Growing up in the latter half of the 20th century and looking back, I realise that the hardest life one faced is being a girl child. Discrimination and discrepancy are important factors which cripple the life journey of every Indian female. Beginning from her mother’s womb to infancy, through childhood, to adulthood and even in old age, it does not change. She is out-numbered by males and the cruel, cunning dominating ‘patriarchal system.’
Women were considered less than man, referring to abilities and work, they were disallowed to work on a man’s job. Her domain, nay kingdom was the kitchen and the home. This resulted in gender inequalities, which included discrimination and differences in job payments, opportunities, studies, sports or even to publish written or art works created by women. It was indeed a devious man’s world!
Education and socialization were influential factors in the construction of gender. It empowered a girls’ psyche and its influence began in early childhood. In India boys are preferred to girls, and the patriarchal system imposed typical societal values. Growing girls interacting with society and in marriage, realized they were victims of discrimination, lacked identity, and stuck in a psychological time warp.
Gender discrimination was deeply entrenched in Indian society. Foeticide – killing a human fetus, is a cruel criminal offense and yet practiced. Girl children faced unequal treatment in comparison to their male counterpart. This affects and prevents girls getting a good education, health care and employment opportunities. It also perpetuates cycles of inequality and poverty, affecting her personal and professional life.
Girls in India are most vulnerable to various forms of abuse, including physical, sexual, emotional, and psychological. Unseen chains shackle the girl child. The home, a safe environment lends itself to Incest, a sexual activity related by lineage to the male. It is a horrible crime, condemned and considered immoral in many societies, threatening the fabric of family life. How can a girl reach her full potential when these abuses perpetuate cycles of violence and trauma.
Another handicap is the devadasi, wherein a female is dedicated to the worship and service of a temple deity for life. Then there was child marriage, wherein the bride child, is 9 or 11 years old. These are atrocious practises in poor families. Now the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act 2006 makes it a cognizable non-bailable offense. Then comes dowry or bride price in marriage. Land, house, property, money, livestock, or a commercial asset is paid by the bride’s family to the groom or his family at the time of marriage. If not complied dowry deaths secretly occur. Hence parents dread having a girl child, as they save for the dowry from her birth till marriage.
If the marriage unfortunately is short lived, the vidhwa or widow becomes a victim. Some commit sati, immolating themselves on the husband’s funeral pyre. Unfortunate widows are disposed off to Varanasi, neglected or abandoned. Elderly widowed and single women become dependent on the males in the family for their existence. So, from womb to tomb, the girl child in India is doomed, her fate clearly written.
A wicked tool that man has used to ruin the life of the female is Rape. It compels a girl child to grow frightened and constantly remain physically and mentally alert. Today, child sexual abuse is the preserve of criminals and mentally deranged persons. Parents raising a girl child live in constant fears and apprehensions – ‘What if my daughter is abused? What if a paedophile is around during toilet training eyeing my girl. What if I’m late to pick her up on an uneventful day.’ All this creates anxiety, tension, and fear in parents too.
Being a girl child and now an octogenarian, I have sadly met victims of all these evils my Indian sisters have faced. The 21st century has brought sunshine to the girl child. It is no more a man’s world. Women Empowerment groups and education have infused courage into our girls to say “No” to all forms of abuse. Today, they are bold, educated and equipped to enjoy God’s gift of life and freedom.