The United Nations celebrates International Women’s Day on March 8. It aims to uphold women’s achievements, recognise challenges and focus greater attention on women’s rights and gender equality to mobilise all people to do their part.

Background

In 1975, during International Women’s Year, the UN began celebrating March 8 as International Women’s Day. Two years later, in December 1977, the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution proclaiming a day for Women’s Rights and International Peace to be observed on any day of the year by Member States, in accordance with their historical and national traditions.

This year’s theme 

Women stand at the front lines of the COVID-19 crisis, as health care workers, caregivers, innovators, community organisers and as some of the most exemplary and effective national leaders in combating the pandemic. The crisis has highlighted both the centrality of their contributions and the disproportionate burdens that women carry.

This year’s theme, ‘Women in leadership: Achieving an equal future in a COVID-19 world’, celebrates the tremendous efforts by women and girls around the world in shaping a more equal future and recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.

It is also aligned with the priority theme of the 65th session of the Commission on the Status of Women, ‘Women in public life, equal participation in decision making’, and the flagship Generation Equality campaign, which calls for women’s right to decision-making in all areas of life, equal pay, equal sharing of unpaid care and domestic work, an end all forms of violence against women and girls, and health care services that respond to their needs.

Representation of women in public life

The world has made unprecedented advances, but no country has achieved gender equality.

International Women’s Day is a time to reflect on progress made, to call for change and to celebrate acts of courage and determination by ordinary women, who have played an extraordinary role in the history of their countries and communities.

Women are underrepresented in public life and decision-making, as revealed in the UN Secretary-General’s recent report. 

Women are Heads of State or government in 22 countries, and only 24.9 per cent of national parliamentarians are women. At the current rate of progress, gender equality among Heads of government will take another 130 years.

Just 14 countries have Cabinets with 50 per cent or more positions held by women. In 54 Cabinets, women account for between 10 and 19.9 per cent of ministers. At an annual increase of just 0.52 percentage points, gender parity in ministerial positions will not be achieved before 2077.

The proportion of women in Parliament has doubled globally since 1995, but men still hold 75 per cent of seats. Although the primary role of national Parliaments is to represent the voices of all people in decision-making, women’s representation has grown on average from only 12 per cent in 1995 to 25 per cent in 2020. At that rate, gender parity in national legislative bodies will not be achieved until 2063.

A few countries have made significant progress since 2000. In four countries, there are 50 per cent or more women in Parliament than men, and in 24 countries, the figure stands at over 40 per cent. Most of those Parliaments are in Europe, Africa or Latin America and the Caribbean. Women’s representation is lowest in the Pacific Island States: on average they hold 6 per cent of seats and, in three countries, there are no women in Parliament.

Women are also at the forefront of the battle against COVID-19, as frontline and health sector workers, as scientists, doctors and caregivers, yet they get paid 11 per cent less globally than their male counterparts. An analysis of COVID-19 task teams from 87 countries found only 3.5 per cent of them had gender parity.

Legal restrictions have kept 2.7 billion women from accessing the same choice of jobs as men. One in three women experience gender-based violence.

Measures in India to combat discrimination

The Indian Constitution grants equal rights to all genders as enshrined in the Preamble, Fundamental Rights, Fundamental Duties and the Directive Principles. 

Women in India have the Fundamental Right to not be discriminated on the grounds of gender and get equal protection under the law. The Constitution not only grants equality to women, but also empowers the State to adopt measures of positive discrimination in favour of women to neutralise the cumulative socioeconomic and political disadvantages faced by them. 

It also imposes a Fundamental Duty on every citizen to renounce the practices derogatory to the dignity of women.

India has taken several measures to secure gender parity in all walks of social, economic and political life.

Legislative framework for women 

On the legal front, the ministry of women and child development has been active in ensuring the protection of law to the most vulnerable women. Work is being carried out to ensure optimum implementation of laws for women.

1) The Sexual Harassment at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013 was enacted to ensure safe working spaces for women and to build an enabling environment that respects women’s right of equality of status and opportunity. The Act covers all women, irrespective of their age or employment status and protects them against sexual harassment at all workplaces whether organised or unorganised. Students, apprentices, laborers, domestic workers and even women visiting an office or a workplace are included in the Act.

2) The Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006 has been enacted to punish those who promote, perform and abet child marriages. The states/UTs from time to time are being regularly requested to oversee the effective implementation of the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006.

3) With regard to violence occurring within the private space of home, the key legislation is the Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act (PWDVA), 2005. The objective of the law is to prevent violence and provide immediate and emergency relief in case of such situations irrespective of the status of woman’s relationship with the respondent. The Act recognises women’s right to live free from violence within the private space of their home. 

4) Recognising the need to address the social evil of dowry, the Dowry Prohibition Act was enacted in 1961. The Act defines dowry and penalises the giving, taking or abetting the giving and taking of dowry. It also lays down a built-in implementation mechanism in the form of Dowry Prohibition Officers to ensure effective enforcement of the law. 

5) The Indecent Representation of Women Act, 1986 was enacted with the specific objective of prohibiting the indecent representation of women through advertisements, publications, writings, paintings, figures or in any other manner. It also prohibits selling, distribution, circulation of any books, pamphlets, and such other material containing indecent representation of women.

Nari Shakti Puraskar

Nari Shakti Puraskar (formerly Stree Shakti Puraskar), are ‘National Awards in recognition of exceptional work for women empowerment’ conferred by the President of India every year on March 8, the International Women’s Day, as a mark of respect and recognition for those who have demonstrated exemplary courage and stellar contribution towards empowerment of women.

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