PAWAR PUBLIC SCHOOL

CHANDIVALI:

WOMEN

EMPOWERMENT

Group Members: Shotobhisha, Divna, Shruti, Vedant, Unnat, Joel

Introduction:

In the simplest of words women empowerment is the creation of an environment where women can make decisions independently and be treated as equal in society. If a woman rises to the top of her field it should be a common occurrence that does not draw a raised eyebrow at her gender but a round of applause in appreciation.

What We Did:

We were given six sub questions under a main heading which we had to research.

Firstly, we assigned different roles to the members of our group. Each of us made a short video introducing ourselves. Our Video Editor Joel and I compiled then six videos into one.

Our Editor, Divna and I then made an Action Plan wherein we explained who would be doing what.

The question framer of my group, Vedant along with our interviewer Shrutiand our Photographer, Unnat together framed the questionnaire of the survey sheet and also framed some questions to be asked whilst interviewing people. We tackled the questions through two forms: the survey sheets and the interview, each dealing with different aspects of the main questionnaire. We have in this way interviewed different women from different walks of life.

Our editor Divna shortlisted and finalised the questions to be asked in our survey sheet and in the interview. I further edited the questions and then got the final questionnaire printed.

So far, the members of my group has handed out survey sheets with questions related to our topic to a few people. Shruti has interviewed a few people on their opinions about the progress in women empowerment. The rest of us have also interacted with family members and neighbours on the topic. We have gained immense knowledge about women empowerment; why it happened, how it happened, what is happening to it and a lot more.

We have also attended a Video Conference with a school from Netherlands named Ichtus Lyceum which was moderated by Mr. Ludo Mateusen. The video conference was an opportunity for us to interact with the students of the Netherlands and see how far they had progressed with their EUMIND projects. Each group shared what we had done till then. We then asked a few questions related to our topic and had a chance to talk to the students. They in turn asked us questions as well.

Questionnaire for survey:

People We Interviewed:

Unnat interviewing Mrs. Shalini

What are the important things girl children should learn?

What does having and using power mean to women?

HAVING AND USING POWER:

Having and using power mean different things to different people. Women from different sections of society have different views on what this means.

To a housewife, it meant being able to express herself without being scared of saying the wrong things that would lead to her being mocked and scorned.

To a teacher, it meant being treated at par with men in society.

To an accountant, it meant being independent and free.

To a student, it meant being given the respect that they deserve and being given the right to take decisions on matters.

How do women feel about education, traditional

knowledge?

TRADITIONAL KNOWLEDGE VS MODERN EDUCATION:

First, we must categorize or divide women in two categories, namely, rural and urban, on the basis of their mentality and the type of the environment they live in.

Taking the urban way of lifestyle in consideration, women give more importance to modern education then traditional knowledge. The reason being that in cities, girls get a more relaxed and free environment when compared to rural areas. Women in cities get themselves employed and spend the day in the office. Education is thus required for financial stabilisation of their families. Handling of the household chores is mainly done by the maid. Therefore, there is very little scope for women in cities to give preference to traditional knowledge.

On the other hand, in the villages, girls are surrounded by a number of restrictions and also don’t get enough facilities. Nor do they have the access to the happenings of the outer world. Thus, they prefer traditional knowledge over modern education. Some rural women do still however want to be educated to achieve their dreams and aspirations. Some want their children to have corporate jobs so they do not have to work in the scorching sunlight to earn meagre amounts of money.

As there is greater population in the urban areas, the general preference is towards modern education. Even in rural areas, measures are being taken to ensure that all children, irrespective of gender are given a basic primary education.

According to our survey, most people believe that having a basic knowledge of household chores is necessary for not just the women but all family members. Due to growing dangers and crimes towards women, self defence is also something young girls should learn.

Recently, there has been a shift in the views of the people as far as education is concerned. This has happened due to government campaigns and education for all programmes.

What are the advantages and

disadvantages of employment of women?

For:WOMEN:

Advantages :

It gives every woman an opportunity to apply her knowledge and skills in her area of work.

It gives her an opportunity to assert financial independence.

It expands her outlook towards life and exposes her to different people and situations which helps her guide her children towards a better education.

Disadvantages :

It can cause stress and can affect her health as she tries to juggle and manage activities between home and workplace.

Working women do not get the luxury of spending enough time with their family.

CHILDREN:

Advantages :

Working mothers are able to guide their children toward a better education

because of their experienced and improved outlook.

Since the mother is working there is additional income in the family which

can be used for better education for the children and other family priorities.

Disadvantages :

A working mother may not have the sufficient time to be with their children

and to take care of their ever increasing needs.

A working mother can sometimes become irritable due to the pressure of

work and home and this may impact the children.

HUSBAND:

Advantages :

Employment of women may result in additional income for the family and

better standards of living.

Disadvantages :

The wife may not have enough time to spend with the husband.

WHO DOES WHAT IN THE HOUSEHOLD:

For matters very important, it is still the male in most families, who makes the decisions while petty issues are handled by the female.

Role of Women in the Household:

Cooking, cleaning, washing, working, taking care of children and aged parents and in-laws, shopping for groceries and essential household essentials, they also plan the family budget and keep track of the family’s expenses. Maybe even working.

Role of Men in the Household:

Working, managing outdoor activities such as repairs around the house, paying bills, taking care of financial management and other documentation.

Role of Children in the Household:

Children are a store house of joy and support to their working parents, apart from this they have the duty of completing their education, and respecting their elders.

Was there any change in women

empowerment?

CHANGES IN WOMEN EMPOWERMENT:

In India, the number of seats reserved for women in Lower House of Parliament has been increased to 33% through a women reservation bill introduced in Parliament. There was some controversy over this as some people believed women to not be competent enough to be members of Parliament.

A lot of NGOs have taken the cause women empowerment enabling women in rural India to take up self- employment like sewing, agro-farming and creating handicrafts.

Most people are happy with the change since women empowerment is a fairly new concept which has brought nothing but positive impact.

What are women’s properties?

WOMEN’S PROPERTIES:

There were many acts and laws passed to secure the women’s rights over

the share of the father’s properties. In this patriarchal society, customs

are that assets and lands are named to men while women may be given a

little share or nothing. Women are denied equal ownership.

Furthermore, property and inheritance claims are done through loosely

organized administrative bodies consisting of local leaders and clerks

with limited training. Therefore, there is a great chance that the men in

the family could threaten women to get the most part of the property

(unless it is an educated family). Their degree of control over property

for women is minimal. In some families however, women too have

property bought or inherited in their name. Thus, depending on the

family, the degree of control women have over their property differs.

Usually, it isn’t much.

Are women equally treated and paid at par to

men at work place?

TREATMENT OF WOMEN IN A WORKPLACE:

Women are treated equally to men in workplace in terms of salary. People are mostly paid based on the work they do. If women do more work than men or do better work than men, they are paid more than men.

Based on importance given to women, some companies give more importance and some give them less. Most however look at and give more importance to how good an opinion a person gives, not their gender. However there still are a few places which do not take into account women’s opinions as they are considered inferior or below men.

The safety of women in workplaces is slightly questionable. There are many crimes that happen in offices, mainly to women. Rape, abuse, being yelled for no reason and being mistreated are not out of the ordinary. Measures should be taken to reduce and eventually eradicate crimes against women in workplaces.

CONCLUSION:

So finally, are women and men equally treated? No, they aren’t. Men are given more importance in society. However, the situation is slowing changing. In urban areas, women empowerment is gaining momentum steadily and in rural areas, the government is taking measures to make women empowerment develop. Women should however be given authority and freedom to make decisions and have their own property. Above all, they should be given more respect. There are things which men can do better than women like physical activity but there are a lot of things which women are far more accomplished to do than men are. This is not acknowledged as often as it should be. Above all, we are all human beings, made up of flesh and bone. We should all be treated as equal and petty things like gender should not be contributing factors to discrimination.