With growing globalization, India is advancing in technology but still lagging far behind in terms of women’s equality and rights. The adult illiteracy rate in India was 48% in 1995 Women had 62% illiteracy, whereas men had 34% (UNDP, 1997). The literacy rates are lower in rural areas then urban areas (fao.org). These statistics show that there is inequality in terms of education. Nobel Prize–winning economist Amartya Sen states that human capital is important for production potential. The empowerment of women is necessary because it is going to build the human capital of the nation. Women’s empowerment and equality will play a significant role in the process of sustainable development. The government has implemented some policies to …show more content…
Young girls who goes to school needs to drop out when their wedding day is set. If the parents want to send their children to school there are not many schools in rural areas.
An article published by the Foundation for Sustainable Development states that 54 percent of Indian women are literate as compared to 76 percent of men. Women receive little schooling. The labor force participation rate of women is 22.7%, less than half of the men's rate of 51.6% (fsdinternational.org). Lack of education is not the only reason for the low numbers of women in the labor force; female infanticide is practiced in many rural areas. One of the reasons that India still suffers from gender inequality is due to the continuous decline of female ratio in the population of India. By 2011 census, 10 lakh (1,000,000) girls a year were killed by infanticide and 500,000 fetuses are aborted because they are females ( Relief Project India). People believe that having sons is an economic benefit, while the birth of a daughter is a misfortune (Manohar, pg 22). That’s why rural women do not like the idea if family planning and some are not even aware of it.
The 73rd and 74th amendments to the Indian constitutions provide a reservation of seats for women in the village councils, to lay a strong foundation for their participation in decision making at the local levels. In 1993 the government has also ratified various international human rights conventions to secure equal rights for women.
Several scholars have linked birthrate decline to female education. Educated women, they reason, generally prefer smaller families, allowing them to pursue their own interests while investing more resources and time in each child. As it turns out, the map of female literacy in India does exhibit striking similarities with the map of fertility.
The gender roles in America have changed tremendously since the end of the American Civil War. Women and men, who once lived in separate spheres are now both contributing to American society. Women have gone from the housewife so playing key roles in the country's development in all areas. Though our society widely accepts women and the idea that our society is gender neutral, the issues that women once faced in the late 1860s are still here.
Women eventually became repulsive against the standards of which they were being held to, yet they had to remain quiet. Several organizations were created regarding women’s suffrage. Many of the organizations had committed members who devoted all of their free time to the organization. Susan Brownell Anthony was one of those committed members. Anthony was born on February 15, 1820 in Adams, Massachusetts. She became interested in Women suffrage at a young age. She practically devoted her life to the Women’s Suffrage Movement. Anthony’s father worked as a farmer. Eventually he became wealthy by starting a cotton mill. Despite their, wealth they lived a simple life. Keeping up with their Quaker faith. Quakers believed in equality between the sexes. Anthony was raised in an environment filled with outspoken women resulting in her outspoken personality. In 1849, Anthony quit her job and rejoined her parents, who moved to Rochester Newyork, where Anthony became intrigued with the fight for women 's suffrage. Anthony 's participation in several organizations and outspoken nature made her a target for criticism. The editors of the newspaper attempted to perceive her to the public as a “bitter spinster” who only had interest in Women Suffrage because she could not find a husband, when in fact Anthony had received numerous proposals all of which she had refused. She felt that if she were to get married she would
“women’s Declaration of Independence” was the goal of the right to vote, but that was
It was Theodore Roosevelt, who stated that, “Nobody cares how much you know until they know how much you care”, conveying the idea that with no voice comes no change. In the morning of August 26, 1920, the 19th amendment was ratified, which centralized mainly on the enfranchisement of women. Today, they have the legal right to vote, and the ability to speak openly for themselves, but most of all they are now free and equal citizens. However this victorious triumph in American history would not have been achieved without the strong voices of determined women, risking their lives to show the world how much they truly cared. Women suffragists in the 19th century had a strong passion to change their lifestyle, their jobs around the
Women's Suffrage was one of the many well knows Progressive reform movements. Women became involved in political issues like the Temperance Movement through the WCTU (women’s Christian Temperance Union). Document H, shows that many women were feeling angry and were being cheated out of their right to vote and to be involved in the government. The message of the poster is that the U.S., especially President Wilson, needs to stop worrying about other countries and start worrying about the 20,000,000 women that don’t have the right to vote. Herbert Croly also thought that the President needed to do more at home. He accuses the president of deluding, “ himself into believing the extravagant claims which he makes on behalf of the Democratic Legislative achievement.”(Document F)
After the Civil War, the movement of women’s suffrage had a new inspiration, as they used African American suffrage as a stepping stone towards women’s suffrage. Organizations, such as the National Association Women’s Suffrage Association and Women’s Christian Temperance, had clear goals to reform the urban areas with women’s suffrage. As this empowering reform took place, women of the late 19th and early 20th centuries started to question their own roles within society. As women faced opposition and had diminished roles within society, the women of the late 19th century sought equality.
No true words were spoke than those by Ms. Susan B. Anthony, “Oh, if I could but live another century and see the fruition of all the work for women! There is so much yet to be done.” Those words are still true today. Even though Ms. Susan B. Anthony, Ms. Elizabeth Cady Stanton and other activists worked hard to get equal rights for women to allow them the right to have a say in how our government is run there are still places in the world where women and even some men aren’t allowed to vote. Some of those places may actually be surprising, others maybe not so much. Even still some of the trials these women went through to end women’s suffrage and the lack of political equality is worth taking a look at even ninety-one
Women's Suffrage At the turn of the twentieth century, the ideal British woman in Great Britain was to maintain a demure manner, a composed façade. A delicate disposition with a distain for all things violent and vulgar. However, by this point in time, an increasing number of women were becoming ever more frustrated with their suppressed position in society. Women eventually went to extreme, militant measures to gain rights, especially to gain women the right to vote. Although this controversy in the short term could perhaps be seen to delay the implementation of women’s suffrage, combined with the rest of their campaigning, the respect they received during World War 1 and the political situation
Campaigns for Women Suffrage and their Effectiveness Throughout the nineteenth century, the suffragists and the suffragettes worked hard campaigning for women suffrage. Finally, in 1918, the vote was given to women, but only women over thirty. But suffrage campaigns, although important, were not the only reason that the franchise was granted. Some other reasons include, a fear of the return of suffragette activity, the government following an international trend, the government making changes to the voting system anyway, and the Prime Minister, David Lloyd George, being more sympathetic to the cause that the previous Prime Minister was.
People in India show a strong preference to not spend time raising girls. The sex birth ratio in India is one of the worst having 112 boys for every 100 girls born. Gill and Mitra-Kahn believe the reason for this lack of girls is due to
India’s statistics are similar. According to the BBC “In 1961, for every 1,000 boys under the age of seven, there were 976 girls. Today, the figure has dropped to a dismal 914 girls. Although the number of women overall is improving (due to factors such as life expectancy), India's ratio of young girls to boys is one of the worst in the world after China. Many factors come into play to explain this: infanticide, abuse and neglect of girl children. But campaigners say the decline is largely due to the increased availability of antenatal sex screening, and they talk of a genocide”.
Female infanticide has been accepted for centuries in many countries, and is more prominent in India and China than in any other countries around the world. It is illegal in India, however it is reported by Unicef that up to 50 million girls and women are “missing” in India as a result of systemic sex discrimination.
In India, women are being manipulated to stop having children after their second birth. Officials claim that by regulating population and the pregnancies of women after their second child they will be able to empower women by offering them contraceptive choices and child care facilities. In reality, if women do not agree to be sterilized after their second birth they will be
It is regrettable that female infanticide and foeticide are rapidly decreasing the female population throughout India. The main factors that is responsible for the increase in the incidence of female infanticide and foeticide is the low status of women, son preference, and the practice of dowry across all casts groups.