Secrets to Success

Even as we are in the 21st century, caste discrimination, an age- old practice that dehumanizes and perpetuates a cruel form of discrimination continues to be practiced. India where the practice is rampant despite the existence of a legislation to stop this, 160 million Dalits of which 49.96 percentage are women continue to suffer discrimination. The discrimination that Dalit women are subjected to is similar to racial discrimination. Dalit women are thrice discriminated, treated as untouchables and as outcaste, due to their caste, face gender discrimination being women and finally economic impoverishment due to unequal wage disparity, with low or underpaid labour. According to the Manusmiriti, women have no right to education, independence, or wealth. It not only justifies the treatment of dalit women as a sex object and promotes child marriage. Manusmiriti also promoted inequality between men and women. As other parts of country in Tamil Nadu also Dalit women are facing challenges because of their caste and gender discrimination. So, in order to improve and get due respect of Dalit women, the various women’s forum and organization started as Dalit women movement to protect their rights.

In this context, the present paper focuses on Dalit Women Movement in Tamil Nadu. This study also highlights the Dalit Movement in India and Role of Ambedkar for the rights of Dalits.

Dalit Movement in India

Dalit movement has a rich history of rationalism and humanism. In fact, the historical evolution took place with Buddha’s revolt against Varnashram dharama. Buddha not only rejected supremacy of Bramins but also of the Shastras. After Buddha, Mahavir Swami rejected the notion of caste and violence in the brahmanical structure. In the 15th century Kabir talked of rejection of caste system and talked of one God. He attacked rituals and shastras and talked of a society based on equality. Yet the brahmanical system continued by hook or by crook. The brahmanical literature degraded Dalits and talked very cleverly about the pre- birth theory. While Mughal rule in India was a status quo one, the emergence of British power made a lot of difference for the downtrodden people. They brought a sense of liberty for the marginalized communities. Jyoti Ba Phule belonged to Mali community of Maharastra. Pune’s Chtpawan Bramin would not allow any Dalit and backward to join schools. Women and particularly of Dalit community could never dream of going to school. Phule realized that unless the community gets educated they would not be able to emancipate themselves. So he started a massive work of education by starting various schools in and around Pune. The Brahmins opposed education movement among Dalits which they had denied for years. Phule appreciated Christian missionaries for their noble work in school education.

Dalit Movement today is at the crossroads. The early center of the movement was Maharashtra since the pre- Independence period. Ambedkar and the Maharashtra Movements were the source of inspiration for the dalit movements elsewhere. But, the dalit panthers of 1970’s could not withstand for more than a decade. The Republican party (RPI ) has splintered into so many factions and the main faction led by Athauale is clinging on to the Congress apron strings. The BRP led by Prakash Ambedkar is still enjoying mass respect and influence, still, there is no movements worth the name.

The dalit movement in Karnataka, symbolized by the Dalit Sangharsh Samiti (DSS) was known for its agitational and movemental character. In Andhra Pradesh the Dalit movement showed some signs of revival in the mid 1990’s when the BSP made an attempt to expand its wings to south India. Lakhs of people got mobilized in the inaugural rally. Ex-PWG leaders, prominent dalit leaders etc., joined the BSP in the presence of Kansiram. Kerala has the lowest proportion of dalits in south India. The 68 communities included in the list of S.Cs form a mere 9.8 percent of the population in a state dominated few major communities Muslims, (27.70%) Ezhavas, (22.91%) Chirstians ( 19.02%) and Nairs ( 12.88%) and S.Ts form a miniscule 1.1 percent. The dalits of Kerala are the most literate among the S.C. population in the country.

Role of Ambedkar for the Dalits rights

Taking inspiration from phule, Baba Saheb Dr. Ambedkar also talked the importance of education. But education must be rationalists and reasonable. Education agitates our mind. It gives us thought about what is good and what is bad. Hence, Education is root of every movement. Agitation on certain thing is uniting factor. It became the famous word of Ambedkar “ Educate, agitate and organise” . Ambedkar was one of the tallest intellectuals of the country, a scholar who understood the crookedness of the Shastras. He was an iconoclast and questioned the very essence of Shastras.

Ambedkar fought for the dignity of Dalits. The Hindu Varnavyavastha snatched the dignity from Dalits. It degraded labour. He considered the Hindu law book as the source of caste system and discrimination against Dalits in India that he launched a movement against it.On December 25th 1927, he launched a Satyagraha in Mahad town of Maharastra for the water rights of Dalits and against the Manu Smriti. He burnt Manu Smriti terming it a document of discrimination with a number of his supporters.

It was of great courage to do so in the den of violent Chitpawan Brahmins in Maharastra. He fought for the rights of Dalits and had a broader vision for his community. His main concern was to ensure fare participation of Dalits in political life of the country and he succeeded in getting separate electorate for them, which he had to withdraw to save the life of Gandhi in 1932 known as Poona Pact.

Then as constitutionalist when he drafted constitution and later worked very hard to ensure fare deal for women in the Hindu Code Bill. In the last phase of his life when Babe Saheb embraced Buddhism, his main concern was providing a political alternative to Dalits. It is also interesting to note that B.R.Ambedkar was a humanist to the core of his heart. Even when his so called followers have converted him as a caste man or narrowly interpreted his ideologies and perception, Ambedkar could be termed an international humanist. Poor Dalits who consider him his emancipator. Ambedkar is a uniting factor for Dalits. No Doubt that he has became an icon from North to south from Hindiland to the Southern Tamilnadu.

Dalit Movement in Tamil Nadu

The Dalit movement in Tamil Nadu has long and chequered history. Iyothee Thass, Erattaimalai Srinivasan, M.C.Rajah, N.Sivaraj and L.Elayaperumal Vai. Balasundaram were some of the stalwarts associated with the movement at various stages. The founder of the Self- Respect Movement and the Dravidar Kazhagam, ‘ Periyar’ E.V.Ramasami,( Title was given by Women organizations at Women Conferrence in Chengalpet in 1929.)who was also among the early champions of the Dalit cause.

One of the earliest organized endeavors for the Dalit cause was perhaps a memorandum submitted to the Governor of Madras Presidency in the early 1890s on the horrifying living conditions of Paraiyars, one of the two principal social groups among Dalits, in the then Chengalpat district. Following this, Paraiyars and other sections of Dalits were assigned what was termed ‘ Panchama land’. Over the years this land was grabbed by caste – Hindu usurpers in violation of the provision against the transfer of its ownership. A hundred years later, in 1994, a movement was launched in the same district to restore the land to its rightful owners. This agitation, in which two people died in police firing, marked the beginning of the present phase of the Dalit movement in the state.

In the 1990s, the Dalit response was to get organized. The regional movements demonstrated the strength arising from numbers and unity, but also brought out some inherent limitations. First, of course was the fact they did not have the resources, the personnel and leadership to build up and sustain large-scale movements. Of the three, leadership was the most crucial. It is in this context that the services of K.Krishnasamy and Thirumavalavan have to be appreciated, the former a medical practitioner and the later a well placed government official. Both of them gave part time help to aggrieved fellow Dalit initially, later they became leaders of Dalit Movements and have since emerged as political personalities. Their sustained effort and personal sacrifices have succeeded in mobilizing Dalits, enthusing more Dalits to devote time for the movements, and generated resources to make the movements fairly well established in the state. The DPI, one of the large dalit political movements in Tamilnadu since the 1990s has been remarkably active in taking up the issues of caste atrocities on dalits in the northern parts of the state. Its powerful protests against caste oppression and adherence to Periyar’s radical social values were once well known.

The conflicts between Dalits and Thevars, a caste Hindu social group, the southern districts are not new in the state and Dalits have mostly been at the receiving end. A significant out come of the confrontation between Dalits and caste Hindus in different parts of the state for nearly a decade is the emergence of two principal organizations, Puthiya Thamizhagam led by Dr.K.Krishnasamy and Viduthalai Siruthaigal of Thol. Thirumavalavan

Dalit Women Movement in Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu Dalit women movement was launched during the year1997 by SRED (Society for Rural Education and Development) human rights organization who worked among women for 20years to promote their rights. During those past period they start organizing women into groups and then as a federation. In the latter stage, they start coordinating al the groups into movements or one forum called Tamil Nadu women’s forum that concentrate on promoting rights among common grass root women. Then while working among dalit women, they realized need for separate movement for dalit women with the focus of dalit and especially to protect their rights.

With the help of various NGOs in Tamil Nadu they organized dalit women and start highlighting the issues of dalit wherever they find. Thirty voluntary leaders from 30 districts of Tamil Nadu coordinate together and take this movement to the grass roots. This movement is open for dalit women who can address their issues and atrocities where this movement fights for the rights and justice. This movement is active in 16 districts of Tamil Nadu and takes issues of violence against dalits, untouchable practices, discrimination, atrocities against them and the denial of livelihood rights.

Tamil Nadu Women’s Forum (TNWF) is a state level imitative for women’s rights and gender justice. TNWF was started in 1991 in order to train women for more leadership, to strengthen women’ s movement and to build up strong people’s movement. This movement is also collaborated with some of the dalit parties like Viduthalai siruthaigal ( Dalit panthers of India- DPI). However, the transformation of the DPI from a political movement to a party seems to have led to a dramatic dilution of its radicalism. Importantly, dalit women despite their very active participation in politics, continue to lack of recognition and respect even within the dalit movement.

When Parliament enacted the constitution (73rd) Amendment Act in 1993, the move was hailed as a breakthrough in bringing about a vibrant system of participatory democracy at the grassroots level and a paradigm shift in the process of development, for the first time it provided for statutory reservation of elected posts in local bodies for women, besides the Scheduled Castes (Dalits) and the Schedule Tribes. Caste Hindu leaders challenged the reservation of elected offices in local bodies for Dalits. In the elections, Dalits were prevented from filing nominations in several villages where Panchayat president ship were reserved for them. A large number of elected Dalit and women Panchayat presidents suffered humiliation at the hands of the Vice Presidents and co members and even government officials. For rural women and Dalits most of whom were elected to these posts for the first time, it was uphill task.

Women Movement against poverty and violence (MAPOVI)

Women MAPOVI is coordinated body of grass root women organizations or federations from all over Tamil Nadu. Grass root women become members of these federations by participating in a sangam in their respective village in respective districts. In the pursuit of village development each federations has become a local radical force for social and political change concerning the role of women. Each federation was organized with the efforts of concern NGOs who believe that empowerment of women can bring total empowerment of their society. Federation identified their own leaders to lead their federation and these women have themselves become empowered to act as role models and provide leadership among other women. As a result of their growing consciousness many federations joined together, networked to find joint solutions to common problems mainly the issues of poverty and violence. Many coordinated campaigns and joint public actions taken by Women MAPOVI and the social problems that they had been fighting against are the poverty and violence among women.

Movement has succeeded in many issues due to various lobby actions. For instance the public meeting and the rally conducted by Tamil Nadu Anti liquor movement (TALM) in Aundipatti on 5.02.2002 against the introduction of cheap liquor by the state in Tamil Nadu has certainly strengthened the movement. Because, the loud protest of the women, has reached the government and the political parties and they withdraw the cheap liquor in Tamil Nadu during the month of April 2002.

To conclude, Dalit women, despite their very active participation in politics, continue to lack of recognition and respect even within the Dalit Movement. Though there are some women organization fighting for the rights of dalits and to uplift dalit women they joined together as Dalit Women Movement without a strong political support even within their dalit political parties. However, Dalit Women Movement in Tamil Nadu has been playing a significant role through Tamil Nadu Women’s Forum and with the support of dalit political parties against all forms of discrimination and for their rights. It seems to be there is positive changing situation for the empowerment of Dalit women in Tamil Nadu, albeit slowly.

1. V.B.Rawat, Dalit movement At The Cross Road, Countercurrents.org, 09.08.2005

2. C.T.Kurien, Tamil Nadu’s Dalit Saga. Frontline. November 05-18, 2005.

3. Googlee.co.in/dalit movement/tamilnadu.

4. www,franciscansinternational.org/IWD/interview.html

5. Fronline, December 29, 2006.

6. Unheared Voices- Dalit Women- an alternative report submitted by the Government of India for the session on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, Geneva. Janurary, 2007.

7. K.Nagaraj, Dalit Situation in Tamil Nadu August 23, 2005 The Hindu.

8. Shankar , Caste, Class and the Dalit Question paper presented at the central

party School of CPI(ML) held on 28-30 November 2001, at Bhuvaneswar

9. Frontline, August 16, 2002.

10. Narender Kumar, Dalit and Shudra Politics and Anti-Brahmin Movemnent,

Economic and political Weekly, November 4-10,2000.

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Impact of Education on Domestic Violence and Development of Women through Education

INTRODUCTION

You can tell the condition of a nation by looking at the status of its women.

- Jawaharlal Nehru

“Literary education is of no value, if it is not able to build up a sound character.”

- Mahatma Gandhi

            Education has been regarded as the most significant instrument for changing women’s subjugated position in the society. It not only develops the personality and rationality of individuals, but qualifies them to fulfill certain economic, political and cultural functions and thereby improves their socio-economic status. One of the direct expectations from educational development in a society is the reduction in the inequality among individuals and that is why Education was included as the basic right of every human being in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The constitution of UNESCO also directs its efforts to achieve `The ideal of equality of educational opportunity without regard to race, sex or any distinction, economic or social’.

            Domestic Violence (sometimes referred to as domestic abuse or spousal abuse) occurs when a family member, partner or ex-partner attempts to physically or psychologically dominate another. Domestic violence often refers to violence between spouses, or spousal abuse but can also include cohabitants and non-married intimate partners. Domestic violence occurs in all cultures; people of all races, ethnicities, religions, sexes and classes can be perpetrators of domestic violence. Domestic violence is perpetrated by both men and women, occurring in both same-sex and opposite-sex relationships.  

What Is Domestic Violence?

            Domestic violence is controlling behaviour and includes all kinds of physical, sexual and emotional abuse within all kinds of intimate relationships. The perpetrators of domestic violence or abuse are usually men and the victims or survivors are usually women and children that they know. It includes:

• Punching and slapping

• Kicking and hair pulling

• Biting and pinching

• Pushing and shoving

• Being forced to have sex

• Being beaten or cut with other objects

• Disrespect, neglect and emotional blackmail

• Verbal abuse and swearing

• Being prevented from going out or seeing people – being isolated

• Lying, harassment and putting pressure on you through threats

            1:4 women experience domestic violence at some point in their lives and 1:10 will be experiencing domestic violence today

WOMEN VIOLENCE IN DIFFERENT STATES OF INDIA

            Over 37 per cent married women in the country were victims of physical or sexual abuse by their husbands with Bihar topping the list. Women in Himachal Pradesh faced less violence at home compared to other states in the country. The latest National Family Health Survey-III found that 37.2 per cent women had experienced violence and cited lack of education as the key reason behind their woes. “Women with no education were much more likely than other women to have suffered spousal violence. However, spousal abuse also extends to women who have secondary or higher secondary level education, with 16 per cent reporting abuse,” the survey said.

            The survey showed that countrywide more women face violence in rural areas (40.2) as compared to those in the urban areas (30.4).

            In Bihar, women in urban areas fared worse than those in rural areas. While 62.2 per cent underwent the trauma in urban areas, it was 58.5 per cent women in villages.

            It is followed by Rajasthan (46.3) Madhya Pradesh (45.8), Tripura (44.1), Manipur (43.9), Uttar Pradesh (42.4), Tamil Nadu (41.9), West Bengal (40.3) and Arunachal Pradesh (38.8).

            Among the metros, the fairer sex was better off in Delhi (16.3) and Mumbai (19.5) recorded relatively low percentage as compared to Chennai (40.6) and Kolkata (26.7).

            Nearly, 17 per cent women in Goa have experienced violence, with 17.2 women in rural areas at the receiving end as compared to 16.4 per cent women in urban areas.

            In Chhattisgarh, a total of 30 per cent women suffered at the hands of their husbands, while in Jharkhand, the figure was 37 per cent. About 40.8 per cent women in Jharkhand villages found the going tough as compared to 24.6 per cent in the urban areas.

            In the hill state of Uttarakhand, nearly 28 per cent women experienced violence, with those in villages (29.8) fared worse than their urban counterparts (22.8). After Himachal Pradesh, women fared relatively better in Jammu and Kashmir (12.6), Meghalaya (13.1), Nagaland (15.4), Sikkim (16.5) and Kerala (16.4).

Other states where women find themselves vulnerable are Assam (39.6), Arunachal Pradesh (38.8), Orissa (38.5), Maharashtra (30.7), Andhra Pradesh (35.2), Haryana (27.3), Gujarat (27.6) Punjab (25.4), Mizoram (22.5) and Karnataka (20).

CRIME AGAINST WOMEN IN INDIA

·        One crime against women every three minutes

·        One rape every 29 minutes

·        One dowry death case every 77 minutes

·        One case of cruelty by husband and relatives every nine minutes

·        Once suicide every 240 minutes.

Source: National Crime Records Bureau       

CHILD VIOLENCE

           Children are the nation’s assets. A happy child will make his/her home and the country happy. The future of any country depends upon the right upbringing of its children, for which a congenial environment and adequate opportunities for wholesome development are essential.

According to UNICEF’s  “The State of the World’s Children,” report for 2006, one-third of the world’s children lack adequate shelter, 31% lack basic sanitation and 21% have no access to clean, potable water.  Illness, malnutrition, and premature death are common when children lack the most basic protection.

            A government commissioned survey has found that more than 53 per cent of children in India are subjected to sexual abuse, but most don’t report the assaults to anyone.

            The survey, released last April and which covered different forms of child abuse physical, sexual and emotional as well as female child neglect, found that two out of every three children have been physically abused.

            Parents and relatives, persons known to the child or in a position of trust and responsibility were mostly found to be the perpetrators of child sexual abuse in the country. According to the women and child development ministry-sponsored report, which assumes greater significance in the backdrop of the Nithari killings that brought into focus the issue of children’s safety, those in the age group of 5-12 years reported higher levels of abuse.

            While releasing the survey, Women and Child Development Minister Renuka Chowdhury said, “Child abuse is shrouded in secrecy and there is a conspiracy of silence around the entire subject. The ministry is working on a new law for protection of children’s rights by clearly specifying offences against children and stiffening punishments.”

            The survey carried out across 13 states and with a sample size of 12,447, revealed that 53.22 per cent of children reported having faced one or more forms of sexual abuse, with Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Assam and Delhi reporting the highest percentage of such incidents. In 50 per cent of child abuse cases, the abusers were known to the child or were in a position of trust and responsibility and most children did not report the matter to anyone.

            The survey, sponsored by WCD ministry and carried out by the NGO Prayas in association with UNICEF and Save the Children, found that more than 50 per cent children were subjected to one or the other form of physical abuse and more boys than girls were abused physically. The first-ever survey on child abuse in the country disclosed that nearly 65 per cent of school children reported facing corporal punishment beatings by teachers mostly in government schools.

            Of children physically abused in families, in 88.6 per cent of the cases, it was the parents who were the perpetrators. More than 50 per cent had been sexually abused in ways that ranged from severe such as rape or fondling to milder forms of molestation that included forcible kissing.

            The study also interviewed 2,324 young adults between the ages of 18 and 24, almost half of whom reported being physically or sexually abused as children. When it comes to emotional abuse, every second child was subjected to emotional assault and in 83 per cent of the cases, parents were the abusers.

Children living with domestic violence may:

• Express behavioural problems.

• Be more likely to truant or have difficulties at school.

• Turn to alcohol or drugs.

• Self-harm or attempt suicide.

            According to the NSPCC (National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children) of Children living with domestic violence:

Ø      100% are emotionally abused.

Ø      48% are psychologically abused.

Ø      26% are physically abused.

Ø      13% are accidentally injured.

Ø      7% are sexually abused.

Recent figures from the International Labour Organisation (ILO) show that:

v     Globally, 1 in 6 children work.

v     218 million children aged 5 – 17 are involved in child labour world wide.

v     126 million children work in hazardous conditions.

v     The highest numbers of child labourers are in the Asia/Pacific region, where there are 122 million working children.

v     The highest proportion of child labourers is in Sub Saharan Africa, where 26% of children (49 million) are involved in work.

DEVELOPMENT OF WOMEN THROUGH EDUCATION       

        Education is the process of instruction aimed at the all round development of boys and girls. Education dispels ignorance. It is the only wealth that cannot be robbed. Learning includes the moral values and the improvement of character and the methods to increase the strength of mind.

            Once the first Prime Minister of India, Jawaharlal Nehru said, “you can tell the condition of a nation by looking at the status of its women”. This is absolutely true. Woman of any nation is the mirror to its civilization. If women enjoy good status it shows that the society has reached a level of maturity and sense of responsibility while a decadent image conjures up if the opposite is true. The story of Indian women is as old as the history of Indian civilization.

            Kumud Sharma of the Centre for Women’s Development Studies in New Delhi traced the correlation between education and domestic violence to patriarchal attitudes. “Educated women are aware of their rights,” she said. “They are no longer willing to follow commands blindly. When they ask questions, it causes conflicts, which, in turn, leads to violence. In many Indian states, working women are asked to hand over their paycheck to the husband and have no control over their finances. So, if they stop doing so or start asserting their right, there is bound to be friction.”

Female Literacy in India

            According to last census held in 2001, the percentage of female literacy in the country is 54.16%. The literacy rate in the country has increased from 18.33% in 1951 to 65.38% as per 2001 census. The female literacy rate has also increased from 8.86% in 1951 to 54.16%. It is noticed that the female literacy rate during the period 1991-2001 increased by 14.87% whereas male literacy rate rose by 11.72%. Hence the female literacy rate actually increased by 3.15% more compared to male literacy rate.

WOMEN UNIVERSITIES IN INDIA

Ø      Andhra Pradesh

      Sri Padmavati University, Tirupati

Ø      Delhi

      Lady Shri Ram College for Women, Lajpat Nagar

Ø      Maharashtra

      SNDT Women’s University, Mumbai

Ø      Rajasthan

      Banasthali Vidyapith, Banasthali

Ø      Tamil Nadu

      Stella Maris College, Chennai

      Women’s Christian College, Chennai

      Madura College, Madurai        

            It is necessary to establish some more universities and colleges for women in India. Education is a solution for any type of problem in the society. Education gives strength, power and character. Education helps to improve economic position also in the society.

            The number of women job seekers has increased from 99.3 lacs in 1999 to 106.1 lacs in 2004. Thus the percentage of women job seekers to the total job-seekers has also increased from 24.6per cent in 1999 to 26.2per cent in 2004.

Table 1: Number of Women Job Seekers

Year

Number of Women (in lacs)

Percentage to total

1999

99.3

24.6

2000

104.5

25.3

2001

108.8

25.9

2002

106.0

25.9

2003

107.5

26.0

2004

106.1

26.0

      Number of Educated Women Job Seekers as on December 2004 was 7537.7 thousand. Educated Women at the end of 2004 accounted for 25.8per cent of the total educated job-seekers.

Table 2: Number of Educated Women Job Seekers

Year

Number of Women

Percentage to total

2000

7911.7

27.1

2001

8525.6

28.1

2002

7921.4

26.8

2003

8032.4

26.6

2004

7537.7

25.8

Vision of National Commission for Women

            Dr.( Miss. ) Girija Vyas took over as Chairperson of the National Commission for Women on 16th February, 2005.

            The Indian Women of Today Culturally rooted, Globally oriented Healthy, Educated, Self Reliant Secure in her Home and Safe Outside With Access to all the Rights of a Citizen With Opportunity to Contribute in all walks of life.

MODERN INDIAN WOMEN

            The status of women in modern India is a sort of a paradox. If on one hand she is at the peak of ladder of success, on the other hand she is mutely suffering the violence afflicted on her by her own family members. As compared with past women in modern times have achieved a lot but in reality they have to still travel a long way. Their path is full of roadblocks. The women have left the secured domain of their home and are now in the battlefield of life, fully armored with their talent. They had proven themselves. But in India they are yet to get their dues. The sex ratio of India shows that the Indian society is still prejudiced against female. There are 933 females per thousand males in India according to the census of 2001, which is much below the world average of 990 females. There are many problems which women in India have to go through daily. These problems have become the part and parcel of life of Indian women and some of them have accepted them as their fate.

FIRST WOMAN OF INDIA

            Women had played an important role in the Modern World. Here are some of the most successful & first women of the world, who lead a Nation, a Party, a State, etc.

·        First woman President of Indian National Congress — Annie Besant (1917)

·        First Indian woman President of Indian National Congress — Sarojini Naidu (1925)

·        First woman Ambassador from India — Vijay Lakshmi Pandit (to USSR from1947-49)

·        First woman Governor of an Indian State — Sarojini Naidu (UP from 1947-48)

·        First woman Minister of an Indian State — Vijay Lakshmi Pandit (UP)

·        First Mayor of Delhi — Aruna Asif Ali (1958)

·        First woman Central Minister — Rajkumari Amrit Kaur

·        First woman Film star to be a member of Rajya Sabha — Nargis Dutt

·        First woman Chief Minister of an Indian State — Sucheta Kriplani (UP from 1963-67)

·        First woman Prime Minister of India — Indira Gandhi (1966-77 & 1980-84)

·        First woman Speaker of an Indian State — Shano Devi

·        First woman winner of the Bharat Ratna — Indira Ghandi (1971)

·        First woman Judge of the Supreme Court — Justice M Fatima Bevi (1989)

·        First woman Chief Justice of a High Court — Leila Seth (CJ of Himachal Pradesh 1991)

·        India’s officially recognized billionth citizen — Aastha (Born on May 11, 2000 at ND)

CONCLUSIONS

            Indian women have mastered anything and everything which a woman can dream of. But she still has to go a long way to achieve equal status in the minds of Indian men. The desire of Indian women can be best summed up in the following lines of ‘Song of an African Women’:

I have only one request.I do not ask for moneyAlthough I have need of it,I do not ask for meat . . .I have only one request, And all I ask isThat you removeThe road blockFrom my path.

            Educate all the children in the family. Education is the most powerful instrument for the development of women and children in the society.8th March is observed as International Women’s Day. It is necessary to celebrate International Women’s Day every year in a grand manner. Our present president Pratibha Patil is also a woman. It is the power and credit of woman. It is also very important to celebrate Children’s Day on November 14th and Mother’s day.  

Reference:

1.      National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. (2001). The National Reading Panel: Reports of the Subgroups.

2.      UNESCO Institute for Statistics: Literacy rates, youth (15-24) and adult (15+), by region and gender (September 2006 Assessment).

3.   Heilbroner, R. L. (1995) Visions of the future: the distant past, yesterday, today,      

     and tomorrow (New York: Oxford University Press).

4.   Child and Women Development Report, (2006), Ministry of Women and Child  

      Development, Government of India, New Delhi.

5.    National Family Health Survey, (2006), Government of India, New Delhi.

6.    National Crime Records Bureau, (2007), Government of India, New Delhi.

7.   Census of India, (2001), Government of India, New Delhi.

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*****

How can Wall Street get itself out of the current financial crisis? They can start by putting more women at the helm. According to the latest research, companies with female board members traditionally outperform those without, and 80 percent of purchasing decisions in the U.S. are made by women. If this is true, why aren’t more qualified women attaining business leadership positions? To date, only 15.7 percent of Fortune 500 corporate officers are women.This may be partly due to the dismal enrollment among women in Executive MBA (EMBA) programs. So business schools are actively courting women, by addressing some of the stumbling blocks that have traditionally kept women from pursuing the degree.

The Work/Life Balance The Wall Street Journal reports that the nation’s EMBA programs are only comprised of 20 percent females. EMBA courses generally run full days on weekends, to accommodate those anxious to complete degrees while managing full-time work schedules. For many women who see weekends as family time, the EMBA is fairly unappealing. It’s a work/life balance that women are increasingly seeking and, perhaps mistakenly, believing that EMBA programs and the corporate fast track won’t offer. However, the EMBA may offer more of such a balance than traditional programs, because it can prepare women for career advancement more quickly, without causing them to lose ground at work.Other reasons many women cite for shunning EMBA programs include: difficulty finding money to cover the cost of the program, the perception that the glass ceiling may keep real advancement at bay, a lack of female role models, a lack of encouragement from peers, family or employers, as well as a lack of confidence in their own math skills.

What Women Have, B-Schools Want Universally, businesses and business schools alike agree that a diverse population of men and women is extremely valuable. This diversity can enhance fellow students’ experiences by increasing the pool of skills and ideas available, enabling greater networking opportunities, leveling the playing field in the workplace, and producing qualified candidates who may be more likely to identify with businesses’ intended consumers.Traditionally, the “feminine” traits of emotional engagement, altruism, and cooperation have been perceived as weak and therefore less valuable in the profit-and-loss corporate world. Yet it’s these traits that, in a struggling economy, are vital to finding and building relationships with customers.Because it pays to draw women to EMBA programs, many business schools are making themselves more attractive. They’re recruiting more female faculty, featuring more women in advertising materials, offering flexibility through online courses, and trying to make more EMBA scholarships available.

A Return on Your EMBA Investment There are numerous reasons why it can pay to earn an EMBA, not the least of which is that it can enhance your ability to identify with and court clients. The MBA credential offers a boost to your confidence and credibility with colleagues, which can ensure others that you have the expertise needed to take on more responsibility. Not to mention the salary boost. The Executive MBA Council says that in 2007, students surveyed reported a 21 percent salary increase after completing their EMBA, and 43 percent of students received promotions while still enrolled in their EMBA programs. An EMBA can provide you with numerous valuable tools, including the know-how to assess risk, harvest innovative ideas, forecast market behavior, and effectively market products. Plus, those female entrepreneurs looking for investment capital or angel funding may likely find that investors are far more receptive to those backed by an MBA education.So while the sacrifice of time and money may at first seem overwhelming, EMBA programs are becoming more and more accessible and attractive than they’ve ever been, and with the return on investment this degree provides, now might be just the right time to look into it.

WOMEN ENTREPRENEURSHIP AND CAREER DEVELOPMENT

                                                                                    *N.SATHIYA

                             An enterprise is an undertaking and enterpriser is one who organizes and manages it and takes risk. Initiative, risk bearing, co-ordinating of factors of production, use of innovation and provision of capital are the basic elements of entrepreneurship. Solutions, creation, processing and promotion of unit, promotional help, adequate and timely finance, sufficient market stability and intelligence are the main factors effective progress.

                        This is considered to be one of the most significant organizational changes taking place in the world today. However, though the number of women entering the managerial profession is on the increase they are still clustered in the lower levels of management and rarely obtain positions of significant corporate power. In difference countries where the entry and middle level management positions are held by a significant number of women, experience prove their effectiveness as managers.

*Ph.D Research Scholar, Department of Commerce, Periyar University, Salem-11

CAREER DEVELOPMENT:

     In operation vital and extensive employment and beneficiary oriented programmes for specific target groups like farmers, and artisans such as the:

1)      National Rural Employment Programming (NREP), the

2)      Integrated Rural Development  Programming (IRDP),the

3)      Rural landless Employment Guaranty Programming (RLEGP),the

4)      Training Scheme of Rural Youth for Self  Employment (TRYSEM)

5)      The Scheme for providing Self Employments to Educated Unemployed youth (SEEU)and

6)      Self Employment Programme for Urban Poor,(SEPUP)

    Growth for Industrialization, Urbanization, Education and Democratic system in the country the custom-bound-society of India is in the process of a change. The women are searching gainful employment in different fields. In developing countries they invariably work harden than men. They contribute to economic actively and to the welfare of society through house hold jobs, child rearing, educating children and working in the fields. In developing countries, the discrimination extends to health care, food, property and access to credit.

   Women’s organization aim at creating general awareness on the status involves roles, exception, entitlements rights and obligations etc. In many cases women are unaware of the legal rights, to take decisions and great influences by a family the dominance of the male. From 1980’s onwards, the issues raised by WOMEN IN DEVELOPMENT (WID) and, lately, GENDER AND DEVELOPMENT (GAD) approaches have acquire great importance, both for government organizations, non- government organizations and women’s organizations. While WID concentrates more on women’s economic activities.

  We need to invest in our people and, especially, improve the lives our women we need contribution from our women to attain excellence in all areas of activity. Our social and cultural attitudes neglects and marginalize women. In public, we can accept and respect women and brag about having a woman as our Prime Minister or a few women’s as Chief Ministers and Judges. But privately, the large majorities of women are sub Jud gated and dominated. They need permission from their men to occasionally visit their parents and relatives. It is estimated that 124 million women work in India (National Sample Survey Organization, 2000). This represents about 31 percent of the total work force. The Government economic survey for 2003-04 has estimated that there are 4.95 million women in the organized sector (both public and private sectors) about 18.01 percent of the total organized work force.

  Last year the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), through its women Empowerment Committee Conducted survey of white-collar in 149 member companies across different sectors and regions. The percentage of women employees in medium companies was 18 percent, large companies 4 percent. At the managerial level, the percent of women at junior level was 16 percent, middle level 4 percent, senior level 4 percent and at senior-most levels, just 1 percent. Today, to survive competition in a globalizes market, many organizations are our sourcing and contracting out their work. This certainly has created opportunities for home-based work, especially for women in sectors like textile, garments and electronics.

  The natural enterprises of Indian women can be nurtured through innovations schemes of micro-finance. The government, financial institutions and private sector can join hands to create women entrepreneurs.

CRITICISM:

10.  More ever, wherever necessary bookish knowledge she gathers is not sufficient to meet the various problems in the business field.

  These companies employee the highest percentage of women in India:

1)      HSBC-33%

                 Makes a conscious attempt to build a strong female executive pipeline by effectively using the graduate campus trainee programme and building database of successful female candidates in the industry at all levels.

2)      ACCENTURE-30%

         More women @ Accenture: A metrics based recruitment process for hiring women, a referral programme for women and special recruitment drives at women-only colleges.

3)      SAPIENT-27%

          A role model programme for women highlights the achievement of senior women managers and showcases the absences of a glass ceiling.

4) HDFC-25%

5) INFOSYS-24%

6) WIPRO-21%

        THE TOPEST WOMEN IN A MAN’S WORLD:

1)      Naina Lakidwai, VC & MD, HSBC Securities

2)      Sangita Taiwar, ED, TATA Tea.

3)      Kavita Hurry, MD & CEO, ING Vysya Mutual funds.

4)      Ashu Suyash, Head of Business, Fidelity Fund Management.

5)      Renuka Ramnath, MD& CEO, ICICI Venture Funds.

6)      Lalita Gupte, Joint MD, ICICI Bank.

7)      Renu Karnad, ED, HDFC.

8)      Kalpana Morparia, Deputy MD, ICICI Bank.

9)      Rama Biya Purkar, Strategic Marketing Consultant & Non-ED, Infosys.

      SUGGESTIONS:

1)      The women entrepreneur development is important for accelerating industrialization in India.

2)      If we can really bring out a balanced society with equal opportunities to both men and women

3)      Boys needed to be made aware that household and child-rearing responsibilities need to be equally shared between a husband and wife.

4)      The government has been pampering organize labor and, by and large, neglecting the unorganized sectors.

5)      Dynamic frame work of regulations so that the vast majority of our women workers get justice and social security.

6)      to avoid sexual harassment policies should be clearly stated and implemented

7)      Every family owned business need to an equal chance to their daughters.

                                “Pastronjee & Sons” but also

                                “Mukherjee & Daughters” and

                    “Pastronjee & Daughters”

                The government must lead the way and corporate NGO’s and educational institutions should join in to support and work for change. Real change will come when our women are treated on par with men and given equal opportunities. Indian will be able to harness its women power and emerge as a respected nation.

REFERENCES:

        Magazines

1)      Entrepreneurship development in India- by Sami Uiddin.

2)      Business Today

3)      Management Research