Girl’s Independence has always been a vast topic of discussion for people in India and outside India. While girls are slowly getting their position in society, some orthodox people are still against girl’s independence. The term ‘Girl’s Independence’ basically means giving all the independence to girls that any man in the society has. A girl should have the right to choose her career, her life partner, her clothing and the right to live life on her terms.
Why is Girl’s Independence Necessary?
God has created both men and women in the world. If men in our society are independent then why can’t they be girls? For a society to develop, both men and women should have equal opportunities and independence. If man is the right wing of the society, woman is the left wing. In the modern era, human resources should be utilized the most to become no. 1 at international level. It is the skill of both men and women who can contribute to the development of our country. Independence is the right of every girl, it’s not a choice.
The Stereotypical Thinking For Girl’s Independence
“If your husband allows you to do the job, then do it”, we have often heard these types of statements in our society. But the question is, why does a woman have to take permission from someone to do a job? ” How can her husband allow her to wear such a short dress?” We have heard these types of gossip in our surroundings. Can’t a woman have her independent thought to wear or do something? At how many homes, daughters are allowed to do night parties? Very few will answer ‘Yes’.
Sadly, we live in a stereotypical society, where girl’s Independence is not considered a right but a begging. The authority of women’s freedom is most of the time in the hands of other people. Ask a girl, what does ‘Girl’s Independence’ mean to her? You will get to see the pain of struggle for independence in her eyes. Sadly, this is the plight of almost every girl in India.
History Of Independent Women
In ancient India, women had barely any freedom in their life. Their marriages were fixed without asking their choices. Women were forced to live in ‘Pardah’ and ‘Ghoonghat’. They were usually not allowed to work outside their home and earn money. The sole responsibility of the woman was to look after the children, home and serve her husband. But during that time also, women like Rani Lakshmi Bai fought for their rights and proved to be one of the greatest freedom fighters of India. In every decade, there is an inspirational story of a girl who fought for her independence and created history by her success.
The Brave Rani Lakshmi Bai
‘Khoob Ladi Mardani, Woh Toh Jhansi Wali Rani Thi’…we all have heard this quote for Rani Lakshmi Bai. A brave queen of Jhansi who fought various social norms. Rani Lakshmi Bai was one of the main faces of the revolt of 1857 against Britishers. The queen of Jhansi is recognised as one of the first women freedom fighters in the history of India. Do you think, if Rani Lakshmi Bai had followed the stereotypical concept for women, then she would be able to fight the Britishers? The answer is ‘No’. Rani Lakshmi Bai was able to create history because she had an independent thinking and didn’t follow the typical social norms.
The Story Of Kalpana Chawla
Kalpana Chawla was the first ever Indian origin woman to go in space. The girl from Karnal, Haryana proved that a girl should have her own independence to choose her aim and shouldn’t listen to the society. From her childhood, Kalpana Chawla was keen to become an astronaut and had deep interest in aeronautics. What if her parents had not allowed her for aeronautics training? Was it possible for her to create history if she didn’t have the independence to choose her career? Definitely not!
Girl’s Independence- A Key For A Successful India
From time to time, Indian women have proved that they are not only made for cooking but for making their country proud also. Sania Mirza, the famous Indian tennis player won six Grand Slam titles in her career. Mary Kom, the only female boxer to win the World Amateur Boxing Championship six times and eight World Championship medals. She has made India proud by becoming the only female boxer to win a medal in each of the first seven World Championships. PT Usha has been a proud Indian track and field athlete of India. Famous badminton player, PV Sindhu and wrestler, Geeta Phogat have also given India international recognition with their respective medals in various championships. Adding more to this, Nikhat Zareen, an amateur boxer has recently won gold medal at the 2022 IBA Women’s World Boxing Championships
Indian Laws Made On Girl’s Equality And Independence
In our Indian Constitution, there are many laws made for giving equal opportunity to women in the society. Article 15(1) states that the State shall not discriminate against any citizen based on the religion, race, caste, sex and place of birth. Article16 of the constitution gives equal opportunities to every gender in matters of public employment. Another Article, Article 39(d) says that there should be equal pay for equal work for both men and women. If our constitution has given equal rights and independence to women, then who are we to decide the freedom of women?
The Present Scenario
Today girls are achieving new heights in every field, whether in sports, education, IT field, medical field and politics. The condition of women is improving but much at a slower rate. Three decades ago, the literacy rate of adult male was twice that of females. According to the data of the National Sample Survey, the male and female literacy rate were 81.5 % and 64.6% respectively in 2017-18. This data clearly shows that women are still deprived of getting equal education.
Another data shows that the participation of women at work in India has dipped from 36 percent in 2021 to almost 33 percent in 2022. This is definitely not a good sign for the development of India. The data depicts that most of the women are unemployed in our country and still struggling to be independent.
Most of the girls in India are still not allowed to talk with boys and to choose their life partner. In today’s generation also, we hear conservative families killing and abandoning their daughter if she does love marriage by herself. Most of the girls are forced to choose teaching as their profession considering it safe for them. Very rarely girls are allowed by their parents to fulfill an unusual dream. Sadly, but this is our India.
In the present, Prime Minister Modi is running various campaigns like ‘Beti Bachao Beti Padhao’ which promotes women education and equality. The age of girls for marriage is also changed from 18 years to 21 years. This will not only increase the literacy rate of women but will also help them in becoming independent.
Support Girl’s Independence, Support A Better India
If we really want to make girls independent, the starting should be from our own home’s daughters. Let’s provide them with the higher education they deserve. Don’t bound them with home responsibilities. Let the girls fly, let them chase their dreams. Not every girl will become Sania Mirza and Tina Dabi, but they will be independent enough to take care of themselves. So, let’s fight the old patriarchy, let’s support girl’s independence, let’s make a better India.