CASE STUDY - India Flashcards
India overview
- Has one of the world’s fastest growing economies
- Between 2008-2014, GDP per capita increased from $863 to $1165
- WEF Global Gender Gap Index, India ranked 114th out of 142 countries, UN Gender Inequality Index, 135th out of 187
What gender inequality issues are apparent in India?
Violence against women - social
- Underpinned by persistent social norms, according to UNICEF, 52% of women in India think it is justifiable for a man to beat his wife
- Deeply entrenched patriarchal and customary practices perpetrated by husbands and other family members
- Increases in dowry killings and increases in rape and violence outside the home (eg. public transport)
Modern slavery - social
- Estimated that 14.3 million people, mostly women and girls, were subject to modern slavery in India in 2014
- Includes trafficking for sexual exploitation, early forced marriage and forced labour
Access to healthcare - social
- Gender discrimination in healthcare is closely related to the cultural norms in Indian society in which women have little influence
- According to CARE International, nearly 1/3 of all households in Bihar do not access government health services
Access to education - social
- 96% of girls attend primary school, drops to 75% secondary, 20% tertiary
- Strong opposition from families and communities, poverty and cultural beliefs are restrictive factors
Property ownership - economic
- Women have very few rights in ownership of land and property
- In practice, inheritance is invariably patriarchal
Employment opportunity - economic
- Women have limited access to employment opportunities and are often expected to stay at home, raise children and conduct domestic chores
- Even women who have full time secondary or tertiary education do not enter the work force, finding it hard not to conform to social norms of marriage and motherhood
Discrimination in the workplace - economic
- Maternity benefits are denied by many employers, most women do not return to work after childbirth
- In Delhi only 25% of married women returned to work after children, including those who can afford to pay for childcare
- Social condition is that their responsibility is to bring up children
Political participation - political
- Gender inequality perpetuated by the lack of women in government
- 11% of Lok Sabha (lower house) = women
- 10.6% in Rajya Sabha (upper house)
The consequences of gender inequality in India
Dowry Killings
- Women have been subject to murder and disfigurement mostly by burning, when their family cannot meet the demands for a dowry by their husband
- In 2012, there were 8233 dowry-related deaths in India
- The effect is disproportionate on the lower castes and tribes, including Dalit and Adivasi women
Honour Killings
- Women can be subject to honour killing by their family members for not agreeing to arranged marriage or not confirming with other gender norms
Domestic Life
- Many women are beaten in the home and are subjected to sexual violence and lead a life of servitude and harassment
Maternal Mortality
- Limited education and poverty, especially among the rural poor has adverse effects on maternal and child nutrition and contributes to India’s high infant mortality rate (43.2 under age one per 1000 live births, 2014)
- Women have been subject to sex-selective abortions in the desire for male offspring
Evidence of changing norms or strategies to address gender inequality issues in India
Human Rights Treaties
- India has ratified a number of international human rights treaties, meaning the government agrees to incorporate the principles and international laws bound by these treaties into its own national laws
- Examples include the International Convention on Civil and Political Rights and the International Convention on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights
Indian Government
- Indian Government has joined UN Treaty Bodies, such as the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women
- In consultation with the Indian Government, the UN Special Rappoteur on Violence against Women visited the country in 2013
- Acts of Parliament: Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act (2005), Prohibition of Child Marriage Act (2006), Dowry Prohibition Act (2008), Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace Act and Rules (2013)
Practical ‘on the ground’ Approach
- Required for long-term shifting of norms and effective application of the law
- 2014, Indian Ministry of Home Affairs launched an anti-trafficking portal, includes expansion of anti-trafficking police units, specific training of police units, more accurate reporting of a crime, a victim support programme including temporary accommodation and co-operation with Bangladesh at the border
- Some large companies are beginning to provide child-care facilities and to organise flexible-work options
- Interventions by NGOs in implementing development projects are taking a gendered approach, for instance the International Center for Research on Women is working in Delhi neighbourhoods, ICRW has set up a ‘safe cities’ project working in partnership with UN Women, the Indian Government and a New Delhi organisation Jagori, this approach has led to women slowly gaining the confidence to report more crimes and to speak up for their rights in their communities
