The status of women has been a topic of grave discussion, for many years in the past. It encompasses various burning issues of girl and women education, maternal health, economic empowerment of females, and the role of women in family, community, politics, and more. Throughout the world, various social norms, in some form or the other, deny women their right to education, health services, economic opportunities, and political participation. This gender inequality hinders the progress of environmental sustainability, financial stability, global health, and human rights and is the primary cause of hunger and poverty. According to a study conducted by the United Nations, women constitute more than two-thirds of the world’s illiterate population. Another research depicts that 80% of the world’s refugees are women. Also, wLiterature writers and filmmakers, through their works, have tried to demonstrate the roles and identities of women in family and society. These pieces bring out the status of women in the past centuries and the present-times very well. An ample amount of information and statistics on different interrelated factors is also available in the form of research publications and magazines. It includes several areas of debate viz., comparison between the condition of women in the past to that of the modern woman, their achievements around the globe, their lives after marriage, numerous opportunities available for them, the social and cultural attitude of the world towards them, to name a few. All this portrays the one aspect very clearly, time and time again — Gender Inequality and the horrors (in the form of its uncountable consequences) for females associated with it.omen only own 1% of the world’s resources and earn a small part (1/10th) of the world’s income.
In previous times, as in the 19th century, men dominated society while women were secondary to them. At the family level, women had very little to no opinion, and men were the sole in-charge of all decisions. A woman was considered a man’s possession. Great heights of academic achievements and formal jobs were for men, while women fulfilled the family responsibilities and bore the burden of house-chores. A patriarchal and oppressed society with an inhumane caste system led to the immense suffering of women in various parts of the world. They were (and are being) mistreated inside and outside their homes. They had no right in politics, education and they were also told who to love, who not to love , with who they should get married for their family’s good, how to treat society and never disobey their husband. They were unable to dress however they wanted to due to dress codes that they were forcing women to dress like a “lady”. A lady never wears pants only dresses and skirts but neither short nor long, never show much skin otherwise they are considered prostitutes and their body count never above one otherwise they are sloppy.
At the age of sixteen, a girl must had already found the man that would marry. Families would never let their girls choose who to marry. No marriage was for love, but only for financial improvement and family’s status. All arranged marriages were with rich , educated and usually handsome men that were willing to marry the most beautiful daughter of the family. Once they are married there can not be a divorce. Women had no right to take a divorce, only when their husband would say so. If not, then they were doomed in a marriage that they never did and won’t want. Except for the above, the birth of a baby girl was an embarrassment for the family because of the prejudice that men are the pride and success of a young married couple.
Lucy Manta, A4
