Today's Editorial

Where is India’s feminist revolution?

Relevance: GS Paper I

Why in News?

As India mourned the gruesome rape and murder of a young female doctor in Kolkata last week, It reminded us of a simple truth that should frankly haunt all of us every day: The subordination of women by men is unnatural and there is truly nothing like it.

More about the News:

• India has a larger problem of seeing women as accessories to the economy rather than as equal participants in it. 
• In most parts of the world, the emancipation of women was driven by increased safety in the workplace and equality in the economy. India needs all of that, fast.

Historical Context of Subordination of Women:

• Throughout human history, no truly egalitarian society has ever existed. 
• At every point in time, within every empire, kingdom, or country, one group has typically held power over another. 
• For instance, Muslims have ruled over Christians, and vice versa; Persians have ruled over Greeks, and Greeks over Persians. 
• While these power dynamics shifted over time, one constant remained: the subordination of women by men.
• Despite the changes in dominant groups across different civilizations and eras, women have been consistently dominated and controlled by men. 
• This has been a universal truth across time and geography, evident in thousands of years of recorded history.

The Rise of Gender Equality Movements in the West:

• The advent of industrialization in the West set the stage for a movement against gender inequality. 
• During the 19th and early 20th centuries, as democratic rights expanded in Britain and America, women organized formidable movements for gender equality. 
• Initially, these movements focused on securing equal voting rights, and later on achieving equality in the workplace. 
• The expansion of material aspirations played a key role in these efforts.  
• It was argued that nations could not grow or become richer if women were denied education and employment opportunities. As women gained access to these opportunities, their voices and influence grew.

Post-World War II Advances in Women’s Rights:

• After World War II, the spread of technology and globalization made economic opportunities more accessible, leading to a global reckoning with the plight of women. 
• As more women achieved financial independence, significant gains were made in health, education, political representation, and other metrics of equality.

The Disconnect Between Education and Employment in India:

• India presents a paradoxical case in the global context of women's rights. 
• While a high percentage of girls are attending school, women's participation in the workforce remains alarmingly low. 
• According to World Bank data, in 2022, over 90% of girls in the relevant age group had completed lower secondary school in India. However, only 28% of women were participating in the workforce that year.

Comparing India with Other Lower Middle-Income Countries:

• When compared to other lower middle-income countries, Indian women have consistently performed better in schooling but worse in workforce participation. 
• In these countries, on average, less than 74% of girls had completed lower secondary education, but over 36% of women were part of the workforce. 
• This stark contrast highlights a critical issue in India's approach to gender equality.

The Socio-Economic Consequences of Gender Disparities:

• The recent brutal attack on a working female professional in India underscores the larger issue of gender inequality in the economy. 
• Sexual crimes are often viewed as a law-and-order problem, but they are also symptomatic of a deeper societal issue: the perception of women as accessories to the economy rather than as equal participants. 
• A recent Pew survey revealed that 55% of Indians believe men should have more rights to jobs than women, the second-highest percentage among 61 countries surveyed. 
• This sentiment reflects a broader belief that men belong in the workforce while women belong at home.

Way Forward: The Need for Economic Empowerment

• The proliferation of crimes against women is often the result of their subordination in the economy. While some may dismiss this as cynical materialism, the most accurate measure of a group’s status in society is its success in the economy. 
• In many parts of the world, the emancipation of women was driven by increased safety in the workplace and equality in the economy. India urgently needs to address these issues to achieve true gender equality.

Beyond Editorial: