WOMEN EMPOWERMENT AND THE EVIL SOCIAL PRACTISES: A DISTURBING MINORITY
WOMEN EMPOWERMENT AND THE EVIL SOCIAL PRACTISES: A
DISTURBING MINORITY
By- Antarjit Das
Class- 8 B
School- Don Bosco H.S School, Kokrajhar
ABSTRACT:
The article below
records and defines how women were presented in front of the society, the
different social practices that influence their human rights and the different
people who fought struggled, protested and educated for giving women their
specific rights and give them a prominent place in the society.
INTRODUCTION:
India is a
technologically advanced, resourcefully advanced, social advanced and
economically advanced Nation that is currently very well educated too. But, did
this capability that exists currently also exist in the India of 17th and 18th
century. No, in fact, when talked on the basis of socially advanced, it was not
at all. Our country was filled with social stereotypes, people of higher
classes Behaved harshly with the people of lower caste, untouchability rules
and so on. And to a fact, many of such opinions rules and behavior laws against
and gender, female.
UNJUSTIFIED ALLEGATIONS AND ILLEGAL
CLAIMS ON WOMEN:
Not only in the before
India, but also today, women and a girl child were considered as a burden to
the family’s financial conditions. In some rural areas, women and girl children
are persuaded to stay inside the houses and take care of the members and do the
required chores. They are not allowed to do a job because according to the
other members men should only be the one to make the family financially strong.
In some places, girls are not allowed to go to school and pursue education. In
some little better conditions, girls can only study up to primary standards. Whereas,
boys are allowed to pursue higher education, while having full support from
their family members.
THE PRACTICE OF SATI:
Sati is a very infamous
practice done against the women rights. According to the practice of Sati, the
wife had to sacrifice herself by sitting on top of the husband’s funeral pyre.
It was sometimes done forcefully (the family members sometimes push the wife
into the pyre). It is a very violent and aggressive practice. The practice of
Sati was abolished by Raja Ram Mohan Roy. It almost became a part of the
society norms for the upper caste people. The Christian missionaries of the
regions were the first to protest against Sati. However, the protests spread
for the furthest under Raja Ram Mohan Roy. After many years of struggle and
protest, the Bengal Sati Regulation Act was released by governor general
William Bentinck in 1829 that prohibited Sati.
CHILD MARRIAGES:
Child Marriage seemed to
be an infamous, yet a common tradition in India. This often happened to girls
below 12 to 15 years of age they are often seen as a burden to the family's
financial expenditure. According to the parents, at that time, it was hard for
them to get grooms for the girl if she is older than 18 to 20. One of the most
common consequences of child marriage was the increase in the mortality rate of
the women as they were too young to bear children. Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar
directed his protest against child marriage in Bengal and after years of hard
work, The Age of Consent Act was released in 1860 which is the age of marriage
to minimum of 10 years of age for females with rose to 12 years by 1861. The Child
Marriage Restraint Act fixed the age of marriage up to 14 and 18 years for
girls and boys respectively in September 1929, which was an extended to 18
years and 21 years respectively later.
WIDOWS AND WIDOW REMARRIAGE:
Widows had an even worse
situation then the other women in the society. They were often prohibited from
attending any sorts of events after the death of the husband. The widows had to
follow many strict norms of the society and regarding the food they consumed,
they often had low nutritional food which could only give them a slight touch
of energy. They were made to feel like they were castles, undervalued and near
slaved. The idea for widow remarriage
goes to Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar. It was however, not that popular and still
remains rare in the society. By the end of the 19th Century, only an
approximate of 30 widows could be married though the couples soon started to
get a lot social pressure, threats and had an inferior position in the society.
The Hindu Marriage Act of 1856 was a step towards advocating widow remarriage
but failed as it could not change the early stereotypical minds.
CONCLUSION:
India has changed a lot
during the course of time. Nowadays, women have many rights for their empowerment
and education. Many women have also participated in the governance of the
country and were also elected for certain respectful positions like the MLAs,
PMs, CMs and other ministers. Our country’s female literacy rate has also
increased in the past few decades. Currently, the state of Kerala holds the
title for the highest female literacy rate in India. Yet still, illegal social
practices and female discrimination exist in some of the regions in India as a
slight minority. But this can be stopped completely through some important
measures from the government and a positive pressure from the society.
Leave up your ideas in the Comments
Section. I might write an article or two on those particular topics…
Very impressive... Well done...all the best
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