“Beti Bachao Beti padhao” slogan, you might have heard it or seen it somewhere, but why is there a need for it?
In the Pre- Independence times, there was male dominance, and therefore women were subjected to household work, and it was a pre-conceived notion that they were not meant for education. They were supposed to take care of the family and be dependent on the men of their family to sustain themselves. The status of women depended on the kind of upbringing they had. Women from the upper caste had the right to education and opportunities and did master some skills, but women from lower castes did not have the same opportunities, and their living conditions were not adequate. Women were treated as objects that had to behave a certain way, who had to wear certain clothes, speak in a certain way. They were forced to follow some lethal practices like Sati, widow remarriage was looked down upon for women, child marriage, etc.
They were people who fought for women's rights, and they're still people who fight for women's equality even in this era. We have come a long way; the women of the country have faced a lot of challenges, inequality, and dominance.
After independence -Women’s literacy rate has grown over the decades. The government has taken various measures to ensure education for all women. But still, in this era, we cannot say that all women have the right to study, to make their own choices. Still, in some backward areas in the country, girls are not given the right to go to school. Still, fatal practices like female infanticide are followed in certain parts of the country.
We cannot deny the fact that the Right to Education, Right to property, ban on female infanticide, ban on prenatal gender screening are certain initiatives taken by the government, but there is still a long way to go where men and women will be given equal strata in the society. We need to create awareness regarding it; we need to promote education to both boys and girls so that they understand the importance of education, the importance of equality.
Women need to take a stand for themselves, fight for their rights and be there for other women.
We hope for a better future and as it's said, ‘Hope is the last thing ever lost.’
Written by- Anchal Singh