In rural areas the girl child is considered a burden: Dr Pushpa

On International Women’s Day, News Trail posed seven questions to some prominent women personalities: 1) One more Women’s Day is coming up. What do you think 2) Have women been able to come out of the shackles now 3) Gender inequality still exists. How do we get rid of it 4) How do you wish this day to be celebrated 5) Do you think women still enjoy freedom on par with men 6) How can women make society respect them 7) Women have conquered space but do you think they have been able to make a space in society? Here are the answers

1 I am very happy and I feel proud. I wish the celebration is held daily and not restricted to a particular day.

2 I don’t think women have yet cast off the shackles imposed by society due to many reasons. This will happen only if the mindset of people changes. Women’s status has not changed especially in rural areas as people think of the girl child as a burden rather than welcoming her.But the solace is that women’s place in society has changed a lot compared to that three to five centuries ago. It may however take some time for society to change.

3. Gender inequality exists even today but the degree varies from one state to another. The inequality, unfortunately, is seen more in the labour classes and lower middle income groups. In society, boys get more attention than girls because of an ingrained style of thinking. First, this has to change and then only gender inequality will vanish.

4. I as president of the KPCC women’s wing, will be celebrating Women’s Day on a grand scale. A lot of events are planned for Tuesday. The celebrations will continue for a month and we will be visiting all 31 districts. A big function has been organised at the party office where five resolutions will be adopted and sent to PM Narendra Modi, CM Basavaraj Bommai and AICC General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra.

5. Women are not totally denied freedom but we want her to have absolute freedom like men. Women in bigger cities are free but not in rural areas where going out after dark is still considered a taboo. Any country which gives equal freedom to men and women will progress.

6. Women can make society respect them through their deeds. The KPCC Women’s Cell has demanded that the state government include successful women of modern India in the educational syllabus which will inspire others to emulate them. We have Kiran Mazumdar Shaw who has built an empire called Biocon and is a model for many.

7 We are yet to make a space of our own due to the rigidity that still exists. However, there has been a paradigm shift in people’s thinking thanks to women’s foray into defence, space, politics, civil services.

(Dr Pushpa Amarnath is KPCC women’s wing chief)