RSTV: THE BIG PICTURE- GENDER EQUALITY CHALLENGES
Introduction:
According to the first SDG Gender Index released recently no country in the world is on the track to achieve Gender Equality by the year 2030. The Sustainable Development Goals which 193 countries signed up in 2015 creates a global roadmap to eradicate poverty and protect the planet. The Gender Index developed by Equal Measures 2030 which is a joint effort of regional and global organisations says that 2.8 billion girls and women live in countries that scored very poor or poor in the ranking. India is ranked 95th among 129 countries with a score of 56.2 out of 100. Health, hunger and nutrition and energy are some of the parameters on which India has scores well but it’s lowest scores are on partnership, industry, infrastructure and innovation.
Provision and Schemes:
- Article 14= Equality before law for women
- Article 15= The state to make positive discrimination for the equality to women.
- Beti Bachao Beti Padhao= Address declining child sex ratio, improve the efficiency of welfare services.
- ASHA and Anganwadi services
- Maternity Benefit Amendment act= Increased the duration of paid maternity from 12 weeks to 26 weeks for both formal and informal workplace.
- National Nutrition Mission= Improvement in nutritional status of children, adolescent girls, pregnant women and lactating mothers.
Current Challenges:
- Cultural values= limited role as homemaker with status of mother, sister and wife
- Partnership and industries= not considered capable enough to handle it.
- Gender equality studied in isolation= The crime against boys and men go unreported, even this group should be studied.
- The laws made are gender biased rather than gender neutral laws.
- Hardly any steps for political representation of women
- Gender exploitation in unorganized sector go unrecorded.
- Study limited to women empowerment rather than youth empowerment.
Road Ahead:
- Need to create avenues and opportunity with conscious effort for empowering women rather than giving freebies.
- Gender Neutral laws.
- Implementation to full potential of laws is the key.
- Infrastructure to be put in place and proper efforts to go ahead.
- Favouring women gives rise to inequality in society so even men should be given avenues.
- Article 15 should be considered and positive discrimination should be there wherever needed.
Conclusion:
Gender equality should encompass men and women both. There is a need of change in societal mindset. Men and women should respect each other. Real education begins at home. So it is even duty of parents and teachers to incorporate healthy values right from the young age.
