Women in India Oppressed and Repressed by the Propaganda of Patriarchal Culture and Traditions
Giribala Joshi
Table of Contents
1. Overview
1
2. Birth
3
3. Childhood
4
4. Education
5
5. Marriage
6
6. Job
7
7. Household Chores
8
8. Inheritance
9
9. Freedom and Choice
10
10. Crime against Women
11
10. Women in Mythology & Religion
12
1. Overview Although in the developed countries women have come a long way, the progress in India has been extremely slow. Women are subjugated in the name of culture, traditions, and values. We can call such rhetoric patriarchal propaganda. I researched and found articles that highlight the inequality in Indian society. The articles are arranged like a syllabus project and can be used to learn about all aspects of women’s lives in India. These articles are divided into ten subheadings and all of them throw light on the patriarchal propaganda and its ability to keep women in a subservient position. Consequently, women have very little right and choice in their lives and are often subjected to mental and physical abuse and violence. I want to share these articles in the form of a blog post and Issuu syllabus project to argue for the need of greater activism and awareness about women’s issues among my privileged friends and others who are interested in women’s issues. I first present a few articles on the representation of women in religion and mythology. Indian people celebrate various festivals based on mythologies, and several of these festivals and stories depict women as lesser and weaker sex that needs protection from men. For example, the biggest festival Diwali is celebrated as the day of Lord Rama’s return from exile. The story of Rama comes from the epic of Ramayana, which is considered a life manual, prescribing patriarchy and obedience to authorities. Similarly most of the big and small festivals are based on mythologies that depict women in stereotypical roles, and it is mostly women who have the onus to cook special dishes, decorate the home, get dressed up, and perform rituals for their families. Whether at festivals or during normal family gatherings, elders bless the youngers to have sons and prosper. Birth of a son is considered a fortunate event whereas when a girl is born, all relatives and neighbors express sympathy and try to boost the morale of new parents and grandparents. From early childhood, parents instill good values in girls through customs and traditions prevalent in society so that they become obedient, silent, and subservient. Girls are taught domestic chores and encouraged to adopt stereotypical roles. They are also raised to be dependent on men all their lives. Boys on the other hand are raised to be not just strong and tough to earn a living, but also entitled and condescending towards women. In a typical Indian household there are fewer restrictions on boys as opposed to girls. When resources are limited, it is considered wise to spend them on a son’s education rather than on a daughter. Behind all these discrimination is a belief that a girl is paraya dhan, meaning someone else’s property. Meaning she is going to part from her parental home and join her husband’s family after her wedding. Therefore it is not worthwhile to spend too much money on her education. Moreover, a girl’s parents have to spend money at her wedding, which includes a hefty dowry as
1
well. While the son is expected to bring a bride with a dowry home, who will also take care and serve his parents even while they are healthy and young. Thus, marriage traditions remain one of the main reasons behind the severe discrimination against girls’ education and independence in modern India. As girls and women are expected to remain at home and men work outside home, there are fewer women on the streets and at workplaces than men. This gives sanctions to men to harass women for stepping out of their homes. While men claim to protect their mothers, sisters, and wives from outside men, many of them do not think twice before abusing women at home, at workplace, or on the streets. Sexual harassment of women on streets and public transport is a huge issue in India. It sometimes leads to violence and horrible crimes. This sometimes adds up to a large number if you consider India’s population. Hence, India has been ranked among the most unsafe countries for women by several agencies. To uplift women’s conditions, several laws have been enacted but they are difficult to enforce. With economic liberation, we are seeing a slow trend towards women empowerment. But the benefits seem to be limited to a very small class of urban population. The articles that I have collected in this Syllabus Project highlight all the above mentioned issues. The titles of the articles are accompanied by urls, and short extracts or abstracts. I decided to use original language instead of my own annotations so that readers get to read the original forceful language. To present a balanced account, I decided to include positive stories wherever possible along with the critical articles. This seems just a beginning. I want to be part of and encourage conversation and activism on these issues.
2
2. Birth “Why many Indians prefer sons over daughters.” By Murali Krishnan https://www.dw.com/en/why-many-indians-prefer-sons-over-daughters/a-42385733 “Despite numerous campaigns and popular slogans over the years, the fondness for sons remains strong among Indian parents. Many of them continue to see boys as an investment and girls a liability.” “21 million 'unwanted' girls born in India.” By Devangshu Datta. https://www.rediff.com/news/column/21-million-unwanted-girls-born-in-india/20180215.ht m “...over two million women go missing across age groups annually due to sex-selective abortion, disease, neglect or inadequate nutrition…. Indeed, the absence of that 63 million, and the likely maltreatment of the 21 million unwanted girls, makes one wonder if India can claim to be civilised.” “Sex Ratio at Birth Begins to Improve in India.” By O.P. Sharma and Carl Haub https://www.prb.org/indiasexratio/ “The problem of son preference is deep-seated in India as it is in several other Asian countries….. It now appears that India has begun to make progress. but overturning some of that society’s most fundamental traditions will be no easy task.” “The Indian “girl” psychology: A perspective.” By G. Prasad Rao, K. L. Vidya, and V. Sriramya https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4539864/ “As a girl develops, unknowingly, the lines of Manu-Smriti, “by a young girl, by a young woman, or even by an aged one, nothing must be done independent, even in her own house,” gets incorporated in her mind. Girls inherit their mother's domestic chores and adopt stereotypical gender roles. Low self-esteem and self-worth are common. After marriage, her husband and in-laws control her life. Consequently, the girls enter a state of silence.”
3
3. Childhood “It’s 2018 and Indian Families Are Still Raising Their Daughters Differently from Their Sons.” By Sreeparna Mazumder https://www.vagabomb.com/Its-2018-and-Indian-Families-Are-Still-Raising-Their-Daughters-Diff erently-from-Their-Sons/ “Sure, some families are feminist but they are few and far between. As much as they’d like to disagree, most urban families are inherently sexist. They do certain things thinking that they’re protecting their daughters or raising them to be “good,” in other words “socially acceptable,” women without realising that they’re actually practicing and preaching sexist ideas.” “Imagine: Raising girls — misogyny shows up when we’re least aware.” By Shelja Sen https://indianexpress.com/article/parenting/health-fitness/raising-girls-misogyny-shows-up-whenwere-least-aware-6121452/ “Let’s start by becoming more mindful of our language. Just observe the words we use to praise little girls — “gentle”, “nice”, “sweet” and the ubiquitous “good girl”; and for boys — “strong”, “tough”, “brave”. The way we talk to our children become their inner voices and the way we talk about them become their life stories.” “Raising India's Boys to Demand Girls' Rights | Global Fund for. ” By Elise Derstine https://globalfundforchildren.org/story/raising-indias-boys-to-demand-girls-rights/ “Most violence occurs within families: husbands, fathers, and brothers feel legitimized by India’s traditional culture of gender discrimination. Equal Community Foundation is creating a paradigm shift through a unique approach—starting with boys. While many organizations in India are working to protect women and girls, most focus on women’s empowerment. By working with boys and young men, ECF tackles gender-based violence at its root cause.” “We Need to Change How We’re Raising Boys.” By Nikita Gupta https://theswaddle.com/we-need-to-change-how-were-raising-boys/ “In order to keep up with the changing times, we need to change how we raise boys, not just girls. Here are some steps parents of boys can take to reduce the gap between the genders and contribute to the equal progress of both.”
4
4. Education “School Has Been a Right for Girls in India Since 2009. So Why Aren’t They Going?” Time Magazine. https://time.com/5614642/india-girls-education/ “The burden of housework on Indian girls is a spiraling crisis for India. In its 2015 report on gender inequality in India, the McKinsey Global Institute found that Indian women perform nearly 10 times the unpaid care work as men. That’s almost three times more than the global average. Housework accounts for 85 percent of the time women in India spend on unpaid care work, the 2018 report found. And much of this is either shared or shouldered by young girls like Neha, who should ideally be in school.” “Why are India’s Girls Being Enrolled In Government Schools and the Boys in Private?: Patriarchy starts from the ground up.” By Parthshri Arora https://resetfest.com/why-are-indias-girls-being-enrolled-in-government-schools-boys-in-private/ “Among children between the ages of 4 and 5, 56.8% of girls are enrolled in government schools, compared to 50.4% of boys, while 43.2% girls and 49.6% boys are enrolled in private pre-schools or schools. The difference grows larger as children get older. For those in the 6-8 years age bracket, 61.1% of the girls attend a government school, versus 52.1% of all boys.” “The Groups Fighting for Girls' Education in India” By Liz Willen https://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2017/10/the-groups-fighting-for-girls-education-in -india/542811/ ‘“Education is free, lunch is free, books are free, sanitary napkins are free,’ Ballani tells parents, urging them to visit this government-run school on the edge of the Thar Desert, where, on a warm day late last spring, 12 teachers were overseeing the education of 260 students from first grade through high school. ‘Your kids will have a better life if they are educated. No one will cheat you.”’ “Importance of educating a girl child in Indian Society” By Abhilasha Gaur https://medium.com/@abhilashagaur/importance-of-educating-a-girl-child-in-indian-society-ebf7 30cce4e1 “Alter the regressive nature of the society- It is believed that girl education in India is not that important as they grow up to eventually be stay-at-home mothers. Due to the regressive nature of India’s society, the development of girl education has been hampered to a large extent. The majority of India’s population is rural, and the mind-set that the majority of these people grow up with makes it quite challenging to educate these people about the benefits of girl education.”
5
5. Marriage “Marital Inequality – “Tradition” And The Subjugation Of Women.” By Amreen Gill https://feminisminindia.com/2017/01/10/marital-inequality-traditions-subjugating-women/ “Why should my father and my family have to pay for the wedding? Why does the groom’s family get to impose their demands of dowry, expensive venues, gifts and the like on my family? Why are we, the women, the only ones required to leave our current living situations – our homes, our families, our livelihoods, our identities, even our names, in the name of matrimony?” “Indian women will never be equal as long as these 9 laws remain on the books.” By Diksha Madhok https://qz.com/india/224632/indian-women-will-never-be-equal-as-long-as-these-9-laws-remainon-the-books/ 9. “No right to marital property: Upon separation or divorce, an Indian woman is entitled only to maintenance from her husband. She has no right on the assets, such as house or commercial property, bought in her husband’s name during the marriage. So if she leaves him or gets divorced, even years after the marriage, she is potentially without assets. Indian government policies do not consider the work done at home by a woman as having an economic value.” “Dowries are illegal in India. But families — including mine — still expect them.” By Kavya Sukumar https://www.vox.com/first-person/2017/2/6/14403490/dowry-india-bride-groom-dilemma “Blaming the society and washing our hands of the culpability is a classic move when it comes to appeasing our consciences. I realized I was doing nothing different. My guilt of letting family down was, I realized, pushing me toward my own justification of dowry.” Dowry Prohibition Act, 1961 https://wcd.nic.in/act/dowry-prohibition-act-1961 “3. Penalty for giving or taking dowry.(1) If any person, after the commencement of this Act, gives or takes or abets the giving or taking of dowry, he shall be punishable with imprisonment for a term which shall not be less than five years, and with the fine which shall not be less than fifteen thousand rupees or the amount of the value of such dowry, whichever is more:”
6
6. Job “Why Are So Many Women Absent From India’s Workforce?” By Smriti Sharma https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/india-women-workforce-education-womens-rights-cultur e-marriage-employment-a8915011.html “India’s rapid economic growth has been accompanied by falling fertility rates and higher educational attainment among women. These advances often lead to an increase in women entering the labour force, but there has been a surprising decline on this front in India. Less than 30 per cent of working-age women are currently in work compared to nearly 80 per cent of men in India.” “Charted: The shocking gender divide in India’s workforce.” By Suneera Tandon https://qz.com/india/1404730/the-shocking-gap-between-indias-male-and-female-workers/ “India’s female labour-force participation is among the lowest in the world and what is worse, it has only stagnated in the last decade. This has been attributed to factors such as societal attitudes that give preference to early marriages over jobs and education, a general disapproval of working women, and a lack of suitable job opportunities for them. Women also continue to be employed mostly in low-paying, low-value jobs.” “Achieving Gender Equality in India: What Works, and What Doesn’t” By Smriti Sharma https://unu.edu/publications/articles/achieving-gender-equality-in-india-what-works-and-what-do esnt.html “In the past decade, while Indian GDP has grown by around 6%, there has been a large decline in female labour force participation from 34% to 27%. The male-female wage gap has been stagnant at 50% (a recent survey finds a 27% gender pay gap in white-collar jobs).” “By the Numbers: Where Indian Women Work.” By Tripti Lahiri https://blogs.wsj.com/indiarealtime/2012/11/14/by-the-numbers-where-indian-women-work/ “According to a recent survey by the polling agency Gallup, traditional expectations may lead many college-educated women to leave the workforce after marriage, or after having children, to focus on family life instead. That may be one reason white-collar companies find it hard to recruit or keep female workers…. Women who have progressed beyond high school make up only about 6.5% of Indian women of working age (in India this is considered to be between the ages of 15 and 59).”
7
7. Household Chores “No housework please, myself pampered Indian male!” By Monojit Lahiri https://www.nationalheraldindia.com/opinion/no-housework-please-myself-pampered-indian-mal e “However, while things are changing, some habits die hard … and the reason is simple. As one of the cavalier chauvinists declared flamboyantly, there is no reference to context regarding role-models of men doing housework. No father, uncle or elder brother ever was required – or asked – to lift a finger in earlier generations.... Finally, until Indian society is willing to whole-heartedly engage & embrace the true worth of the role & importance of the New Woman and reach out – in thought, word deed – to partner her in the journey of life, the sad state of false mardangi will continue.” “Housework And The Normalization Of The ‘Clueless Man’.” By Sukanya Shaji https://feminisminindia.com/2020/05/20/housework-normalization-clueless-man/ “The narrative of the “man who is lost in the domestic space without a woman” is deep rooted in patriarchy and its assignment of gender roles to domestic responsibilities. This kind of nuanced, hidden sexism in our domestic spaces is now becoming more evident in the context of the Covid-19 lockdown. More people at home means more food to be cooked, more clothes to be washed and more similar chores to be done. Women are by default, expected to be in charge of household work even if they have schedules of work that are as hectic or sometimes busier than their male counterparts.” “What Does It Take To Get Indian Men To Do Household Chores?” By Asavari Singh https://www.huffingtonpost.in/entry/what-does-it-take-to-get-indian-men-to-do-household-chores _in_5e920a5cc5b6f7b1ea82b7a2 “Why do so many educated, seemingly empowered women simply accept men’s convenient lack of ‘ability’, except for the occasional outburst?” ““My husband cannot cook, obviously. And what’s the need for my son to do all this? He is in a high stress job. We women can handle it,” she said” “It Is 2020, So What Is Keeping Men From Doing Household Chores?” By Yamini Pustake Bhalerao https://www.shethepeople.tv/home-top-video/household-chores-men-equality-women/ “He believes in equality, he roots for equal pay and he detests patriarchy. And yet somehow his belief in equal rights fails to motivate him enough to vacuum the carpet on a regular basis. The modern feminist man is supporting and rooting for the empowerment of women, but then why won’t he help clean the house? What’s keeping him from getting the dinner ready every night? When it comes to household chores, the division of labour is still gendered, with women
8
shouldering most responsibilities. Which means that while she has a partner who supports her decision to work, she still is left waging a lonely war on most of the unpaid chores, when she gets home.”
8. Inheritance “Forced by tradition to give up inheritance, Indian women embrace property ownership.” By Rina Chandran https://www.reuters.com/article/us-india-landrights-women/forced-by-tradition-to-give-up-inherita nce-indian-women-embrace-property-ownership-idUSKBN12X1OZ “Days before she was married 18 years ago, K. Bina Devi and her sister were called to the living room of the family home where they lived with their parents and four brothers. “There, in a short ceremony witnessed by village elders, she and her sister signed a piece of paper giving up their share of the family property to their brothers. Sweets were distributed and everyone congratulated her and her sister. “The custom of “haq tyag”, or sacrifice of right, entails a person - usually a woman - relinquishing their claim on ancestral property. It is widely practiced in the Indian state of Rajasthan despite a 2005 national law that gave women equal inheritance rights.” “Women’s inheritance rights and son preference in India.” By Sanchari Roy https://www.ideasforindia.in/topics/social-identity/women-s-inheritance-rights-and-son-preferenc e-in-india.html#:~:text=At%20different%20dates%20between%201970,rights%20for%20women %20and%20men. “An important driver of India’s unnaturally male-biased population sex ratio is the desire among Indian parents to have sons. This article investigates the extent to which this desire is driven by the stronger economic position of sons, particularly their greater command over ancestral property vis-à-vis daughters. It finds that equalising the inheritance rights of women and men led to increases in female foeticide, indicating that social norms were at odds with the legal reform.” “Inheritance rights of women: How to protect them and how succession laws vary.” By Riju Mehta https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/wealth/plan/inheritance-rights-of-women-how-to-protect-th em-and-how-succession-laws-vary/articleshow/70407336.cms “Synopsis Whether you are a wife, daughter or mother, find out what you are entitled to and how you can claim it. “It has never been a good time to be a woman. Shackled at home, deprived of rights in society, and subjected to gender bias at the workplace, women have borne the brunt of being the weaker sex all through history. Though the skew in
9
rights and treatment hasn’t quite corrected itself, women are possibly in a better place today than ever before.” “As property prices rise, more Indian women claim inheritance.” Rina Chandran https://www.reuters.com/article/india-landrights-women/as-property-prices-rise-more-indian-wo men-claim-inheritance-idUSL8N20Z4XO “Rising property prices in parts of India have helped achieve what women’s rights groups have tried and failed to do for decades - get more women to claim their inheritance. “A 2005 law gave Hindu women across India equal inheritance rights but few have made claims because they are unaware of the law, or have been forced to give up their claims by male family members, according to analysts.”
9. Freedom and Choice “Independence Day: What do Indian women want freedom from?” By Tanvi Dubey https://yourstory.com/herstory/2019/08/independence-day-indian-women-freedom-gender-inequ ality “It has been over 70 years since India became independent, but women, who constitute 49 percent of the country’s population, are still struggling with issues such as safety, mobility, economic independence, bias, and patriarchy.” “Is it possible some women don’t want to be free of patriarchy?” By Vasundhara Sirnate Drennan https://www.thehindu.com/thread/arts-culture-society/is-it-possible-some-women-dont-want-to-b e-free-of-patriarchy/article22635214.ece “Women in a nation like India, where patriarchy is deep-rooted, find themselves in a quandary whether to rebel or reconcile, facing an existential threat wherein freedom means loss of security.” “Freedoms We Still Need To Fight For As Women” By Bhawana Bisht https://www.shethepeople.tv/blog/freedoms-still-need-fight-women “Women, in India, will be free in the true sense when there’s a stop to their under-representation in professional fields. Women will feel free when they can, fearlessly, move across the country. This gender will gain the sense of freedom when gender laws will effectively be enforced; when no one questions their sexuality. The idea of freedom, for women, will only be a reality when the country, collectively frees itself from patriarchy, bias, atrocities, double standards and have the ability to accept women as they are.”
10
“Marriage and freedom: As girls in India become more independent, is society ready to respect women's choices?” By Rashme Sehgal https://www.firstpost.com/india/marriage-and-freedom-as-girls-in-india-become-more-independe nt-is-society-ready-to-respect-womens-choices-5922611.html “Winds of change are blowing across the country with a younger and grittier generation determined to express their personal choices upfront. What is surprising is that a large number of these girls belong to the lower socio-economic group who, till just a few years ago, did not dare to appear before their family elders with their heads uncovered.”
10. Crime against Women “India is the most dangerous country for women. It must face reality.” By Deepa Narayan https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/jul/02/india-most-dangerous-country-womensurvey “India is in denial of the fact that a majority of its women do not feel safe alone on the streets, at work, in markets, or at home, even though they have learned how to cope with this existential anxiety. When I asked young educated women in Delhi if they feel safe, most said no. And most of those who said yes had learned to modify their behaviours to feel safe – they don’t go out alone unnecessarily; come home at night before dark; get permission to go out; are always careful and alert; and they censor their speech, their clothes and their body posture, including whether or not they look men in the eyes.” “Crimes Against Women In India Continue To Rise, UP Most Unsafe: NCRB” Outlook Web Bureau https://www.outlookindia.com/website/story/india-news-crimes-against-women-in-india-continueto-rise-up-most-unsafe/340881 “As many as 3,59,849 cases of crime against women were registered across the country in 2017, continuing the upward trend for the third consecutive year, the latest National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) data released on Monday showed. “In 2015, 3,29,243 cases of crimes against women were registered and 3,38,954 cases were registered in 2016. “The cases categorised as crimes against women include murder, rape, dowry death, suicide abetment, acid attack, cruelty against women and kidnapping, etc.” “How India treats its women.” By Soutik Biswas https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-20863860 “TrustLaw, a news service run by Thomson Reuters, has ranked India as the worst G20 country in which to be a woman. This in the country where the leader of the ruling party, the speaker of the lower house of parliament, at least three
11
chief ministers, and a number of sports and business icons are women. It is also a country where a generation of newly empowered young women are going out to work in larger numbers than ever before.” “Bringing Awareness to violence against women in India.” By Ruchita Rathi http://people.ischool.berkeley.edu/~ruchitarathi/infoviz-final-caw/ “Crime against women has been a bane of India's development efforts. With arcane customs like sex being a taboo in India, Sati, and Dowry, and the overall lower status of women further exacerbates these crimes. “From the last decade's crime statistics, we see sharp number of crimes registered under ‘Cruelty by Husband and his Relatives’. It also appears that the same category has had the most dramatic rise over the years.”
10. Women in Mythology & Religion “Why Were The Male Heroes ‘Masters’ Of Both Women And Nature In Hindu Mythology?” By Divya Godbole https://feminisminindia.com/2018/10/09/hindu-mythology-male-women-nature/ “The subordination of women finds expression in ancient Hindu myths that have been a part of our childhood storytelling. These moral stories use nature as a metaphor for women, and use this relation as a justification for their control. Patriarchy, hence, manages to seep into tales of love, devotion, and loyalty too.” “Divine Gender Inequality: A Study of Mythological Degradation of Hindu Women in India” By Jayasree Jayan and K. C. Sankaranarayanan https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2949781 “Ideal women of India are appreciated based on her kulinisam and characters like fidelity, chastity, servitude towards her husband and his family, obeisance, non fickle mind behavior, honesty, purity and many more. By fascinating and conditioning women based on these characteristics given by the society, Indian masculine egotism made women a dump driven cattle form womb to tamp. For that they used and made many ideals with help of folkways, Epics, Puranas and smrithis. Myths and mythology is having a big role in women degradation of India and This paper focuses its attention on the position of India women related mythology and the role of such myths in women’s position degradation.” “Women in Indian Mythology: Seeking Order in the Chaotic Interpretations” By Shriya Gautam https://www.researchgate.net/publication/331439561_Women_in_Indian_Mythology_Seeking_ Order_in_the_Chaotic_Interpretations 12
“Women are perhaps one of the most misunderstood and misrepresented figures in the annals of history. This stands particularly true in patriarchal societies, especially, the religious texts and mythologies of such groups, where women are either completely ignored or mostly seen as carriers of men’s community values…. this particular study is centred around the position of women as seen in the two Epics and attempts to evaluate whether it had actually deteriorated as compared to the Vedic Age or not.” “Images of Feminine Identity in Hindu Mythology and Art: The Case of Visnu-Mohinï.” By Aloka Parasher-Sen https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/097152159900600103?journalCode=ijgb “One cannot of course ignore the fact that Hindu mythology and religion are replete with negative images of women. Both positive and negative, these images coexist and reinforce certain deeply ingrained attitudes towards women, as well as belief in the power of the female in the deeply patriarchal culture of the dominant Brahmanical tradition in the Indian subcontinent.”
13
14
