In order to encourage advocacy for women’s advancement, the International Women’s Day is celebrated on March 8. The day is a time to reflect on progress made, to call for change and to celebrate acts of courage and determination by ordinary women who have played an extraordinary role in the history of their countries and communities. The theme for 2017 is ‘Women in the Changing World of Work: Planet 50-50 by 2030.’
Against this backdrop, only 50 per cent of working women are represented in labour force globally, compared to 76 per cent of men. The majority of women are in the informal economy, subsidizing care and domestic work, and concentrated in lower paid, lower-skill occupations with little or no social protection. Achieving gender equality in the world of work is imperative for sustainable development.
The post-2015 global agenda offers a historic opportunity to pursue transformational measures to ensure equality for every woman and girl, everywhere. All women and girls have the right to live free of discrimination, violence and poverty. Grounded in the vision of equality enshrined in the UN Charter, work on gender equality calls for elimination of discrimination against women and girls; empowerment of women; and achievement of equality between women and men as partners and beneficiaries of development, human rights, humanitarian action, and peace and security. Some key targets of the 2030 agenda focus to ensure that all girls and boys have access to quality early childhood development, care and preprimary education so that they are ready for primary education; end all forms of discrimination against all women and girls everywhere; eliminate all forms of violence against all women and girls in the public and private spheres, and other types of exploitation.
Women and girls represent half of the world’s population and therefore also half of its potential. Improving the status of women and girls in society can accelerate and strengthen efforts towards better governance, health outcomes and sustainable development. It is impossible to think of a sustainable future wherein the rights, dignities, and capabilities of half of the world’s population are neglected.
The word gender refers the way societies distinguish men and women and assign them social roles. Gender inequality is therefore a form of inequality which is distinct from other forms of economic and social inequalities. Gender inequality has adverse impact on development goals as it reduces economic growth. It hampers the overall well being because blocking women from participation in social, political and economic activities can adversely affect the whole society.
Gender inequality in India refers to health, education, economic and political inequalities between men and women in India. Gender discrimination continues to be an enormous problem within Indian society. Traditional patriarchal norms have relegated women to secondary status within the household and workplace. This drastically affects women’s health, financial status, education, and political involvement. As per the United Nations Development Programme’s Human
Development Report 2013, India ranks 132 out of 187 countries on the Gender Inequality Index (GII), which is a new index for measurement of gender disparity that was introduced in the 2010 Human Development Report.
Gender equity and empowering women and girls are critical goals for India, with women continuing to lag on key socioeconomic indicators. While the male literacy rate in the country is 82.1 per cent, female literacy lags at 65.5 per cent. The workforce participation rate of males and females in the country is 54.4 per cent and 21.9 per cent, respectively. In Odisha the male literacy rate is 82.4 per cent and female literacy rate is 64.4 per cent.
Data from around the world show that increased education is associated with the empowerment of women. Educated women are more effective at improving their own well-being and that of their family. They are better equipped to extract the most benefit from existing services and opportunities and to generate alternative opportunities, roles, and support structures.
The principle of gender equality is enshrined in the Indian Constitution in its Preamble, Fundamental Rights, Fundamental Duties and Directive Principles. India has also ratified various international conventions and human rights forums to secure equal rights of women, such as ratification of Convention on elimination of all forms of discrimination against women in 1993. During the last 50 years, there is a change in perception towards women. Constitutionally, the women of today enjoy similar opportunities with men. The participation of women in the mainstream workforce is continuously increasing. They are largely employed in different organizations and server sector industries.
Women have been finding place in local governance structures, overcoming gender biases as a result of 1993 amendment to the Indian Constitution requiring that 1/3 rd of the elected seats to the local governing bodies be reserved for women. The Government also announced the National Policy for Empowerment of Women in 2001 to bring out advancement, development and empowerment of women. The Government has also drawn up a draft National Policy for the empowerment of women which is a policy statement outlining the State’s response to problems of gender discrimination.
The city is important for both working and nonworking women. So, development of new policies and revisions of the policymaking process are crucial to meet women’s needs and ensure their full participation in the process of development as a complete citizen.
Communities can take up responsibilities and play a role in improving the situation of women by designing safe public spaces for women. Besides, Municipal Governments have a role to play in helping women enter the decision making process. Equal representation is certainly one way to ensure that the needs of men and women will be addressed in municipal planning and management.
All cities should be inclusive, convenient and safe cities for women. Inclusive by helping women fully access and participate in the social, cultural, economic and political life of the city. Convenient by adapting the urban infrastructures and services to women’s needs in a fashion that embraces their nature, social role and schedule. Safe by creating a safe urban environment for women to allow them regain their right to the city. It is important for the policymakers to adopt a gender-inclusive urban planning to ensure better participation of women in urban planning process.
Today women are organizing themselves to meet the challenges that are hampering their development. There are a number of women who have proved that they are at par with men; the others are still struggling for equal rights. Equality should be for all regardless of gender. Gender inequality cannot be fully eliminated merely by the legal and administrative measures. There is a need for changes in perception towards women to improve on gender equality. The year 2030 is the deadline for the new Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which include targets on achieving gender equality and empowerment of all women and girls, as well as ensuring inclusive and quality education for all and promoting lifelong learning. Everyone has a role to play to make gender equality a lived reality by 2030.
(Dr Praharaj teaches at Department of Architecture, College of Engineering and Technology, Bhubaneswar)