We celebrate National Women’s Day in India every year on Sarojini Naidu’s birthday to commemorate her contribution to women’s empowerment and recognize their cultural, economic, social, and political achievements.
Born on February 13, 1879, Sarojini Naidu, popularly known as the ‘Nightingale of India,’ is a renowned poet and has played a significant role in the Indian Freedom Struggle. Her approach towards a better India is still a source of inspiration for the youth. Travelling to many regions of India, she addressed women’s rights, special welfare, and nationalism. Despite facing hardships throughout her journey, she managed to incite a fresh, progressive perspective in many.
Women’s pivotal role in society has ensured the stability, progress, and long-term development of nations throughout history. In India, women’s empowerment is proportional to varied factors such as social status, educational background, geographical setting, age, etc. Regardless of its existence for a long time, a considerable portion of women still encounter differentiation, exemplifying the need to fill substantial gaps. Every woman deserves liberation, freedom to make choices, act by her own will, and fulfil her needs and demands. National Women’s Day is all about contributing to ensure this happens. Down below are three ways that will help a responsible citizen empower and support women:
- Education and Vocational Training: Illiteracy is one of the most prominent hampers to development. More than half of the population in India belongs to rural and semi-urban areas where to date, girls are either denied primary education or are encouraged to drop schooling after high school, mainly to be married off at a young age. Education provides knowledge for accessible employment, which facilitates livelihood and economic empowerment for women. Skill development supports professional efficiency to shape one’s life for the better. Wishes and Blessings, a Delhi-based NGO through its cause of Accessible Education, enhances the skills and abilities of the underprivileged and prepares them to write their own future. There is much value in educating girls and women, which eventually fast-tracks social progress.
- End Gender Discrimination and Ill-treatment towards Women: The Indian society has been a victim of patriarchy and injustices against women, which is a significant setback to empowerment. We seem to be lost somewhere between policy-making and implementing those policies. We preach about treating women as equal beings, treating them with dignity and respect, yet, India reported increased cases of injustices against women even during the Covid-19 pandemic. When the world was already facing hardships, many women had to fight another battle for rights. From personal lives to professional, women must be actively involved in decision-making, engaged in all activities, and treated as equals. Living in an era of ‘woke culture,’ one still sees a long road ahead to reach equality.
- Support and Safeguard Women: Often, in bigger spaces, we observe that women are unheard, misunderstood, or mistreated, either intentionally or unintentionally. There is an urgency in putting an end to such approaches. Women must be listened to and understood; their choices, interests, and opinions must be respected and valued. We must equally support women in their endeavours, back businesses, and services owned by them. The workplace environment should be gender-neutral, where all employees are treated fairly. And most importantly, we must prevent any physical harm against women and support awareness drives for the same. Such changes collectively can make a significant impact in empowering women. These practices enhance their self-esteem, boost their confidence, and keep them safe and sound.
Women are those precious heroes we all need in our lives. While legal reforms, human development, and grassroots initiatives have made noticeable progress, India still has a long path ahead in numerous aspects of women’s empowerment. Women must have proportional rights to education, economics, culture, politics, and such facets. Shutting the urban-rural divide of education and other resources, changing perspectives about gender, attitudes towards women, all these changes will overall result in social progress. This National Women’s Day, let’s make empowerment happen.
About the Author
Guneet Bagga is Programme Assistant at Wishes and Blessings. She has done her Bachelor’s in International Relations and Mass Communication from the School of Liberal Studies at Pandit Deendayal Energy University in Gandhinagar. She is passionate about writing thought-provoking blogs and firmly believes in making a tangible difference towards a better world.