Equality
for women is progress for all – Equality must begin at home.
International
Women’s Day (IWD) is a time to reflect on progress made, to notice the
significant changes and attitudinal shift in both women’s and society’s
thoughts about women’s equality. Looking at the past, analysing the present and
expecting the bright future about women’s progressive development in all sphere
of life; the nature of IWD has, moved from being a reminder about the negatives
to a celebration of the positives.
This
year’s IWD theme, “Equality for women is progress for all” emphasises on
how gender equality, empowerment of women, women’s full enjoyment of human
rights, including reproductive rights and the eradication of poverty are
essential to economic and social development.
When
we talk of equality for women, the perfect place of its implementation must be
in individual homes first i.e., it should begin at each one of the dwelling.
The good practices developed at micro level, i.e., at homes, will spread and
percolates at community level. This empowers young women to play their full
role in society and build stronger families, communities and democracies.
The
important persons who can wholeheartedly shoulder this responsibility would be
Parents, Brothers, In-laws, Husbands, etc. The brothers/husbands have to
broaden their horizon to accommodate the sisters/wives as equal members of the
respective family. The considerable positive changes have trickled in, however,
the greater visibility will prevail, if we act decisively, with the knowledge
that empowering women and girls and supporting their full participation can
help solve the greatest challenges such as poverty, inequality, violence
against women and girls, and insecurity will be addressed substantially. The
parents, especially the mothers have to be positive about their daughter’s well
being, equal to their sons. In fact, the disparity still exists in our homes,
among sons and daughters. The parents have a greater say in the development of
their son’s future rather than daughter’s, barring few exceptions. This sets in
the inferiority complex among the girls, as teens, not exploring the potential
to the fullest extent at appropriate level.
The
disparity, which begins, at home, must be stopped forthright, for shaping the
society, wherein, the equality for all will flourish automatically. The present
scenario might have narrowed the gap of disparity between men and women in many
aspects, however, many more areas, the disparity still exist, like women are
still not paid equally to that of their male counterparts, women still are not
present in equal numbers in business or politics, and globally women's
education, health and the violence against them is worse than that of
men.
Women
constitute half the world's population, the road ahead for them to change their
thinking of born a girl is not the start of a life of hardship and disadvantage
but it will be safe, secured, empowered economically and in every way through
education, equal opportunity, participation and leadership. "The story of
women's struggle for equality belongs to no single feminist nor to any one
organisation but to the collective efforts of all who care about human
rights" Gloria Steinem. Together we must make it happen.
