The Real Women Empowerment

I was totally carried away by the recent women empowerment celebrations in corporate world. Right from greeting cards to organizing big events for women the corporate world had made a great justice to this year’s women’s day ‘celebration’. A deep thought ran into my mind when I read a news snippet last week about woman who threw her own child into a canal due to poverty. I really started thinking about what is women empowerment and who are the women to be empowered. All the women who wore dresses as per color codes during women’s day celebrations are the one who should be empowered?

First of all these women are the ones who are already empowered! They earn more; they have the capability of saying no to anything they don’t like, they can stand up for anything and stand on their own. There is no use in conducting events and celebrating the event of women empowerment among them. They are the ones who should pioneer the real women empowerment. If it had been a rural visit by those modern women with their men counterparts to eradicate child marriage, to improve sanitation, to educate women, to help overcome their day today challenges, etc. it would have been a fabulous gesture. Sadly majority of them just concentrate in what is the dress they should wear on women’s day, what is the event they should participate, debate on a thought on multitasking by women. Of course there is no doubt on the part of the great work done by these empowered women in corporates. They are real life winners; they manage family, work and what not.

Our laws support women, I am not against that but when we think deeply do an underpowered women know what a dowry law is? How many years a man can be sent to prison for eve-teasing? All the women who don’t know that laws can help them are underpowered women. It is sad that many underpowered women don’t know about these laws and all these are used by empowered women only. I don’t obstruct empowered women using these laws but I feel for empowered women not helping out underpowered women with these laws. There have been several instances where empowered women misused the laws but that is a separate subject and I don’t want to deviate by taking it up. The need for the hour is different.

What I am speaking about here is the amount of interest and participation these empowered women show in real women empowerment activities never matched these celebrations. In many corporates, women and men contribute some money towards these celebrations which ends up in cake cutting, sweet distribution, presents, etc. Won’t the male counterparts contribute to a cause that is really helping to empower women? Like a visit to rural areas to uplift sanitation, women health care, women education, women employment? Such activities and initiatives are so rare and if empowered women are not pioneering such activities, who else will?

I am not blaming the empowered women in corporates or individual persons alone.
Looks like the concept of women empowerment needs to be understood clearly even by big names. There are advertisements put up by banks which can explain the situation better. SBI gives home loan to women at 10.10% while it gives home loan to men at 10.15%. ICICI bank announced last week that it would double the loans given to women Self Help Groups. Now the difference is the former’s advertisement does not support women empowerment whereas the ICICI bank’s advertisement promotes women empowerment. How?  There is no point in giving a home loan in reduced rate to women who is capable of building or buying a home. She is already empowered and she is in a position to build a home which can’t be done by a normal woman and even normal man for that case. Whereas ICICI bank’s gesture should be welcomed as their loans will uplift many women who are in need of women empowerment. This is what really is needed for a country like ours.Not only to blame banks a premier newspaper which is seeked for loyal and straight forward news also seems to be off track when it comes to women's day celebrations. Treassure hunt events, cooking events,etc. are conducted by this news paper. What is the use in these events? do underpowered women take up treassure hunt challenge leaving her daily worries and challenges? Is she going to participate in cooking competition while her kids are starving? It is so sad and hurting that such big names are no pioneering 'The Real Women Empowerment' but just celebrations in the name of women empowerment

This is the difference people have to bring in for women empowerment. The women empowerment and celebrations which people are thinking now is not helping to attain the real goal. Real goal is to eradicate anti-social activities against women, educating women, making them in a position to say no for anything they don’t like. All these celebrations and events would matter then. Celebrating mother’s day and sister’s day is not the same as celebrating women’s day in the name of women empowerment. Women empowerment is a matter of social concern. It is a benefit for the needy women. Empowered women celebrating and enjoying on behalf of underpowered women is not only unacceptable, it is a social crime they do for their underpowered counterparts.

I am not raising a flag for women’s day celebrations or women’s day events. I myself was brought up by a working empowered woman (My mom) so I can understand what it takes for a woman to be in an empowered position. All I am saying is there are a huge part of underpowered women whom we should look at. I am strongly in support of women education. It is true that if a man in educated it only elucidates him; if a woman is educated it elucidates the whole family. Celebrations must always be there, women’s day celebrations in developed countries make sense because their women are empowered already. Celebrations in India must be different and they should help the underpowered empowered. All we need for the hour is 'The Real Women Empowerment' with a celebration.