mid-day opinion: India’s women are safer and stronger than ever

Eligible women in Maharashtra fill in the Ladki Bahin Yojana forms before the deadline. Everywhere one looks, there are signs of empowerment and success. FILE PIC for REPRESENTATION

I wasn't too fussed about the Women's Reservation Bill being defeated in the Lok Sabha after failing to secure a two-thirds majority. For the few who missed the Prime Minister's passionate, erudite performance explaining why it failed to pass, the bill was aimed at providing 33 per cent reservation for women in Parliament and state assemblies. I wasn't worried because this is a debate that has been going on for almost three decades now. It just felt like a temporary setback that would eventually be resolved within the next 30 years.

Another reason for my nonchalance was the belief that life has never been better for women in India. Everywhere one looks, there are signs of empowerment and success. Women smile wherever they go. They are calm, collected, safe, and happy to be in India. I don't go by any official statistics while making these claims, but I'm sure they would concur with my observations. Statistics mean little in today's India anyway, and I think of them as distractions that get in the way of a more optimistic picture. I believe that is also official government policy.

Don't take my word for it though. Ask most Indian men if things are going well for Indian women, and they will agree. Consider the corporate space, for example, where almost every major firm has at least one woman in middle management. A month ago, a report by a provider of data on the capital markets stated that women now made up around 5 per cent of managing directors or chief executive officers. This may sound like a dismal figure, until one realises that this is pretty much the norm in Europe as well as the Americas, which means India is starting to look a lot like the West. In my view, that makes it a statistic worth celebrating.

Then there's education. It may seem as if there's a significant gender gap here too but, according to the last report published by the World Economic Forum in 2024, India's ranking in the Global Index had slipped by just two positions to 129 out of 146 countries. This means that Indian women have it better than 17 other countries, which also counts as a win in my book. If we continue to make progress at this astonishing rate, who is to say we won't have an educated woman in charge of India's education ministry? If that happens, it will only be the second such occurrence since the late Sheila Kaul occupied that position.

Women also arguably feel safer than ever in today's India, despite what data from the National Crime Records Bureau may say. According to its latest report on crime against women, there were just 4,48,211 cases registered nationwide in 2023, up marginally from the previous two years. That may sound like a lot, but the figure is probably a lot lower than crimes registered in Afghanistan, Syria, the Democratic Republic of Congo, or Somalia.

Reservations imply the need for some perceived gap to be filled; the righting of what appears to be wrong. That doesn't seem to be the case in Parliament despite an overwhelming majority of men, because a lot of these men have been accused of crimes against women. One of the smartest things that one of our major political parties does is habilitate these alleged criminals, keeping them off the streets and making life easier for women outside. Bringing in more women means fewer seats for these troubled men, which doesn't seem like a smart decision.

We need to do more to change how people look at women in India, for which we need to start rewriting the popular narrative. We need to stop focusing on minor issues such as gender inequality, economic dependence, wage disparities, patriarchal norms, domestic abuse, sexual harassment, a strong preference for male children, workplace harassment, poor healthcare, digital misogyny, social stigma or societal expectations, and start talking about the bigger picture.

A country that's growing as fast as India should be worried about things like hosting a World Cup, not debating bills about whether we need more women in Parliament. It's why I think women should start playing a more active role in helping us all propagate this message. They may not be represented in Parliament, but nothing stops them from broadcasting positive messages on social media even if they aren't necessarily true. Perception is all and, if the Prime Minister can spend every waking hour doing this, I don't see why ordinary Indians can't.

When he isn't ranting about all things Mumbai, Lindsay Pereira can be almost sweet. He can be contacted at www.lindsaypereira.com
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The views expressed in this column are the individual's and don't represent those of the paper.