By Rohit Verma
Edited by Michelle Cherian, Associate Editor, The Indian Economist
Since the formation of this world, women have been serving us with relentless exertion, with a motive to serve us as best as they can, irrespective of where they come from-an urban area or the most disadvantaged wedge of the country i.e., rural areas. To figure out the real status of a rural woman, conceivably we dont require crossing the boundaries of our own nation-India. Yes, India, where for years the expression, Pratiyek Stree Hamari Mata Hai, has been doing the rounds but the reality is poles apart. Even in this modern day and age, when a woman serves our country as the President, at the same time, a woman is being looked at as not more than a sex object or a maid, whose job is confined only to making her husband happy at night, cooking food, washing clothes & utensils and this list never ends.
An Indian urban woman always had greater opportunities than an Indian rural woman. Despite progress in several key indicators, a gender analysis of most social and economic data demonstrates that women in Rural India continue to be relatively disadvantaged in matters of survival, health, nutrition, literacy and productivity. Agriculture and allied sectors in India employ 89.5 per cent of the total female labor. About 84 per cent of all women are engaged in agriculture, either as cultivators or laborers, as against 67 per cent of male workers. Despite the fact that the number of women engaged in farming is extensive, as men migrate towards developed areas to work, their conditions remains unsatisfactory. Female agricultural laborers are among the poorest sections of the Indian society. Agricultural wages for women are on an average 30-50% lesser than those of men. Moreover, only about 11 per cent women in India have access to land holdings. This is the reality of a woman in the Indian agricultural sector.
As rules are made to be broken, India is the country where this policy is being followed largely. Whether it is about Sex Determination, Dowry System, Domestic Violence or Child Marriage, no one rule has been followed by the people in rural India adequately. It has been officially declared that Child Marriage is illegal under constitutional law; however child marriage practices in India are still being followed by many families across villages of India, largely in areas of Uttar Pradesh. The fact remains that about 40 per cent of worlds child marriages happen in India. These are reasons why the Rural Women of this nation suffer more than those of any other nation.
To boost-up this critical condition of the rural women, Indian Government has passed several laws and schemes including the Hindu succession Act (1956), the Dowry Prohibition Act (1961), Indira Mahila Yojna (1995), the DWACRA Plan (1997), Balika Samridhi Yojna (1997) among others. But all these are not showing their desired results. They are not sufficient to meet even the general requirements of a rural woman in India. However, it is not like that there isnt any solution available to guard the rights of these women; the only problem is poor implementation of these government policies. These policies should be implemented properly so that they can help the helpless in the right manner. Also, there should be one Subsidiary Commission of the National Commission for Women, in each district so that the interests of this downtrodden section of the Indian population are not overlooked.
Rohit is an ingenious and a very industrious personality. He is presently persuing Bachelor of Business Studies from Shaheed Sukhdev College of Business Studies, University of Delhi. He has worked as a Business Development Executive for a well renowned organization, Neon Group of Institutions. He has befittingly shaped himself by grabbing much experience from organizing many college events. He has a vision to see our nation as a developed and self-reliant nation in basis by empowering the future of the country i.e., our human capital.