By Rahi Bhide
It has been half a century since the United Nations declared the International Women’s Year, followed by a decade dedicated to the cause of women’s liberation. These five decades, at first glance, reflect significant achievements for women in India. Today, women occupy high offices in administration, education, judiciary, sports, media, and defense. They lead prestigious universities, serve as district collectors, secretaries, and even judges in the Supreme Court. Women captain sports teams, hold editorial roles in prominent publications, and actively shape public discourse through debates and intellectual forums.
On the surface, it appears that India’s women have made commendable progress. Their visibility and accomplishments are sources of pride and hope. Conferences on women’s rights are regularly organized in cities like Nagpur and Thane, bringing together activists, scholars, and policy thinkers. These initiatives reflect the commitment and resilience of women’s organizations, often run through small donations and community participation.
Yet, beyond this outward narrative of success lies a more sobering and deeply uncomfortable reality. Women’s progress remains uneven, fragmented, and precarious. While a few elite women have scaled unprecedented heights, millions remain marginalized particularly those from Scheduled Castes (SCs), Scheduled Tribes (STs), and other underprivileged communities. These women often lack access to basic education, healthcare, and employment opportunities. Even today, there are villages in India where girls have no access to schools, forcing families into cycles of poverty, early marriage, and dependency.
Government support for women’s programs is disproportionately low compared to other sectors. Large-scale literary and political events receive significant state funding, often amounting to crores of rupees, while grassroots women’s organizations struggle to fund their efforts. Even as conferences on women’s empowerment are held, their voices seldom reach policymaking circles with enough force to catalyze lasting change.
The paradox deepens when we confront statistics that reveal how much remains undone. University-level education for women is nearly 50%, yet formal workforce participation stands at a mere 22%, down from 32% in 2005. This decline is not only alarming but also counterintuitive. If education is supposed to empower, why are educated women being excluded from professional spaces? Countries like Kenya (47%), Bangladesh (36.9%), and even Saudi Arabia (28%) report higher female labor participation than India. Our paradox is glaring: more education, fewer jobs.
The answer lies in a confluence of societal, cultural, and economic factors. Social expectations around marriage and motherhood continue to dictate the course of women’s lives. Families pressure girls to marry early, limiting their ability to pursue higher education or employment. Patriarchal attitudes remain entrenched in rural and urban communities alike. Even as women express themselves through social media or activism, many face backlash in the form of “honor killings” or moral policing. Freedom of expression is not always a shield it is sometimes a double-edged sword.
In the informal sector, which employs a large proportion of women, conditions are even more grim. Labor laws such as the eight-hour workday or maternity benefits are often unenforced. Women working on construction sites or in home-based industries earn significantly less than their male counterparts. Pregnant women are deprived of essential healthcare, nutritional support, and stress-free environments that are critical for their wellbeing. Without structural reforms, the promise of empowerment remains elusive.
Adding to the complexity is the commodification of education. In many communities, girls are encouraged not to pursue careers or personal ambitions but to secure “better” husbands often wealthier men so they can enjoy a comfortable life. Education, rather than being a pathway to independence, is reduced to a tool to increase marriage prospects. Even parents who praise their daughters’ achievements online often quietly nudge them towards traditional roles once the applause fades.
The legacy of reformers like Dr. B. R. Ambedkar, Savitribai Phule, Raja Ram Mohan Roy, and others stands as a beacon of hope and challenge. Ambedkar’s belief that societal progress must be measured by the advancement of women remains as relevant today as it was in the 1940s. He tirelessly advocated for women’s political rights and legal equality through the Hindu Code Bill and emphasized the moral responsibility of educated women to uplift marginalized communities. Nehru’s assertion that educating a woman educates an entire generation laid the groundwork for a more equitable society.
Subsequent policies from the first education policy of 1968, through the National Education Policy of 1986, to Right to Education in the 2000s and “Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao” in recent years—have consistently sought to address gender gaps. Yet, even with legislative reforms and welfare schemes, the systemic barriers persist. The result is a workforce where educated women are absent in disproportionate numbers, and rural girls remain first-generation learners burdened by early marriage and poverty.
We are at a crossroads. If India aims to position itself as a progressive, knowledge-driven society in the realms of arts, culture, literature, cinema, science, and sports, it must address the underlying issues that prevent women from participating fully in public and economic life. Empowerment cannot be confined to symbolic representation or media-driven success stories. Real change requires structural reforms—education that reaches every girl, healthcare that supports motherhood, workplaces that ensure equal pay and safety, and policies that dismantle the deeply ingrained patriarchal mindset.
India’s future hinges on transforming women’s achievements from isolated sparks into enduring flames. It demands that women not only sprint ahead in isolated fields but remain central to every aspect of nation-building. Only when women are provided equitable opportunities, rights, and recognition will India fulfill the promise envisioned by its reformers and constitutional architects.
The question is no longer whether women can lead it is whether India is prepared to stand beside them, shoulder to shoulder, until they do.
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