World - Women = A big Void

Imagine the world without women. There are many situations which are unthinkable if women had not been a part of them. How would SRK have made "Chak De India”? How would Leander Paes have won 8 mixed double titles? Why would men try to look smarter? What would have happened to companies such as Lakme, Nivea, Ponds etc.? Why would people go to watch movies? On a serious note, would we have ever got a chance to know what beauty was? Could we have learnt about the term "care”? And finally how would we all have come to existence and felt the warmth of a mother.

If women are so integral part of our society then why don’t they enjoy the same status as men have given themselves in this patriarchal world? Different organizations, NGOs etc. around the world have been fighting for women rights and empowerment but not much has changed except few women coming out of their shell and breaking the barriers. Some may argue that there are umpteen examples of women achievers in practically every field, be it Kiran Mazumdar or Sania Mirza or Sonia Gandhi or Aishwarya Rai but this list stands nowhere when compared to men's.

When it is understood, albeit tacitly, that society cannot function let alone be in existence for long without the support of women, why aren’t the women given their long overdue share in every field. Instead they are sill considered as home-keepers and vulnerable to the atrocities of outside world. In many backward areas in India, cases of female foetcicide still happen at an alarming rate which is an extreme manifestation of violence against women. In some areas such as in West Bengal, a widow is like a curse who becomes a pariah and even her family shuns her publicly.Percenatge of female students is very less vis-à-vis male students in primary and secondary educational institutes and this ratio further skews in institutions of higher learning.

No country in the world can advance and remain vibrant if women are not a major shareholder in its internal and external policies. A sound is produced when both palms join. It is high time women were granted the rights and freedom they are entitled to.