Traditionally, a woman’s identity has been determined through her husband but this image is now up for a change. Today, women are not just being seen or heard but also have an identity of their own. This assertion must, however, be tempered with sound Government policies
Last month, something significant happened in small villages in Hazaribagh district of Jharkhand. Over 33 applications under the Right To Information (RTI) Act were filed seeking information from panchayats and block development offices. While the filing of RTI applications may not seem extraordinary in itself, the fact that these were filed by the marginalised, mostly uneducated, single women living in remote villages, makes it remarkable.
They didn’t stop at just filing the RTI applications. The women followed up on their application with the relevant authorities to ensure replies were given. Armed with the official information gathered, they took action against all those who had denied them their right to food (under the Public Distribution Scheme), land registration, electricity and pension under some pretext or the other. Such has been their impact that in one village, the PDS dealer informed the women first when rations arrived at his shop so that no one was left out.
This quiet revolution was possible because of collectivisation of the women. Not just in Jharkhand, single women in many States are no longer willing to accept injustice. In a patriarchal society, where the identity and value of a woman is determined through her husband, women themselves are re-negotiating their roles and becoming catalysts of change. They are not just being seen or heard but are also being recognised as an independent, original voice.
This has largely been possible due to platforms like the Ekal Nari Shakti Sangathan (ENSS) or the National Forum for Single Women’s Rights, which has empowered oppressed women across the country to stand up for their rights. What began as a small group formed in Rajasthan in 1999 by Ginny Srivastava, the passionate 65-year-old co-founder of the Udaipur-based Astha Sansthan, a non-governmental organisation focussed on empowering the marginalised people, has now expanded to 11 States and has a membership of about 1.3 lakh single women.
According to the 2011 Census, there were over five crore single women in India. This means that around 8.6 per cent of the total female population of the country comprises widows, divorced, separated, unmarried older women, abandoned and deserted women. In the 2001 Census, this figure was over three crore. There was a 29.6 per cent increase in the population of single women between 2001 and 2011. This is much higher than the percentage growth of female population at 18.3 per cent.
In fact, single women outnumber the population of countries like Canada, South Africa, Saudi Arabia and even Australia. The 2011 Census indicated that Maharashtra has the highest number of single women (54,21,416) followed by West Bengal (45,43,978), Madhya Pradesh (24,75,189) and Gujarat (23,71,130).
Wherever single women have come together, they have benefitted. In Jharkhand, the single women’s group trained by Jagori, the not for profit advocating for gender equality and justice, showed that given the information and training, they can become agents of change. Recently, collectives of single women in Gujarat ensured land rights for 127 landless individuals. In Rajasthan, the ENSS worked to ensure safe drinking water and toilets in schools in remote locations.
While the ENSS managed to open new doors for single women, Government policies have not always been inclusive. Policies related to pension, for example, have not always guaranteed delivery of this important entitlement to every widow. For instance, in India, if a widow’s economic status changes and she moves above the poverty line, she is no longer eligible for the pension.
Also, under the Indira Gandhi National Widow Pension Scheme, only widows between 40-59 years, who live below the poverty line, are entitled to receive a paltry sum. After they attain the age of 60, they qualify for pension under the Indira Gandhi National Old Age Pension Scheme.
With 4.2 crore of the five crore single women being widows, ENSS sought a monthly pension of at least Rs 3,000 for all single women whose incomes are below the taxation limit and those who do not receive pension from any other source. They want this remuneration not just for widows of all ages but also for unmarried, divorced, separated and abandoned women, irrespective of their age. Surely, these demands are not unreasonable.
The Government could also adapt some good practices from its neighbours. In Nepal, for example, not only is pension given to all widows, irrespective of age, a Single Women Emergency Fund has been instituted. Further, as a 2014 research study on the policies and programmes for widows/single women in India, Nepal and Sri Lanka by UN Women found that the Nepal Government’s policy of giving land on lease to groups of widows/single women to build shelter homes, that also provides livelihood skills, has helped them re-integrate with their communities. In Kathmandu, one such home has a catering service which employs over 100 single women, who prepare packed meals on orders. If Nepal, which is ranked 149 out of 189 countries in the latest human development ranking, can do it why can’t India, considering it’s ranked far higher at 130? Our country must stand by its single women. All India needs is gender-sensitive planning and committed implementation.
(The writer is a senior journalist)