Gender equality: Miles to go!
Dr. Ranjita Bania
Dr. Bibha Chetia Borah
Although much has been talked about the gender equality, the present day
world is still characterized by deeply uneven sharing of the burden of
adversities between women and men. Gender discrimination still exists in many
parts of the world. In terms of employment as well as promotion in work and
occupation, women often face greater handicap than men. Even in countries like
Japan may be quite egalitarian in matters of demography or basic facilities,
and even, to a great extent, in higher education, and yet progress to elevated
levels of employment and occupation seems to be much more problematic for women
than for men.
The industrial revolution made women
an integral part of the new economic order and an important part of its
manpower resource. Participation of women in agricultural and allied activities
too is an issue of global concern. In developing countries like India where a
lion share of the economy depends on agricultural activities, the participation
of women is an important issue. Rural
women are the major workforce in agricultural activities in India. However,
their contribution to the mainstream agriculture does not get the desired
recognition. Women are often referred to
as the ‘invisible hand’ in these activities. Although, in recent years there is
substantial upliftment in the socio-economic condition of women folk, the
gender imbalance is still noteworthy not only in corporate or government sector
but also in agriculture and allied activities like fishery, livestock farming
etc.
Near home, tea industry is the most flourishing industry in Assam where
more than fifty percent of the workforce is constituted of the women labour
which contributes substantially to the national coffer through earning of
foreign currency. Still their contribution in the growth of the industry is
never recognized. Imbalance in payment structure is also quite visible in
almost all the sectors few days back and still existing in many unorganized
sectors like small tea industry.
It may be women labour or women in white colour employment; discrimination
is always there as reported. Preference is always given to the male counterpart
even in education sector. Though in the
21st century, science made remarkable progress in development and
creating job opportunities still the entry is not easy for the women. The
statistics of higher position holder is also very negligible in both govt. and
corporate sector.
Long back Gandhi
ji said ‘women are the companion of man gifted with equal mental capacities.
She has the right to participate in the minutes detail of the activities of the
man and she has the same right of freedom and liberty as he. She is entitles to
a supreme place in her own of activity as man is in his’. Despite women's
proven ability, management denied them equal status in the workplace. Many of
the times their selection is also biased. They are always last to be hired and
first to be fired. However, they often encountered hostility or paternalistic
arrogance from male coworkers and managers.
In a recent study to assess the women’s participation in fishery sector in
two North Eastern states viz. Assam
and Meghalaya with two different types of societal pattern, revealed remarkable
gender imbalance. In government sector of these two states, there is imbalance
in staffing pattern too. In Assam
fishery sector, with female staff occupies only 2.06% of the technical staff,
0.93% of the field staff and 5.24% of the total strength against 97.94% male
technical staff, 99.07% field support and 94.76% of the total. At the same time
the statistics of participation of women in Meghalaya fishery sector is much
better with 25.81% technical staff and 5.88%f field staff. The study exposed the fact that women’s
participation in fishery activities particularly related to capture fishery
differ with the pattern of society. In matriarchal society, women take major
role in marketing and small scale fish capture. However, in majority cases of
the patriarchal society, men take the lead in capture and marketing of fish.
Women participation in scientific culture practices in both the cases is found
to be quite negligible. While scientific fish farming is recognized to be a
women friendly livelihood option, women participation in this sector is quite
unsatisfactory.
Need not to mention that the states
economy is agrarian based economy and women plays vital contribution in agricultural
system. Data says, 87 percent of the
states women are involved in paddy cultivation from sawing to harvesting. Not
only that they are actually preserving the techniques of cultivation through
quality seed selection and preserving it for the next year. But it’s very sad
to know that their contribution is totally ignored when the time comes for
decision making. A survey made in 2011 by ICAR (where the first author was also
involved) in the districts of upper Assam indicated the same results.
Moreover, unequal distribution of parental property including the basic
assets like home and land make the women very insecure, though there is also
some local variations. The absence of claims to property can not only
reduce the voice of women, but also make it harder for women to enter and flourish
in commercial, economic and even some social activities and also to cope up
with the rapidly changing situations.
Apart from all these, the sharing of the burden of
housework and child care is always quite unequal. Still, the working hands of
women in a family are always invisible as they are not paid for that and their
responsibility is taken for granted. It is important to identify the array of
forms that gender inequality can take. It may vary from mortality inequity to
household inequity which can impose diverse adversities on the lives of men and
boys, in addition to those of women and girls. While understanding the
different aspects of the evil of gender inequality, we have to look beyond the dilemma
of women and examine the problems created for men as well by the asymmetric
treatment of women. It is therefore essential to address
this serious imbalance in terms of gender. If we wish for a developed society
from all aspects, we should not ignore the issues like sex discrimination.
Steps should be taken to buffer the society. Mass awareness towards a developed
society can be made through a concerted effort of all sectors including mass
media viz. news paper, TVchannels or radio. All india
Radio, Dibrugarh under the dynamic leadership of Mr. Lohit Deka organized a
seminar on sex equity in 2012 at Assam
Agricultural University
on the occasion of Women’s day. Accelerating the momentum they have organized
an eight hours programme at the end of the last year covering almost all the
sensitive issues of women. They are
doing their own, but if we don’t want to help ourselves, no one can help us.
Mainstreaming of gender in all areas, from family to corporate world will
definitely contribute substantially to bring about the desired transformation
of the socio-economic scenario of the region. A new agenda of action to
combat and put an end to gender inequality is the call of the hour.
