My future dreams were undefined. And before I graduated, my position was updated from single to married.
Dreams gradually receive, ambitions were dwarfed by family priorities. I also went to write the IAS Main Exam – eight months in my pregnancy – but did not make the interview.
I saw my other colleagues going abroad for further studies, climbing the academic ladder. I used to try to be happy even without any self-identity. But under the blissful veneer, I could breathe some amies – a craving to go beyond the boundaries.
I soon decided to chase my doctorate and started writing poems and short stories. One of them was published in local paper. This was probably my professional graph kickstart in journalism.
More than a decade after a decade of marriage, I adopted my career and the infection was smooth despite ‘late entry’.
This was my story, and many women in India can share a similar story.
Why educate girls
Despite all the hupla, education for girls, especially in rural areas, continues to take a backseat. School education is stopped for many young girls in rural homes as they have to take care of the house. While mothers go out to work, young girls are going back home, cleaning their brothers, cooking and taking care of their brothers. Early marriages and the burden of household chores are the main causes of high dropout rates among girls.
Rural women are the major agents to bring about the economic and social change necessary for permanent development. The government and various stakeholders need to make collective efforts to empower these young girls in rural areas.
At the lower ground level level, the administration needs to find out that no girl goes out of school due to family pressure. The government should consider imposing a fine on the parents who do not send their daughters to school. A monetary incentive should be made for those who prefer education for their daughters.
I remember the day when my maid came to do all the work and battle. Her eyes were barely opening and she said that she was going to register a case against her husband. The next day she came, wore a smile. He had changed his mind to register a case.
This is always a story for many women, if not all.
Long road
A boy is celebrated in most Indian homes. Female feticides are still prevalent in many areas. Domestic violence continues and dowry death is still prevalent. Where and how women are empowered?
Apart from education, it is mandatory for parents to make their daughters self-sufficient before marriage. Most of the pockets in urban areas have moved forward in this area. But in rural areas, where child marriage is still prevalent, girls are subject to financial dependence.
The correct mixture of education and self -sufficiency is the key to empowerment.
In urban areas, women may step out of boundaries and may have chosen a career which was traditionally considered a male stronghold. Some have completed more than their male counterparts.
But rural areas resonate with female feticides, domestic misconduct and child marriage stories.
As long as we exclude these crash from the lowest notch, women empowerment will be limited to high decibels speeches and candles light rallies.
We move beyond this to bring a true social empowerment.
– Writer, Vanita Srivastava is a science writer. Thoughts are personal.
(Tagstotransite) women
