says rape in a marriage is illegal, and that is very disturbing to know.

Classroom Poll

Do You Think Women In India Are As Safe As

Men?

Yes: 3
No: 37

V. Power and Decision-Making

1. Some Statistics

Inequality between women and men tends to be severe and highly visible in power
and decision-making arenas. In most societies around the world, women hold only a
minority of decision-making positions in public and private institutions
Currently, only one in five members of lower or single houses of parliament
worldwide is a woman.
Female Heads of State or Government are still the exception, although the number
has increased slightly (from 12 to 19) over the past 20 years.
Similarly, only 18 per cent of appointed ministers are women, and are usually
assigned to portfolios related to social issues. Women are also underrepresented
among senior-level civil servants, and seldom represent their governments at the
international level.
Womens representation among corporate managers, legislators and senior officials
remains low, with only about half of countries having shares of women in managerial
positions of 30 per cent or more, and none reaching or surpassing parity.

2. Public Opinion
Q1. Are any of your female acquaintances in managerial positions at their job?
Mother: Yes, but not many.
Grandmother: No
Father: Very few.
Grandfather: No
Feminist: Not as many as men.

Q2. Statistics show that the glass ceiling is very much a reality for women. How, in your
opinion, can we get rid of this glass ceiling that exists for women in the working world?
Mother: I think we can start by fully realizing the gravity of the situation first. Not
many people are aware of how adversely the glass ceiling is affecting society, and
lots even refuse to acknowledge its existence.
Father: Apart from trying to end all the sexism in the corporate world, efforts should
also be made to encourage women to dream of achieving great heights and fighting

through the sexism. Powerful women should mentor other women to aid them in
reaching their goal.
Feminist: I agree with Aditya. I feel a lot of girls are raised in a way where they are
taught that they can have ambition but not too much. Encouragement and motivation
will definitely help.

Classroom Poll

How Many Of You Would Like To Hold a

Managerial Position?

Girls
Boys

Conclusion
I. Work
Although most of society now encourages working women and a lot of significant
developments have been made in the past, there is still an insufficiency of women in
professional working environments. The causes may be the influence of traditional
gender roles that advise women to stay at home and be housewives; or the absence
of facilities like maternity leaves and flexible working hours which often make it
difficult for a woman to balance her professional life with motherhood. A lot of
workplaces also involve sexism which is highlighted by the wage gap between men
and women (a woman is paid 70-90 cents for each dollar a man is paid).
Are men and women treated equally at work? No.

II. Feminism and Women In The Media

The media can be a powerful tool for the empowerment of women. However, a lot of
the media today, most notably movies and music, features misogyny and the
objectification of women. The fact that there is a complacent audience for such
entertainment is even more disturbing. There is also a sense of misunderstanding
among many people surrounding feminism which must be cleared.
Are Women And Men Treated Equally In The Media? No.

III. Education
The education sector has been the most successful in achieving equality. Female
participation in tertiary education is more than that of males in most developed
countries and more people now prefer modern education over traditional
knowledge. However, science-related fields involve a serious lack of women.
Are Women And Men Treated Equally In Education? Yes.

IV. Safety
Statistics suggest that a shockingly large number of women in the world are subjects
to violence and harassment. Though progress has been made, there still remains a
significant amount of acceptance and complacency among the public regarding
abuse against women and most of such crimes arent reported by women owing to
social stigma.
Are Women As Safe As Men? No.

V. Power And Decision Making

The field of power and decision-making shows the highest amount of inequality
between men and women. Females are underrepresented in managerial positions in
the government and private companies, proving that the glass ceiling is a reality
for women. The reasons could range from sexism and gender stereotypes to lack in
participation.
Are Women And Men Treated Equally In Power And Decision-Making? No.

Are Men And Women Treated Equally?

No