Daily Answer Writing GS 1 (Women, Population, Poverty and Development, Urbanisation)

Subject: GS 1

Syllabus: Role of Women and Women’s Organisation, Population and Associated Issues, Poverty and Developmental Issues, Urbanisation, its problems and their remedies.

Questions

1. Analyse the factors contributing to the disproportionate impact of poverty on women in India. Further, suggest strategies to empower women, enhance their economic participation, and ensure inclusive and sustainable development. (250 Words, 15 Marks)
2. Globalisation has taken women out of traditional bonds but put them in the face of newer means of exploitation. Examine. (250 Words, 15 marks)

Model Structure 

1. Analyse the factors contributing to the disproportionate impact of poverty on women in India. Further, suggest strategies to empower women, enhance their economic participation, and ensure inclusive and sustainable development. (250 Words, 15 Marks)

Introduction

• Context-based: The disproportionate impact of poverty on women in India is influenced by a combination of social, economic, and cultural factors. These factors contribute to gender inequality, limited access to resources, and barriers to economic participation. 

Main Body

Factors contributing to the disproportionate impact of poverty on women in India

1. Gender Discrimination: Deep-rooted gender biases and discriminatory practices perpetuate inequalities in education, employment, and decision-making. (E.g. The stereotype that women ‘belong’ to the ‘kitchen’ only)
2. Lack of Education: Limited access to quality education and lower literacy rates among women impede their economic prospects. (E.g. many girls are not sent to school after the primary stage)
3. Limited Access to Resources: Women in India often face barriers to accessing land, credit, and financial services. (E.g. Many women, despite being financially independent, are not given loans without the signature of their husband or father)
4. Unpaid Care Work: Women in India shoulder a disproportionate burden of unpaid care work, including household chores, childcare, and eldercare.
5. Social Norms and Cultural Constraints: Traditional gender roles, social norms, and cultural practices shape women's roles and opportunities. 

Strategies to empower women and enhance their economic participation

1. Education and Skill Development: Promote vocational training, entrepreneurship development, and STEM education to enable women to participate in a wide range of economic sectors. (Example -  Beti Bachao Beti Padhao (BBBP)) 
2. Economic Empowerment Programs: Implement targeted programs that provide financial literacy, access to credit, and entrepreneurship support for women.
3. Address Unpaid Care Work: Recognize and redistribute the burden of unpaid care work through policies such as affordable and quality childcare facilities, parental leave, and promoting shared household responsibilities.
4. Land and Property Rights: Ensure equal land and property rights for women through legal reforms and awareness campaigns.
5. Gender-Responsive Employment Practices: Encourage private and public sectors to adopt gender-responsive policies such as flexible working hours, safe working environments, and maternity benefits.
6. Social Awareness and Behavior Change: Launch awareness campaigns to challenge gender stereotypes, promote gender equality, and shift societal attitudes towards women's empowerment. 
7. Strengthening Social Safety Nets: Expand social protection programs targeting vulnerable women, including widows, single mothers, and marginalized communities. 

Conclusion 

• By addressing these factors and implementing comprehensive strategies, India can create an enabling environment for women's empowerment, enhance their economic participation, and work towards inclusive and sustainable development. 
• Empowered women contribute to stronger economies, improved living standards, and a more equitable society.

2. Globalisation has taken women out of traditional bonds but put them in the face of newer means of exploitation. Examine. (250 Words, 15 marks)

Model Structure

Introduction:

• As per OECD, the term globalisation is generally used to describe an increasing internationalisation of markets for goods and services, the means of production, financial systems, competition, corporations, technology and industries. 

Main Body:

Globalisation has taken women out of traditional bonds:

• New assignment of roles: Women were previously restricted to kitchens due to patriarchy and subordination. But now, with the flow of new ideas due to globalisation, women have become independent, and they have acquired a major role in decision-making in families and society. 
• Reduction of social evils: The women-centric social evils such as Sati, child marriage, female foeticide, etc, have been reduced through the evolution of thinking practices aided by globalisation. 
• Status in society: With exposure to other successful women in the world, Indian society too has seen the upliftment of the Status of women. 
• Employment opportunities: Globalisation led to the outsourcing of work around the world. It generated new employment opportunities, particularly beneficial to women. 
  • For eg, BPO services. 
• Increased authority: Economic dependency of women on men is reducing as more and more women will work in globalised businesses. This gives more authority to women within the family, too. 
• Joint conjugal roles: With women taking up roles of breadwinner, the toxic masculinity is weakening, which is seen in joint conjugal roles in the household. 

Globalisation is opening newer means of exploitation: 

• Commodification of women: Under the garb of globalisation, the Western lifestyle has been dominating the world. 
  • This has led to the commodification of women in movies, songs, etc. 
• Double Shift burden: Despite working full time, women are still expected to fulfil the household duties. 
• Increasing divorces and single-mother families: Due to the loss of traditional values, relationships are breaking apart frequently. 
  • This has given rise to a high prevalence of single-mother families where women face even more burden.
• Issues regarding physical health: Full-time indulgence in jobs and household activities has taken a toll on women’s health. Lifestyle diseases have become prevalent. 
  • This has created health issues. As per NFHS, more than 50% of women between the ages of 15-49 are anaemic. 
• Mental health issues: Increased burden of work and responsibilities, coupled with a lack of a family support system, give rise to mental health issues in women. Actions such as suicide have become more regular. 
  • According to WHO data, the age-standardised suicide rate in India is 16.4 per 100,000 for women (6th highest in the world) 
• Unequal status at work: Though globalisation helped women reach the office. But they are still facing the glass ceiling. Moreover, the gender pay gap also exists. 
  • According to the Gender Gap Index in 2020, India has slipped to the 112th position. 
• Harassment at the workplace: The harassment that used to take place inside the house has now been shifted to the workplace, with several women leaving their jobs due to workplace harassment. 
• Women related crimes: Since mobilisation among women has increased, it has also exposed them to more crimes like rapes, stalking, online bullying etc. 
  • A total of 4,05,861 cases of crime against women were registered during 2019, showing an increase of 7.3% over 2018 (NCRB report) 

Conclusion:

• Globalisation has proved to be a double-edged sword for Indian women. It is time that the government takes more steps to eliminate the dark side of globalisation faced by women to achieve gender equality, which is also a sustainable development goal (SDG 5).

Ace the Essay (With Abhijeet Yadav Sir)

A comprehensive course to MASTER the ART AND CRAFT OF ESSAY WRITING

Know More

Next Post