The Placebo Effect
A woman in her lifetime has to play multiple roles, rather dynamic ones. She is a mother, sister, daughter, daughter-in-law, at-times even the sole bread winner of a family. Yet, our male dominated society has been reluctant in acknowledging her importance within or beyond the familial sphere. Males in India had ever demanded obeisance from their women counterpart and whenever a woman tried to become self-dependant, they thwarted all her efforts to secure their pivotal status in the society.
This picture has not changed much even today, despite all efforts and campaigns made to empower women. Thus, the promise and hope of a new dawn that the phrase ‘Women Empowerment’ generates in the minds of many is often not translated into reality; it remains more of a mirage- or rather what may be aptly called as a ‘Placebo effect’.
Women empowerment movements: Are they delusive?
As the waves of feminism begun to take surge worldwide, several women’s movements started to thrive quite actively and vibrantly in different regions of India. Due to the many Active Women Movements in the course of the last 50 long years of Indian Independence, much attention has been drawn towards the policies that are directed to advance the human rights in favour of the Indian women. The Domestic Violence Act passed in the year 2005 and Constitution Amended for the 73rd and 74th times are few instances of fruits reaped towards women empowerment. The 73rd and 74th amendments to the constitution were made to guarantee women’s entry into politics at Panchayat level. But what’s the net result of all these women empowerment movement after all?
Domestic violence still prevails in many Indian households and the guilty are left unpunished. Also though several bills are passed in favour of women’s participation in Indian politics, it’s often seen that when it comes to real participation and decision-making, the major power is wielded by the male politicians.
Thus, the cardinal question at this point is ‘Have all women empowerment movements to uplift women been sort of nullified and have actually deluded the people of India into thinking that lots of things have changed for the Indian women which in reality is not the case?’
Women Empowerment: A Placebo!
Yes, in many cases the concept of women empowerment and struggles or steps taken towards women empowerment has indeed deluded the men and women of India. Passing of a bill or reservation of few seats, or holding long rallies, does not actually empower an Indian woman.
There are just too many loopholes that bar the implementation of these woman-friendly laws and policies and this wide gap between ‘policy-making’ and ‘actual practice’ makes women empowerment in India more of a ‘Placebo’. It’s much like a scientific study, where all participants think they are receiving an active drug that can cure their problem, yet the one’s on placebo are merely probably only feeling better due to the psychological positivity that they can finally say goodbye to their woes.
Steps taken towards Women Empowerment are only superficial; in reality nothing has changed
Our patriarchal social setup had always impacted the lives of our women. Today in this 21st century too nothing really has changed much, except for the superficial appearances. At the core of India, lies its villages; i.e. the rural India; while the cities or urban India represents the peripheral culture of every state in our country. In rural India, women are subjected to the same oppression and repression by the males. In the cities however, a slightly better picture can be noticed because here women have better access to education and economic opportunities.
But since rural India forms the backbone of our economy, allowing our rural women to suffer ceaseless male domination and remain in the darkness of ignorance, would only mean that we have taken a few steps towards women empowerment but only on a superficial basis. Gender equality should be encouraged in a balanced way and in a widespread scale throughout the country. Only then can Indian women be empowered in the true sense of the term.
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