WOMEN PEACE AND SECURITY

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WOMEN PEACE AND SECURITY

This article is written by FAEEZA MURSHIDA.S, a 4th year law student from Sastra Deemed University. This article discusses the concept of women peace and security in India.



INTRODUCTION

“I hate being a female”- this is the saying that comes out from many girls out there in our society when we ask a question like “Are you happy to be a girl”? irrespective of classes, this is because of many reasons which pulled a girl from many rights which she has supposed to be entitled, it is not only a right but also her liberty, so in my writing I am going to discuss about the reason behind
  • What categorizes female to be a weaker sex?
  • What are the threats to women?
  • How we should create this society “a place ready to accommodate women”?

WOMEN

It is a broad ambit which is defined as “people who are above 18 in the gender called female”. It is a general definition but actually a women is a creature which is created in order to show the love, peace and security. Let’s go to the reality of the Gender Role. Girls are often portrayed by writers as shy, obedient, and patient in their husband’s presence. They do not flinch or retort even if the husband is being unjust. Once the girl is married, her parents also refuse to intervene in conjugal matters, for they believe that they do not have any right over a married daughter. There was no doubt that women irrespective of class, place of dwelling, accepted housework as part of their life and it is her untold responsibility to take care of the family.

What categorizes female to be a weaker sex?

On socialisation of the girls revealed that the birth of a girl child was desired and celebrated only by 2% of the families. If there is one cultural trait that cuts across barriers of religion, region, and caste, it is this devaluation of the girl child. The next issue is the puberty, the onset of puberty marks the beginning of adolescence. There are individual as well as cultural differences in the length of adolescence and in the age of onset and completion. While the physical changes of pubescence signal the beginning of this phase, sociological criteria such as achievement of adult status and privileges, marriage, the end of education and the beginning of economic independence frequently mark the termination of adolescence. The main which makes them weaker is  the so called attitude called “dependent” in one or the other way women are dependent upon men for various reasons as we discussed above, but now the time has changed.  This makes them to feel weaker.

What are the threats to women?

If we want to find what are the threats to them, then we have to classify them according to the social factors, they are listed below.

Social factors

  • Abortion- begins from womb
  • Female infanticide- begins right from birth
  • Child abuse
  • H
    arassment and molestation in public and workplace
  • Rape
  • Dowry
  • Male chauvinism
  • Harassment by the in laws
  • Discrimination in job

Concept of female infanticide

A traditional Indian belief about the human experience is that what is to happen is preordained, man only being a medium to achieve this goal. A child is believed to be born with a destiny or fate of his own. His achievements or lack of these are attributed to his innate disposition rather than to his own striving, so the concept of girl child was considered as a sin and they also had a myth that it is because of the “karma” they did according to mythology. And eventually the girl child is considered as sin, this is the major cause for abortion and female infanticide which begins right from womb.

Difference in upbringing of boy and girl child

In an Indian family. No other period of life is as carefree as that of infancy and early childhood. The child is considered the “gift of god” and nurtured with indulgence. The mother is the primary source of his physical ministrations and emotional gratification. The Indian mother tends to follow rather than lead her child in dealing with his inclinations and with the tempo of development. Culturally it is believed that  the child will mature at his own pace; hence there is no deliberate effort to make her autonomous. However, around the age of 5 and 6, the child experiences an abrupt weaning from the world of maternal protection to a series of responsibilities. Expectations from boys and girls begin to diverge, both being socialised for their respective sex roles.

While the girl still remains under the surveillance of the mother, the boy is initiated into the man’s world where the standards of conformity are uncompromising and relentless. The girl is given specific house hold chores and responsibilities so that by the time she is 11 or 12 years old she has become proficient in the affairs of the house. Although the boy is still relatively free from such pressing role taking, his liberty is considerably curtailed and parental affection is made contingent upon his good behaviour.

The technique of disciplining the child is guided by the belief that a child should not be praised to his face as this will make him conceited. Apart from this, praising one’s own child may be seen as a display of parental vanity, a trait that goes against cultural norms. In general, punishment or threats of physical punishment for transgression are used to control children’s behaviour. The child learns to differentiate between right and wrong, or acceptable and unacceptable behaviour from his experiences of negative reinforcement rather than from reward. Other people’s opinion, fear of social stigma and threat to family prestige are held out as the monitors of the code of conduct.

In sum, the Indian tradition may be said to include features such as acceptance of male superiority, respect for age, hierarchy of castes, value for loyalty to the family, belief in destiny and an indulgent attitude towards very young children. These themes have historicity as well as current validity and, therefore, constitute a significant part of traditional culture.

Male supremacy

As in the unwritten law in many cultures the male in India is regarded as unquestionably superior to the female. He is vested with greater authority over family decisions and resources than the woman. Both women and children are expected to be respectful towards and in awe of the menfolk. Men may even rebuke their wives without apparent feelings of guilt or regret. The sense of inferiority of the female is quite pervasive.
The woman’s status improves with the birth of a son but deteriorates if she pro
duces daughter. Since the son is her social redeemer she indulges  him and invests herself in his future, creating a deep emotional bond with him.

Age hierarchy

In the Indian tradition a person can weild contrl over people younger to him by virtue of his age alone. Thus not only do fathers have formal authority over their sons and daughters, but older brothers also command deference from their younger ones. Respect for age and experience is undisputed across the regions in India. However, where women are concerned, this principle does not hold true in the same way. Not all older women can expect deference from the younger males and females, the variance being produced by the nature of kin relationships. For example, the mother-in-law reigns man’s sister, even if younger than his wife, actually has more authority over his wife.
The theme of male superiority cuts across the theme of age hierarchy in the female world. It is not uncommon for a younger brother to keep vigilance over his older sister’s activities, especially if she is an adolescent and unmarried. He has parental support in this exercise as any ‘untoward’ act on the girl’s part is likely to tarnish her reputation and bring a ‘bad name’ to the family.
At a later age, a woman’s authority usually depends on her husband’s position in the household. In general it is understood that ‘the eldest male of the higher generation is supposed to receive the most respect and obedience, the female at the opposite pole, the most protection and care’.

Caste hierarchy

The third major hierarchical system that plays a significant role in determining the identity of a Hindu in India is his caste. The fourfold system of ‘varna’ as laid down by Manu in Hindu scriptures is not that specific, it is the ‘jati’ system that is the frame of reference. Every village is inhabited by members of several jatis. A member of a jati would normally participate in the traditional occupation, marry within his group and follow the jati norms for relating with other groups.

Family loyalty

In the traditional Indian family there is great emphasis on loyalty to the family. The term family is often used to refer to the group that includes all the members of the matrilineal kin. Each member must remember, while conducting himself in the outside world, that he is a representative of his family and not simply an individual. He should refrain from socially disapproved behaviour or activities not only to protect his own representation but also to maintain the honour of his family. Individual needs and expressions are considered secondary to the family needs and any action that threatens the family unity is dealt with immediately. Conformity to family ideals is generally admired.

In times of economic or emotional crises in the live of any members, the remaining members are expected to serve as shock absorbers, pool their own resources and see their kinsmen through hard times with equal responsibility. If help is sought outside the family when it is available at home, it is considered a direct insult to family integrity.

Belief in fate
A traditional Indian belief about the human experiences is that what is to happen is preordained , man only being a medium to achieve this goal. A child is believed to be born with a destiny of fate of his own. His achievements or lack of these are attributed to his innate disposition rather than to his own strivings.
In the face of these beliefs a child’s socialisation is leavened with faith in his own potentialities and inherent limits. He is allowed to mature at his own pace, without any undue emphasis on developmental milestones and learning of tasks. In a subtle way, there is greater  recognition of individual differences among children in this attitude than what the Western concept of control of environmental variables permits.

Defining traditionality and modernity
The term ‘traditional’ used in this study needs to be operationally defined, as there is some ambiguity as to the meaning of this term. In common usage it has been contrasted to the term ‘modern’. it may be of conceptual relevance to point out that in this discussion, the traditional person or society is not perceived as the antithesis of the modern. In fact, the two entities are visualised as complementary rather than mutually exclusive.

It is apparent that a traditional person is one who follows the traditions of this society. Like culture and language, tradition is also related to a particular group of people. It is a force that binds a set of people together. In a sense every man is traditional to the extent that he is the product of an interaction between his inherent tendencies, his own history and his society’s history.

A place ready to accommodate women

As we discussed above from the above features our nation is actually not ready to give the equality to women, then when this society will change? Who will create the change? It all should develop from us. Celebrating women only on women’s day doesn’t matter, it is important to celebrate women every day. This society must initially stop the discrimination against women. That discrimination must be curbed from home by treating a boy child and a girl child equally. Giving equal rights to both the gender. Then eventually all the crisis against women will come to an end.

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