Page 157 - Reliance Foundation School Koparkhairane - School Magazine - Zenith 2020-21

Women throughout the years... There is a silver lining to this situation as well. The youth of India are being educated about consent, what is right
and what is wrong. Times are changing where women are treated equally to men. The youth is ambitious and
“It is impossible to think about the welfare of the world unless the condition of women is improved. It is ready to bring about a significant change. With people realising and understanding concepts like 'Feminism'
impossible for a bird to fly on only one wing.” which are only prevalent to help the ones in need and uplift each other irrespective of their sex. Even men are

-Swami Vivekanand sexually abused and face discrimination, feminism stands against what is wrong and demands justice for all. We
all are learning, growing and educating and striving towards a better tomorrow. Change will come, for the best.
Throughout the years there have been several controversies about gender in India. With most of it being along
the lines of their social status, economic standing, education, health, etc. it is always seen that in the end, women Nandini Nahata - XI C
are put in a rather conflicting and anomalous position. When talking about the status of women in society, we
have to consider both sides of the situations. Although women enjoy more social, economic and political benefits
at present, they are still subjected to discrimination, prejudice, harassed and exploitation.

In the Vedic ages, women were said to be treated “equal to men” and were said to be the glue that held the
household together but still enjoy a social status. Women had certain rights, they were allowed to choose whom
they wanted to marry, had educational rights, did not have to obey the purdah system etc. on the flip side, they
held little to no economic benefits as daughters or wives. They were not allowed property succession and were
not paid for their services. Politically, they were not allowed in the sabhas held in their villages.

Then, in the Medieval period, their position had drastically fallen. Child marriage was practised, the purdah
system was to be followed, the horrifying custom of sati was introduced, widow re-marriage and inter-caste
marriage were prohibited, female infanticide was practised, even primary education was denied. Concluding, this
was a terrible time to be a female. During India's struggle for freedom and British Rule, amends were made.
Movements like the 'Bhakti Movement' gave women social and religious freedom to a certain level. Education Shazmeen Tandel - XII C Somya Soni - IX C
was imparted to young girls, abolishing of sati, enforcement of certain acts, namely; women empowerment like
Swami Dayanand Sarasvati, Raja Ram Widow Remarriage Act- 1856, Child Marriage Restraint Act- 1929, etc. Life: A Matter of Perspectives
Reformers who believed in it like Mohan Roy, Annie Beasant, Jyotiba Phule, Mahatma Gandhi and more were
the ones that brought about this change. After our independence, these conditions were further improved with In the above picture, one person sees a 6 and the other sees a 9. They are
better employment opportunities, a better educational system and change in the rigid caste systems. Several both right, yet they are both wrong in the eyes of each other. How is it that
initiatives were taken by the government like; Sharda Act- 1950's: increasing the age limit for marriage, The two different people express different interpretations of a single object? It
Dowry Prohibition Act- 1961, National Commission for Women- 1992, etc. although there were these pros, all boils down to their perspectives.
there were certain cons as well. Society still expected women to stop education when the marriageable age was
Perspective is the way we look at things and develop a particular way of
reached, women were expected to only be good housewives and nothing more, certain villages still practised
thinking which is influenced by our beliefs or experiences. Now, the main
female infanticide, women still faced domestic violence and rape was still prevalent.
question that arises is how can perspective have a major impact on our life?
Slowly women started understanding their true potential and started questioning these societal norms. Women Going back to the 6 or 9 philosophy, we have two scenarios that can play
started opting for higher education, applying for better jobs, working even after marriage and breaking the rules out here. One is the scenario in which both the people can have an intense argument and hold onto their idea of
set by the Male dominating society. Women started excelling in different spheres of life while still managing a what the number is. Or they can change their perspectives and look through each other's eyes to see through
family. Women started becoming engineers, doctors, artists, actors, writers, sportspersons. their differences.

Arundhati Roy, Anita Desai, Rekha, Smita Patil, Indira Gandhi, Shiela Dixit, Jayalalithaa, PT Usha, Mary Kom, On similar lines, had people understood that a perspective on life was not fixed but rather can be changed, a lot of
every Indian knows their name, all in all, change was evident. Again, with its positive, there are still some quarrels, battles and even wars could have been avoided if they saw things from another perspective. Our
negatives. We live in a Patriarchal or a male dominating society, where men are supposed to be the financial perspective can only change when our interpretation of things changes. That is, perception governs our
heads of the family and women are supposed to lead domestic lives. The majority of India is rural, it is not exposed perspectives. It acts as the lens through which we view reality. But if we keep looking through the same old dusty
to proper education about women's rights like urban India. Therefore, it still follows the patriarchal rules wherein lens, we end up thinking that is the way the entire world looks.
girls are not allowed higher education, child marriages, only exposing them to household work to earn income
Thus, having a certain perspective of life can have a major impact on everything around us. A negative
through child labour, wishing the birth of a male child, etc. Men are also subject to some discrimination; it is
perspective affects everything and everyone around us adversely. We would find ourselves constantly being angry
frowned upon if a man takes up careers like cooking or becoming a makeup artist as it is not “manly”. Society
or frustrated and not being able to accept others 'perspective. Whereas, having an optimistic perspective on life
judges men only based on their paycheck and respect rises with the rising amount of income. Men are told to keep
can not only give us happiness, but also help create meaningful relationships. It would also make us realise the
their emotions in check and not, “cry like a girl”. So, it is not only the women suffering due to these ideals.
value of things which we take for granted.
Women are not free to wear what they want in the public without being judged for it, it is not safe for women to
Afterall, life is just a matter of perspectives and it is really hard to see the real picture of life when we are the ones
walk the streets alone at night, they are subject to domestic violence, most women suffer through some sort of
living inside the frame. For, 'When you change the way you look at things, the things you look at will change.'
harassment, rape dishearteningly is one of the most common crimes and still the culprits roam the streets freely.
Six years after the disturbing Nirbhaya case and several others, the numbers of rape cases are not decreasing. Neha Krishnamurthy - XII B
154 155