0 comments
The movement is addressing deeply rooted systemic issues countrywide β from workplace discrimination to social stigma β amid the continued fight for tangible gender equality.
According to a recent analysis conducted by the Centre for Global Development (based in Washington DC), there exists widespread gender bias in Indian learning materials.
The comprehensive study examined 526 textbooks, including 60 from the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) and 466 from various state education boards across 10 Indian states.
It uncovered persistent gender stereotyping in all of them, sparking a discussion on how this is shaping studentsβ perceptions during their formative years.
Classrooms themselves are also an issue, where discriminatory practices like dowry are normalised β despite being illegal.
This dismissive attitude draws attention to the urgent need for comprehensive gender sensitisation in educational institutions.
It also highlights the pervasive nature of negativity towards equality and is proof of how traditional patriarchal values continue to influence younger generations, even in settings dedicated to challenging these very prejudices.
Beyond education, the gender pay gap in India still very much demands confronting, with women earning approximately 33 per cent than men.
According to a 2021 Sattva report, while men earn an average of INR 12,048 a month, women earn just INR 8,034 for doing the same jobs, representing the systemic devaluation of womenβs contributions to the workplace.
This disparity stretches further than mere numbers, however, with corporate Indiaβs hostility towards to womenβs safety and dignity made clear by a 40 per cent increase in sexual harassment complaints in the first quarter of 2024.
Evidently, policy intervention and a cultural transformation in professional spaces to ensure equal opportunities and safe working conditions for all genders is crucial.
Yet Indiaβs political landscape reveals another dimension to the issue, with women comprising just 15 per cent of Lok Sabha members and 12 per cent in the Rajya Sabha.
Most alarmingly, personal safety remains a critical concern, with one third of women aged 15 to 49 reporting cases of domestic violence and the national rape rate standing at 4.9 per 100,000 people (though the figure is believed to be far higher).
With all of this in mind, feminism is not only relevant, but highly necessary in modern Indian society.
The movement persists not to spread anti-male ideology, but as a vital force in achieving equality, debunking misconceptions, and addressing intersecting forms of oppression such as racism, homophobia, and transphobia.
Understanding that feminism is an inclusive movement for equality, not supremacy, is fundamental to meaningful societal progress in contemporary India.
The movement’s continued relevance is not a sign of its failure but rather an indication of the deep-rooted nature of gender inequality and the ongoing need for systematic social change.
