The situation of women in society
Life in general is not easy for most of the people of India, however, the most difficult situation is for the women here. Ironically, at a time when the Indian prime minister was considered the most influential woman in the world, 3/4 her countryman, uneducated, rights and prospects for a better future, they were forced to do the hardest jobs and poorly paid jobs.
The hard life of Indian women begins on their birthday. To this day, most families want male descendants above all, who will provide parents with support and care in old age. Traditionally, sons stay at the parent's home, even if they have their own families. A daughter is not welcome, because he not only leaves his parents, when she gets married, but they still have to provide her with a worthy dowry. Therefore, in poorer families, girls tend to get less food, and their chances of getting a proper education are very slim. Because Indian couples want sons first and foremost, pregnant women are urged in the clinics here, to be tested, thanks to which you can find out the sex of the fetus. If it turns out, that the child is a girl, future mothers very often decide to terminate the pregnancy. Although these practices are currently banned, they are still being done in many places.
In India, it is common for parents to associate marriages. Most often it looks like this, that a teenage girl just finds out, that she was to marry a man, she had never even seen. Then she moves to her husband's village, where not only has to work, usually for a very low salary, but also to look after the house and raise children. Her duties also include trips for several kilometers to find water, collecting fuel and preparing food for numerous livestock. The woman has no land rights, which is owned by the husband, and her situation in society resembles that of a slave. Very often, women are victims of male brutality, who are convinced, that beating wives is the most natural thing in the world.
The situation is slightly better in cities. Parents, Although, they more often provide their daughters with a thorough education, but they only do it for that, to increase their chances of a favorable marriage. When the woman gets married, is expected of her above all, to be an exemplary wife, mother and hostess. If it does not meet the expectations placed in it – for example, she will not bear a male heir to her husband – her life turns to hell. Reports about women are often published in newspapers, which burned alive in their houses. The "accidental" kerosene spill is cited as the cause of death. But they are actually suicides, caused by this, that the woman cannot bear the pressure mentally, which is exerted on it, or murder, made by in-laws, who wish, for their son to remarry, this time making a better choice.
The situation of a woman, who decides to divorce, it is extremely difficult due to public opinion. Although India's constitution allows divorced and widows to remarry, in practice, the chances of remarrying are very slim. Society treats them like outcasts; Even their own families are renouncing them. A divorced woman cannot count on any form of financial assistance from the state. Marriage is seen as a relationship based on the love of two people, but as a trade agreement between spouses and their families. Both sides undertake to do everything, for the relationship to survive, however, if it falls apart because of the fault of a woman, her situation is much worse, than if the culprit was a man. No wonder then, that in this situation, very few couples decide to divorce.
Fortunately, the situation of women in India has been gradually improving for the past few years. The equality movement has fostered women a slightly better position in society over the past ten years. Although most professions are still reserved for men, women in positions are more and more common, which until recently were unavailable to them. W 1993 r. the first woman was admitted to the army, while in parliament they constitute approx. 10% the number of deputies. The most famous Hindu women, who managed to gain a high position in the state, former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and Kiran Bedi remain, first woman, who became a police officer, then she was a commissioner in Delhi, and is currently the warden of the main Tihar prison in Delhi. (Only envy.)
Rural women are less likely to get high positions and well-paid jobs, however, different organizations, such as SEWA (Union of Working Women), which is based in Ahmedabad, try to facilitate their career path. This movement brings together women, who are employed in carrying out heavy and less-paid work, such as searching for waste paper in landfills, encouraging them to fight for their due rights, fair payment and demands to improve working conditions. SEWA has also opened its own bank, which gives women loans and allows them to safely store their savings, as Indian banks are reluctant to serve customers, whose financial position is not stabilized.
Although the situation of women in Indian society has improved significantly, a long time will pass, before they get the same rights as men. Today, women only make decisions about their own families, not the whole of society, over which matters still have little influence.