Essay on Women in Civilized Society

Maahir Virani
Essay
Women in the present day society wives and mothers and working women- are ready to
accept an inferior position in the family, society and polity.
They are striving for the removal of all laws, regulations, conventions and customs that
deprive them in any way of their inherent right to the advantages, responsiilities and
opportunities that society offers to any one section of the population.
!nly they know the itterness of children taken to lawless ways, of daughter ecoming
unmarried mothers whilst still at school, of oys and girls growing up without education,
training or "os at a living wage.
Women's should be given all the rights that they deserve.
The level of civili#ation that any society has reached can e measured y the degree of
freedom, respect and role given to the women. $n fact, the status of women is a test of
civili#ation. $n ancient times, the $ndian civili#ation is known to e advance and
prosperous among the nations of the world, as the women were given a respectale status
and position in the society. They were in the forefront and actively participant in the
social and economic life of the county. Then followed the deterioration. %ecause of the
falling kingdoms towards the end of the &'th century and increasing invasion from across
the (imalayas, the women were relegated to the four walls of the house. Their status was
reduced to a lower level and were treated inferior to men. )ue to this, the social and
economic situation of the nation also deteriorated.
Women in Todays Society
Women in the present day society wives, mothers and working women- are not ready, to
accept an inferior position in the family, society and polity. They are striving for the
removal of all laws, regulations, conventions and customs that discriminate against them
and deprive them in any way of their inherent right to the advantages, responsiilities and
opportunities that society offers to any section of the population. (owever, they have
reali#ed that they don*t form a society separate from men. There is only one society, and
it is made of oth women and man. +s women they want to share the prolems and
an,ieties of men, and "oin hands with them to remove social evils and ostacles to
progress.
Most of them, however ,have not een ale to achieve the respectale position in the
society. The reason is poverty and its evils. +s wives and mothers they have to make oth
ends meet in whatever small amount of money they get or earn. They have to ear the
cries of the children when they are hungry and sick. +lso care for the homes that are too
small, roken and dirty. They carry the urdens of looking after the children and land
when their husands are away in the fields, factories, and in remote towns earning their
daily read for the family.
-iving a respectale place to such women is important to keep family life going in
"huggis, or in overcrowded one-room apartments. !nly they know the itterness of
children taken to lawless ways, of daughter ecoming unmarried mothers whilst still at
school, of oys and girls growing up without education, training or "os at a living wage.
+ civili#ed society should not allow it. (owever it e,ists ecause the society we live in is
divided into poor and rich, upper and lower caste. $t e,ist ecause there are privileges for
the few, discrimination and harsh treatment for many.
The women marched forward in the struggle for lieration and a civili#ed place in the
society. %eing women also rests upon them the urden of removing from the society all
the social differences developed in past times etween men and women, which have the
effect of keeping the fair se, in a position of inferiority and suordination.
Need of the day
There was a time when every women reaching marriageale age was assured of husand,
home and security. The condition have changed now. The convention society to which
they elong has een destroyed as a result of the loss of land, migration of men from
home, the growth of towns and industries , and the rise of a great ody of wage-earns on
the farms and in the uran areas, who depend wholly or mainly on wages for livelihood.
Thousands of women are employed today in factories, homes, offices, and shops. on
farms in professions as nurses, teachers and the like. .arge numer of the women are in
fact the sole readwinners and heads of their families.
+ large numer of women continue to e ound y traditional practices and conventions,
and fail to reali#e that these have ecome osolete and are an ostacle to progress. $t
should e the determination of the -overnment to carry out a nation-wide program of
education that will ring home the reali#ation that freedom cannot e won for any one
section or for the people as a whole as long as women are kept in ondage.
What us Reuired !
+lthough each social group of the society emphasis its own importance, there are certain
components of the society that can e ensured that women are assured their true role and
status. Three such components are -ood -overnment, citi#ens, and the private sector.
"overnance#
Most people think that the governance is the sole responsiility of the state and its
institutions. %ut today, it is widely accepted that a society re/uires a healthy, flourishing
democracy and good governance. $t is the process that is more inclusive, participatory,
transparent, accountale and responsive than in the past. (ence the state is e,pected to
create an enaling environment to facilitate road ased popular participation and yield
space to all the women in the county.
Role of Citizens#
$t is generally agreed that in a civili#ed society the citi#ens should participate in
development activities and processes, produce enough food for their families , protect and
conserve natural resources. -overnment and 0-!*s should play a vital role in uilding a
culture of democracy in which oth men and women should learn the practice of
democratic citi#enship as e/ual partners. 0-!*s need to identify ostacles to people*s
participation in development and define appropriate strategies for the removal thereof.
They should uild people*s capacity to formulate any analy#e development programs and
approaches. This is one way of enhancing popular participation.
Role of $rivate Sector#
$n a good society the private and other sectors are ine,tricale woven in the state. The
state estalish the legal, fiscal and regulatory framework that defines civil society1s
operating space. The private sector should therefore, collaorate with the state in
developing programmes for the uplift of women.
To sum up, for the faster development of the 0ation, we must eliminate the evils that
e,ists in our society, y giving women the same respectale place as we have given to
men.