Women’s Right’s: Problems- A Social, Economical,Political and Cultural Analysis By: Jeba Boktiar Mondal

The Author, Jeba Boktiar Mondal is a student of second year BA.LLB (H) at Presidency University , Bangalore.

ABSTRACT

In the past, human rights had been conceptualized in an exceedingly method that did not see women’s lives and therefore the incontrovertible fact that they are fully fledged violence, crime, discrimination, and coercion. In the past time, women followed particular norms and traditions that place several restraints upon them, primarily within the male dominated society. Expeditiously guaranteeing women’s right need a large understanding of the elemental social group structures and power relations that outline and stimulate the power of the women to get pleasure from human rights. These power structures have an impression of all aspects of life, from law and politics, to economic and social polity, family and community life, education, training, skill development, and attainment of employment opportunities.

 Keywords: Women, Empowerment, Rights, Violations, Education, Development

1. INTRODUCTION

Achieving equality between women and men and eliminating all styles of discrimination against women are basic human rights and UN values. Women everywhere the planet, however, unremarkably expertise violations of their human rights throughout their lives, and human rights of ladies haven't perpetually been a priority. Achieving equality between ladies and men needs a comprehensive understanding of the ways that within which ladies expertise discrimination and square measure bereft of equality thus on develop applicable methods and norms to eliminate such discrimination. Some teams of ladies experience extra styles of discrimination, supported their age, ethnicity, position, religion, health standing, legal status, education, incapacity and socio-economic standing. These interconnecting styles of discrimination should be taken under consideration once formulating measures and responses to combat discrimination against ladies. Combating against discriminatory treatments is important for the progress of ladies. Besides these, one ought to offer priority to the rights of ladies and promote their effective implementation. Women have a crucial role to play within the society. They're thought to be primary sources that raise and nurture the family. In spite the very fact that the women’s contribution to the progress of the country is up to that of their male counterpart, still they expertise variety of limitations that limit them from realizing their potential for growth. it had been against this attitude that the governments everywhere the planet felt the requirement to order the requirements and interests of ladies and acknowledge their contribution in numerous stages and overcoming impediments that might present itself inside the course of their authorisation. The term, women’s authorisation implies the capability of the ladies in taking all the vital selections on associate freelance basis that square measure associated with her, throughout her lifetime that may lead to her success altogether phases of life.[1]

Some areas that violate the rights of women in India:

1. Missing of Women and Girls – In many developing countries, the idiom of “missing women” has been used, when it was found, the proportion of women as compared to men is low in population. In many states of India, women and girls go missing. One of the primary reasons that lead to their missing is trafficking. When girls are trafficked, they are severely exploited and are deprived of food and other basic necessities. Besides, there have been cases of women, who go missing from their marital homes. The occurrence of violent and criminal acts against women within the house and outside, primarily lead to their absence.
2. Domestic Violence –Domestic violence is, when a woman experiences violent and criminal acts at the hands of their husbands, in-laws, fathers, brothers or other family members. These include,
3. verbal abuse, physical abuse, and inflicting various forms of mistreatment. There are numerous reasons for women experiencing domestic violence within their marital homes, these are inability to carry out the household tasks in an appropriate manner, financial problems, desire for a male child, unawareness and illiteracy on the part of women, experiencing problems in meeting essential needs and requirements, health problems and feelings of antagonism and resentment.
4. Sati – Sati is a practice, when the widows were placed in the funeral pyres of their husbands. This practice was abolished by the social reformer Raja Ram Mohan Roy. It continues to prevail in the post-colonial India. The Sati Prevention Act was passed which declared the practice of Sati as a crime for which death penalty can also be given to the perpetrators. The act also declared that the veneration of Sati by erecting a temple and worshipping of the deceased women as a God is also prohibited. However, certain sections of individuals perceive this law as intervention in their right to practice the dictates of their religion.
5. Child Marriage – Child marriage is when the marriage of girls takes place, when they are below 18 years of age and when boys are below 21 years of age. Child marriage is regarded as a practice that deprives the girls of their childhood. They experience problems in the acquisition of education, getting enrolled in school, taking pleasure in other childhood activities and in enhancing their skills and abilities.
6. Preference for a Male Child – The individuals, who belong to rural communities and socio-economically backward sections of the society, normally give preference to the male child. They regard males to be the assets of the family and possess the viewpoint that they will contribute in generating welfare and enhancing reputation of their families. The preference for the male child is a phenomenon, which is historically rooted in the patriarchal system of the Indian society.
7. Female Foeticide and Female Infanticide – Female foeticide is referred to the killing of the girl child, before she is born and female infanticide is killing of the girl child, after she is born. These practices, deny the basic right from the girl child, i.e. the right to live. There have been communities of individuals, who have a strong preference for the male children. They possessed this viewpoint that families with male children were seen with pride, when they have control over the larger part of land. They regarded females as liabilities, who would not generate any wealth for their families.

7. ROLE OF WOMEN AT THE BEGINNING OF THE 20^TH CENTURY

The role of women in today’s society is, perhaps, one amongst the essential subjects within the study of the history of human civilization. Completely different societies at different times, the gender roles were determined by a group of historical and cultural traditions and stereotypes that left men and women in their selected positions with very little chance of modification or diversity. Wanting back at new history, the twentieth century has marked a variety of great changes within the cause for women’s equality, and may be thought of as, perhaps, the foremost necessary century in terms of the development of women’s position in society and gaining rights to participate in social, cultural and political lifetime of the society.

At the start of the twentieth century, women still belong to an inferior class of the population within the European society. Starting with childhood, within the house and in check of their fathers, to adulthood, being skipped over into the hands of their husbands, the lifetime of girls measure below the whole power of men. Like this, women hold completely no political or legal power; they do not have the appropriate right to vote, they cannot sign any contracts or pursue any kind of political career. In fact, it's not possible for a woman to figure while not the permission of her husband. Such rules are a mirrored image; the bourgeois patriarchal society that had a very robust hold on the European society in the previous nineteenth century.

In terms of education, at the start of the twentieth century, education of young women from respectable and wealthy households consists of such matters as domestic affairs, arts, and crafts, rules of prescript, etc. The image of a lady of that point presents a unimaginative perception, nurtured and maintained within the men-ruled society for several centuries previous. As a result, women’s education is left within the hands of their governesses special establishments for young women, all with identical final goal of creating out of them smart mothers, keepers of the house and constant partners to their husbands. There is, however, exception even to it rules. Solely those girls who stay single when passing the age of twenty one, widows and unmarried girls square measure emancipated. However, within the lingering mentality of the 19th-century European society, for a lady to be unwedded at such age is impossible, and so these girls square measure viewed as abnormal.[2]

3. ISSUES AND PROBLEMS FACED BY WOMEN IN INDIA

In the ancient Indian society girls were given respect and worshiped as goddesses. But within the time of life, the standard of girls got all the way down to an excellent extent. Women within the society solely to

perform duties like looking after kids, caring each friend, and different family activities. There is a previous and ancient religion of individuals initiating for years that men are for thy field whereas women are only just for the house. Now-a-days, girls are breaking all the barriers of social problems and issues against them within the society. They are moving ahead and enjoying equality of standard in the majority fields attributable to being financially freelance and economically sound.[3]

Earlier to the situation, women were facing loads of issues attributable to male dominated, patriarchic society system, observe of recent ancient believes, etc. Women were solely accountable to the normal roles like kid bearing and kid rearing. Within the times, wherever girls status has been improved a touch whereas, still they're facing issues. They need to perform each family and skilled responsibilities along while not the assistance of their husbands. In some cases, the condition of women become additional embarrassed once they get tortured by their relations rather than obtaining facilitate. Harassment which is of sexual nature is additional common at homes likewise as within the offices by the relations, relatives, neighbours, friends, boss, etc. they need to suffer loads in their existence to nourish their career likewise as saving their family relationships.

Steps taken by Government regarding women’s safety

There are various rules, regulations, act and laws made by the Indian government regarding the safety of women in India. However, a new act (Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Bill, 2015) has been passed by the Indian government by replacing the earlier one of 2000 (Indian juvenile delinquency law of 2000) to reduce the juvenile age from 18 to 16 years especially in case of heinous offenses (after Nirbhaya case).

4. SOCIAL PROBLEMS FACED BY INDIAN WOMEN

Social problems are the problems which are created by the society, for the society and within the society. Our first Prime Minister said “You can tell the condition of a nation by looking at the status of its women.” Our country is on the high roads of success but still for women her life is a battle for survival and dignity from her birth to her death. The social problems faced are female foeticides, neglect during childhood, early marriage, dowry, atrocities on women, gender bias. The first injustice begins at home. To

stop the social problems faced by women we need:- women upliftment should start at the root level, social stigmas and taboos need to be dealt with, proper social and financial system needs to be created[4].

Some Programmes for Women Welfare are:

• Marriage legislation
• The Child Marriage Restraint Act,1929
• The Hindu Marriage Act,1955

5. ECONOMICAL PROBLEMS FACED BY INDIAN WOMEN

Women are the engines of the Indian Economy however our contribution is unheeded. A powerful 133 million Indians rose out of financial condition between 1994 and 2012, an accomplishment that Republic of India and therefore the world may be happy with. Whereas deserve celebration, the success may even a lot of dramatic if a larger variety of women may contribute to the hands. In 2012, solely 27% of adult Indian ladies had employment, or were actively searching for one, compared to 79% of men. In fact, virtually twenty million ladies had born out of the manpower between 2005 and 2012. This is often such as the complete population of Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka.

India’s speedy urbanization has not nonetheless inspired a lot of women to hitch the labour. Rural jobs are decreasing and not enough rural ladies are able to create the transition to operating in urban areas. This makes the requirement for larger public safety and safe transport a lot of important. By any live, the gap is especially massive and has been widening India ranks a hundred and twenty among 131 countries in feminine labour participation rates and rates of gender-based violence stay intolerably high. It’s exhausting to develop in a comprehensive and property method once 1/2 the population isn't totally taking part within the economy. This is to not say that country India has not had some success. Some young ladies are staying in class longer, whereas others are opting to leave work. However India should flip the tide to appreciate its development potential.

Women’s economic authorization is extremely connected with financial condition reduction as ladies conjointly tend to take a position a lot of of their earnings in their kids and communities. The World Bank ensures that its assignments are structured to foster larger economic participation by women. As an example, we've invested with over $3 billion over the past fifteen years to support state governments to empower poor rural ladies through aid teams. These comes have supported forty five million poor ladies

access skills, markets and business development services. A number of them became winning entrepreneurs and inspiration for others. As a result, the proof shows that these ladies expertise larger food security, higher access to finance, and better incomes that profit their families and communities.

Employers got to walk and arrange to supporting diversity within the work by hiring ladies and paying them identical wages as men for similar jobs. We need more safe transportation and null tolerance of harassment within the workplace. The non-public sector ought to take a number one role in increasing women’s share of employment and firm possession in rising industries. We will accelerate progress by operating along. Gender-focused coming up with is simpler once it’s incorporated into everything that we tend to do. These days the globe Bank worries gender based mostly development during a vary of areas and incorporates it in our project style and implementation across completely different areas.[5]

In the end, Indian ladies themselves ought to play a key role in claiming an area for themselves in India’s hands. There should be a pledge all at once to extend women’s participation within the hands, and notice the next level of growth and development for Republic of India that's a lot of comprehensive and property.

6. POLITICAL PROBLEMS FACED BY INDIAN WOMEN

The problem of low participation of women is of special concern for democracies and while not dynamical that true democracy will never be achieved. Women’s participation in decision making is essential for women’s interest to be incorporated into governance. It has been wide tough that governance structures that don't give for adequate participation of girls. Since women have completely different desires and views on social and political problems, it's necessary to involve girls in governments to include all of the social group viewpoints in policy and method. The biggest embodiment of the widespread resistance against greater female participation in political processes is the consistent opposition to women’s reservation bills which have been introduced and failed to pass in 1996, and again in 1998, 1999and 2002.

As India gears up for the world’s largest election process ,one cannot help but think of  some of the unified promises made when a young India emerged amongst the democracies of the world nearly 70 years since the enactment of our constitution, the solemn vow in its preamble to secure political justice  and equality of opportunity remains only partial fulfilled. Womens position in electoral politics and governance stays far below representative level, policy making.

The entry of women into politics has historically been met with dogged opposition across the world; right the earliest suffragettes in England who faced police brutality and sexual assault for daring to demand the right to vote to modern elections where female candidates are attacked to gender issues. Certain laws and policies however have given a boost to the representation of women in Indian politics. On 24^th April 1993 constitutional act 1992 was passed giving constitutional recognition to panchayati raj institution. Indeed, women have shown themselves to be natural community builders, with an intrinsic sense of perception that allows them to best identify peoples problem, provides support despite some enabling legal provisions, social and economic forces to deter women from politics. 

A new era of politics also brings with it new challenges. While women representatives have historically been better qualified than their male counterparts on average evidence by the fact that in the 15^th Lok Sabha, 41 out of 59 women MPs were graduates and above- they lack infrastructures and support required harness new tools of campaigning. The passage of the Women’s Reservation Bill would be an important step, allowing greater participation in the highest level of India’s politics.[6]

We can conclude that India has a rich history of measuring political participation of women since its independence. The decentralization of governance which is taking place for last two decades has increased the importance of measuring participation of women in decision making. The Indian Government encompasses a heap of stress on utilizing real time knowledge for measurement completely different social indicators and mistreatment them for policy intervention. With a lot of responsive knowledge on ladies participation, higher gender budget initiatives aim to maneuver the country towards a gender.                                                       

7. CULTURAL PROBLEMS FACED BY INDIAN WOMEN

An understanding of culture in its broadest sense is indispensable in comprehending the event processes of a rustic. The manner we have a tendency to outline culture depends on the interpreter. The anthropologist's read is that- culture is that the synthetic a part of the human surroundings. Several students believe, on the opposite hand, that culture is that the quality of mind, life, and civilization. Most students but agree that culture arises from observation of what masses do and what they refrain from doing as a consequence of being remarked in one cluster as hostile another. Within the broader sense of the term, one would be duty-bound to agree that culture represents the way of life. During this sense, Asian culture would represent what all categories and communities in India have combined to form an Indian manner of life. After we trace the importance of culture on women's development, we've naturally to require recourse to historical processes. If we take pre-Hindu society and examine the culture of the Mohenjodaro and Harappan civilizations through a study of the archaeological remains of this period, it

appears that women held a dignified position in society. This can be seen from the way they stand in sculptural poses, like the early Mohenjodaro dancing girl who is a confident and self-contained rather than a timid product of suppression or repression. [7] The city or town planning thought enunciated by Harappan culture conjointly shows a satisfactory and cozy domestic design, which suggests that the lady who controlled the fireplace was supposed to stay in comfort beside her family. Till about the seventh to eighth century A.D., India was almost entirely a product of Hindu culture and civilization.  It is, so natural that Hindu thoughts, rituals and customs determined the position of girls in our society.

After the Aryan entry into the country India, the position of women is enunciated in sacred writing itself. we discover that a number of the foremost vital early divinities in religious text culture were women, like Usha or dawn. Within the Pauranic time, man had to appreciate most of his vital goals by paying obeisance to feminine divinities. The goal of achieving prosperity, for some the most important aim of life, was to be achieved through Lakshmi, the Goddess of Prosperity and the consort .of Vishnu. The divinity responsible for imparting knowledge was Saraswati. Similarly, the destroyer of evil and the nurturer of good was Durga, the consort of Shiva. The role of ladies as fertility goddesses and also the givers of birth to man emerged terribly early in Indian culture. Similarly, the concept of purusa and prakriti, which became the male and female elements of creation with women representing creation through their shakti, also epitomized a high position for women.

Society allowed widow wedding .The fact that presently when the birth of Buddhism, girls were allowed to affix nunneries is once more a sign of their standing in society. This development gave bigger encouragement to feminine education. The Jain tradition also speaks of women giving up the worldly life and becoming sadhavi. Women had the proper right to employment and a number of other of them rose to be known academics and physicians, several became dramatists, musicians, and dancers. In the lower categories of society most ladies worked laborious at their sustenance through agriculture, by producing textiles and handicrafts. As way because the economic rights of ladies are involved, throughout the religious text age, husband and woman were thought of to be the joint homeowners of their home and its property. The husband was needed to require a solemn oath at the time of wedding that he wouldn't damage his wife's rights and interests. In apply, ladies didn't have absolute rights over the joint property and were needed to interact affairs in relevancy it in consultation with and on the recommendation of their husbands. They were entitled to maintenance.

The position of ladies once the eighth to ninth century A.D., takes a flip towards bigger orthodoxy and management of ladies as possessions. Whereas, within the Vedas the destruction of an embryo was

thought of to be terribly sinful, the custom of feminine infanticide crept into some sections of the society throughout the medieval amount. Most girls, were empty an education unless they happened to be members of the aristocracy or comfortable business categories, or were born into the recreation professions. The custom of early wedding 1st manifested itself among the lower categories members of that charged bride-price and so sought-after to marry off their daughters at a really young age. The recognition of early wedding inflated throughout the medieval amount, stemming from the will to shield lady youngsters being sought after by the foreign invaders. The question of wedding by selection didn't arise.

The custom of dowry remained, as hitherto, of the bride's parents voluntarily gifting ornaments and occasionally cash to their daughters at the time of marriage.  There was no previous negotiation of the extent of gifts to tend at the time of wedding, nor was it demanded. The proper right to divorce and widow wedding appears to own virtually disappeared in the second millennia, though, occasionally such cases are known to have occurred, especially among the lower castes. In the ceremony of marriage, the requirement of fidelity was enjoined on each the parties at the side of love, care, and mutual maintenance. The custom of polygamy, though known earlier, becomes common among the ruling classes. Purdah came into existence under Muslim influence. A woman didn't inherit her husband's wealth however was purported to be cared for by her son. The thought of the mother being thought of as sacred and ought to have worship continuing from the sacred text age and girls had a grip of respect. If the widow did not have children, it was expected that it should go to the husband's collaterals. The custom of sati is initial mentioned among the Brahmins before the birth of Christ, however wasn't very thought-about to be the wife's non secular duty.

We find that towards the tip of the nineteenth century, women had started starting off, of their homes to hunt education; however this was on a really restricted scale. Women joined the struggle for Independence in giant numbers and therefore the Western educated leadership of the Congress Party supported their right to equality. As early as 1936, within the state of Madras, ladies had got the right to vote. The Women's Right to Property Act was passed in 1929. The Constitution adopted in 1950 conjointly stressed the equality of the sexes in Articles 15, 16, 39 providing protection for and improvement within the standard of women.

The Constitution provides equal opportunity to women in every sphere of life. The special laws compel early wedding, offer the lady the proper to monandrous wedding and divorce, the right to a share within the property of her father, husband, and son. She has civil rights for employment and protection at the geographical point with respect to remuneration and also the performance of her special biological

functions like birth, kid rearing, etc. there's a complete ban on sati and immoral traffic in ladies. The family courts have additionally specially benefitted ladies. It's true that legislation alone cannot trot out the varied social evils and practices obstructing the event of girls and plenty of body selections, programmes, and schemes are necessary to help them within the key area. In India, it is still an axiomatic truth that 99 per cent of the population prefer the birth of a son.

The Total Literacy Mission launched by the Department of Education realised the necessity to bridge the gap between male/female acquisition achievements, and amongst the full beneficiaries of this Mission: sixty six per cent are girls. Increasing funds are being spent on women's education. The status of women may also be gauged by their level of economic empowerment.

8. CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS

1. Professional women feel isolated and burdened by the simultaneous demands of their new aspirations on one side and the traditional way of life on the other.
2. Women are discriminated against in all walks of life.
3. Women are subjugated, dominated and exploited both at work places and home.
4.  Women are generally unable to give proper and quality time to households, kids and family.
5.  Working women generally face workplace sexual harassment, mental pressure, and safety issues.
6. Females are also highly judgmental about other female colleagues and try to put one at any given opportunity.
7. Women face problems leaving kids at home and going to office early in the morning.
8. Child rearing problems are always faced by working women.
9. People make particular perception or draw conclusion about characters of working women.
10. The social system cannot accept the new roles of women who end up feeling misunderstood and distressed.

In a patricentric society like India a selected boundary exists just for women or girls, and if they fight to cross that boundary then folks begin maligning them. The general perception is that if some women are doing things differently, beyond people’s limited imagination, and out of sync with traditional thinking, like going out for jobs, wearing different sort of modern garments, talking freely with male members etc., straightaway they're branded as loose ladies. Asian nation in all probability has still an extended thanks to visit create our workplaces free from any prejudices, abuses and harassments. Even then we can still try at solving some of the related issues and problems with some possible solutions that have been mentioned above so that women become stronger and are able to handle any adverse situations.[8]

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