ARE WOMEN BEING TREATED EQUALLY TODAY IN COMPARISON TO THE PREVIOUS CENTURIES?
“Woman”! Has anyone ever wondered why a woman has a man in her? It’s hysterical when people often assume the origin of words. What’s even more side- splitting is when you’re one of them yourself. Every now and then people manipulate words by changing them to fit their ideas.
Man retained its meaning as “person” until the 20th century when people assumed it excluded women- which is plausibly when men use it in that way – so it has largely fallen out of use, retaining the meaning it has today. Although the language is full of chauvinism – female, women, and humans are innocent little words that have been victimized by meaningless traditional etymology.
For years, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights affirmed that “Everyone has the right to education”. Notwithstanding notable determination by countries across the globe has considerably increased the way into primary education, more than one-third of the world’s population, most of them women have no access to primary education, new skills, or technologies that would help them evaluate the value of their lives and help them face challenges in the socio-economic realm.
According to a recent incident that occurred in Afghanistan, since the Taliban regained power, a series of verdicts and guidelines have been issued that violate the very definition of human rights for women and girls, including to right to freedom of movement.
How Are Women’s Rights Being Violated?
What do you think of women’s rights? A gender-just society would be one with basic human rights, opportunities, and equal treatment irrespective of gender. Respecting women’s rights makes the world a better place. Women’s rights and gender equality are important issues all over the world.
This has led to many debates about women’s rights over the past decade. Numerous studies have shown, that women around the world face problems such as child marriage, forced labour, lack of access to education, political participation, forceful abortion giving birth to female children, domestic violence, and so on.
Women often face gender discrimination in the workplace. One way to illustrate this is to look at the gender wage gap. It is still common for women to be denied access to equal pay. This practice will gradually lead to a lifetime of financial deprivation for women which means an increased risk of poverty in the future.
Violence Against Women
Social issues are never a zero-sum game. Patriarchy and the systems that have perpetuated unequal rights for women around the world are perennial. In India, we face many forms of domestic violence. It can range from psychological, sexual, and economic to physical torture.
Since the epidemic of Covid-19, various data and sources from first-rate reports, have shown violence against women and girls, especially domestic violence, has increased all over the world.
Violence is a hateful word and should be discarded at all costs. A 2018 survey from WHO found that nearly 30% of women have experienced domestic violence from an intimate partner, a non-partner, or both. 6 Domestic violence has long-lasting effects on victims and can lead to their isolation from society. The children who grow up in such an environment either become jaded or exhibit angry behavior, which is not healthy for society. Such women tend to separate themselves from society, which makes them inattentive and drives them deep into isolation, which in turn leads to psychological problems.
Menstrual Leaves and Discrimination
The concept of menstrual leaves is not new in our culture. A recent study shows that women who are discriminated against in the workplace, family, etc. are more likely to suffer from depression and anxiety during their periods. India is not the only country where menstruation is taken into consideration, countries like Japan, Italy, and Sweden have also included menstrual leave in their holiday policies. However, most ‘woke’ women around the world, especially in India, have found this decision to be somewhat detrimental and an act of humiliation of women’s abilities. They saw this law as a violation of the ideology of equality and a special regulation for women. These women believe that this decision calls into question women’s abilities and does not treat them as equals to men. Surveys have shown that this period, like existing maternity leave will worsen the situation of women in the workforce by further widening the wage gap or increasing the risk of being replaced or fired for taking “too many leaves”.
MeToo Movement or A way of Escapism
The #MeToo movement has come under the limelight in recent years and sparked the world, where more survivors/victims are now coming out against their abusers. They are coming out together in the hope to seek justice and to reform the judicial system and how they handle sexual abuse and violence cases. 7 “With good comes evil” it is said. Well, there have been incidents where women have voluntarily misused the #Metoo movement to bring their peer males and partners down with respect to a personal grudge, which has led to panic within society. The #MeToo movement is a sensitive issue, and some portrayed the movement as lumping all men together and targeting specific individuals, while others said the movement was a victory and challenged laws and policies to change for the better, promote equality for all, and ensure due process.
Conclusion
Even though key issues have been addressed so far, we can be much stronger i everyone works together for women’s rights. Gender equality and women’s empowerment in itself are key to sustainable development, economic growth, and peace and security. Imagine a gender-equitable world. A world without prejudice, stereotyping, violence, and discrimination. A world where differences are valued and encouraged. This International Women’s Day, let us advocate for equality by raising awareness about discrimination and celebrating women’s achievements.
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