More options needed for empowerment

AS THEfirst woman President of India and as a person involved in public life since the 1960s, I have been witness to the struggle and the effort put in by women as they have taken steps towards their empowerment. I am aware of the constraints and the difficulties that they have encountered. I had also participated in the 1995 Beijing Conference on Women, where the many issues and concerns relating to women were discussed and a global action plan for the development and equality of women was adopted. It is against this background that I am penning down my views.
    I believe that participation of women in all spheres of activity is imperative if the human race is to realise its full potential. Just as a bird flies with two wings and a chariot moves on two wheels, a society needs to have men and women, who are equally strong and capable, for a balanced and sustained growth. If one of them is weak, the journey will never be complete. In India, the contribution of women to nation building has been praiseworthy and there are many success stories. Women have achieved even as they fulfil several demanding responsibilities in their lives. Their role in families and in society as well as their function in the economy often does not receive full appreciation. Many, may be, are unaware that in our agricultural sector more than 60 percent of the workforce comprises women. A full evaluation of their contribution is necessary as I feel that it is lacking, and thus there is some lack of appreciation of their immense contribution.
    An overwhelming majority of our women workforce is in the unorganised sector where the average wages and benefits are far lower than the organised sector. Seasonality of work and lack of alternative avenues add to their difficulties. A focus on these issues along with measures — like access to skill development, training and easy credit — that create more options for their economic empowerment is the way ahead.
    When women have been given opportunities, they have proved to be capable and competent. They are bankers, lawyers, engineers, doctors, researchers and archaeologists. Women have also entered into fields earlier considered to be the domain of men. They have scaled Mount Everest, flown into space, joined the police and the defence forces and have even become navigators in the flying units of the Air Force. In fact, there is hardly any field where women have not entered, but their representation remains inadequate.
    There are still many questions relating to working women. Do women face biases in one form or the other? Do they face pay differentials? Do they feel safe and secure in their work place? Do they face harassment and discrimination? Is there an invisible glass-ceiling that exists for women in many professions and careers? The answer, unfortunately, to all these questions is in the positive. Often it is during the child bearing and child rearing periods in her life, that a woman tends to be left behind in her work. Also, her concerns about child care need to be redressed. These are the many issues which constitute the agenda of women in work places. It is on these that society and employers need to focus on. Education, financial independence critical
WE NEED to make workplaces gender sensitive and adopt a gender sensitive approach in policy formulation as also in implementation. Flexi-work hours, crèches at work places, proper implementation of laws against discrimination and harassment are necessary. Fundamental also is the challenge to bring about social change, so that social biases against women and social evils do not find a place in our behaviour patterns. Agents and tools for change are necessary.
    Education, self-confidence and making women financially independent are critical tools to make women a stronger work force. Our work for empowering women must begin from an early stage of ensuring proper nutrition to the child, equal opportunities of education for the girl child, support schemes to avoid their drop-out from schools and facilities for the continuation of higher education. This will result in equipping them with education and skills to find employment or undertake income generating activities, for which credit facilities should be made available. Also the involvement of women in decision making can make workplaces more conducive to their participation and to establish mechanisms more responsive to their concerns. In India, the role of women representatives in Panchayati Raj institutions and women self-help groups have been promising steps forward. They need to be encouraged.
    Women have many special qualities which arise from their roles as home makers. It is these qualities of harmony and tolerance which makes women natural leaders for inclusive approaches and to build a team spirit to enhance performance. I am confident that with dedication and commitment we will achieve our goal of women empowerment.
    For me personally, working towards eradication of poverty and social evils and the empowerment of women by making them educated, self-reliant and confident partners in the growth and development process, is an important mission of my life.

P R ATI BHA DEVI S I NG H PATI L