As a nation, India has made tremendous advancements after independence on numerous socio-economic and political fronts. The nation’s economic development has been unprecedented in recent decades. Notwithstanding this, in some main areas of human integrity and social justice, the country is far behind. Sex inequality is amongst the most serious. Discrimination against women and violation of women’s rights has been systemic, deep-rooted, in different dimensions (religious, political, economic, etc.) across the country.
The recent instances of brutal rapes and the exploitation of children, including in the region of the nation’s capital city, indicate explicitly the extreme level of violence against women. As a comparison to all the arguments that gender equality has been accomplished, these latest and other cases of rape and abuse of women in both urban and rural India are extremely disturbing to the core human conscience. When news of this horrific violence against women came out, it was not just national news, but news that caught the world’s attention and view on how women’s rights are blatantly violated in a country that traditionally has a history of glorifying the role of women in its culture.
Latest Gender Gap Index-2019 has been released by the World Economic Forum (WEF), which reveals that India slipped to a 112th position. In the face of increasing disparity in women’s participation in the world’s growth, India has been moving down four positions in gender equality. In terms of health and development, the nation is ranked at the bottom 5.
- India has now slipped to 150th level in health and survival 112th in educational attainment and 149th in economic participation.
- The report stated that women in India have very few economic opportunities. In India, it is 34.5%, Pakistan 32.7%, Yemen 27.3% and Iraq 22.7%, respectively.
- The report also points out that India has a very low (13.8%) representation of women on company boards.
At BPY we work to foster economic development in order to support women’s self-determination. We provide direct social services with mission to address the needs of women such as education health care and income generation. We design and implement projects which benefit women from underserved communities. Facilitating access to micro-loans and other opportunities offered by different entities of the government that could truly transform the status of women in communities across the country, in particular in rural areas where women have long been excluded from income generation.
According to Women’s Economic Empowerment – UN India
Women in India represent 23% of the labour force.
Women farmers comprise 38.87% of agricultural labour and yet control only 9% of land in India
At 17%, India has a lower share of women’s contribution to GDP than the global average of 37%.
47% of India’s women do not have a bank or savings accounts for their own use
In India, 60% of women compared to 30% of men have no valuable assets in their name
Rate of crimes against women stands at 53.9% in India.
Women Empowerment – Inspiring Stories
Hansa
I want to improve the conditions of my parents. I am working towards it.Hansa had grown up in a society which believed that boys were superior and girls were only fit to be married and bear children. Born in a conservative family, Hansa did not receive secondary education. After leaving school, she was trained in sewing and embroidery after the organization came into contact with her. In addition, sewing machine was provided to her. Then she took the contract of weaving the students' uniforms. The family takes the plunge.
Sonal
Sonal's family rejuvenatedSonal’s father with his small earning can only manage to provide the minimum requirement for living and hence it was not possible for him to support Sonal for higher education. Sonal decided to left study at 5 standard due to financial constraints. However, during the survey, BPY found that Sonal left study due to financial constraints. His sister and brother were also in trouble. BPY took up all the responsibility of educating the children of the family and gave Sonal's father a job by providing the carpentry equipment. Sonal also got the job in the office.
Bharti
My mother wants a job for me. She also wanted to work but she had never been able to. I'm going to make her proud.Bharti, is definitely not the only girl who would like to fulfill her mother's dreams. Her mother has always urged her to turn her attention to schooling. She could never work, both before and after marriage she had to be occupied with household chores. She has never sought help with her daughter's household chores to date. As a result, Bharti performed exceptionally well. She has excelled in ion studies and is equally good at co-curricular education and has received a scholarship by the organization. When she grows up, she wishes to become a teacher and inspires others to chase their dreams in spite of underprivileged girls like her.
Dhara
Until now, I've never known girls were equal to boys.Dhara had grown up in a society that claimed boys were better, and girls were only suitable for marriage and childbearing. He as a father of three girls and has continued to push his wife to conceive again this time in hopes of a child. Her wife was very young when she got married and her body could no longer bear the burden after three daughters came at close intervals, so she began to remain ill. It was only after the street plays and counseling sessions of Team BPY that his husband came to know that girls are as capable of being properly nurtured and trained and that his wife's health could be strengthened if sufficient action is taken. His husband is now the proud father of three lovely children and has great dreams for them.
Supporters Speak Read More
Rao Pravina J
Gujarat
When I see the crowd of the poor, because of my trust in organizations such as BPY, I do not lose hope in a world free from poverty. Improving the lives of…