Women’s rights: Pew survey is revealing

A study by the Pew Research Centre on attitudes to women in India gives interesting information, sometimes contradictory, but close to the reality seen and experienced in the country. It says that most Indians think it is important for women to have the same rights as men, and eight out of 10 think the policy of equality is very important. At the same time 80% of them also feel that in certain circumstances, men should get the better deal. They believe that when there are fewer jobs available, men have a better right to them than women. This also has to be seen along with the fact that a large section of people, some 40%, think it is ideal for the husband to provide for the family and the wife to take care of the home. The contradiction between general support for equality for women and discrimination against them on specific matters should not be lost. It may also be called hypocrisy, and has been at the heart of the Indian attitude to women.

The survey found that 87% of the respondents also feel, mostly or completely, that a wife must obey her husband. About 67% of the men completely believe that obedience in a wife is compulsory, others support the idea. Most men accept women as political leaders of the country but won’t allow them to lead at home. Though an overwhelming majority of people think it is important for a family to have both sons and daughters, about 40% are seen to support sex-selective methods that favour sons. Most people also feel that sons should do the last rites of parents. Over 75% think violence against women is a big problem but, ironically, crimes against women have been steadily increasing. Many say boys should be taught how to respect women, but many others also say it is important to teach girls to behave “appropriately”.

A study of the representation of women in advertisements made last year also proved the correctness of the survey on the prevailing gender attitudes. It showed that women were not usually shown as working women on paid jobs in ads but were mostly seen in the kitchen, doing domestic chores or promoting products targeted at them. It should also be noted that women’s participation in the labour force is among the lowest in India at 21%. The conclusion is that prejudices and attitudes work against women in most life situations though there may be an acknowledgment of the equal rights and roles of women in theory and at a general level. There is a big gap between even the best attitudes and practice and between talk and action.

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