In 2015, United Nations set 17 Sustainable Development Goals to achieve with its member. Among those Sustainable Development Goals, I chose number 5 (Achieve Gender equality and empower women). In this Blog 2, I am choosing SDG 5 (Achieve gender equality and empower women) in India. Gender inequality is deeply rooted in our society and eliminating it will be one of the biggest achievements till today.
India is in the southern region of Asia. It
occupies an important strategic position in South Asia (Where Is India Located?
Location Map of India on a World Map, n.d.). The status of women is
influenced by their religion. The religion always mentions men above women. Due
to the societal patriarchal nature, domestic violence has been culturally
accepted in India. Women were deprived
of education because their main role was to look after the house and run the family
smoothly. Due to lack of education, only a few women used to contribute to official work (Situation of Women in India,
n.d.). India has accepted all the SDG of the UN. The Prime Minister of
India states the vision behind the 2030 agenda is very impressive, the goals of
India are comprehensive. The 17 goals gave India, an opportunity to improve and
evolve from the problems that were rooted in the past (Sustainable Development
Goals, n.d.).
The Indian government is working actively to decrease
gender inequality from different levels. The government is prioritizing girl’s
education over other social issues. The commitment of India to achieve SDG 5
can be seen from their new rules in the constitution. They have implemented laws against
selective abortion, child marriage, and sexual harassment in the workplace. They are introducing a new policy whose main
motive is to empower women on a political and social level. Their specific schemes are “save girls by educating them”
and “cover partially and unvaccinated children”. The “National policy
for the empowerment of women” provides momentary help to women. They are monitoring
the implemented schemes results actively with reports. "The report of 2015-2016
shows, care visits to hospitals and clinics by women have increased from 37% to
51% from 2005. The rate of women who have married before 18 years has dropped.
83% of women now have a bank account and access to banks. Literacy rates for
women have risen to 68.4%" (Saxena, 2019).
The statistical system and institutions collect
data and reports on defined parameters in various sectors. National SDG
indicators are constructed to better monitor the context of India and its
needs. The development of the national SDG indicators was not enough so, the
statistical system is also designed to measure the achievements of SDG from
sub-national levels (United Nations Partnerships for SDGs Platform, n.d.).
The Advancement of one goal can lead to progress for another goal too. The educated women can contribute to the different
workforce when there is an increase in the number of working hands. There will be
growth in national annual per capita income. More innovative ideas to protect the environment and adapt to climate change.
References:
Saxena, P.
(2019, June 22). SDG 5: Where India stands in Gender Equality? The Kootneeti. Retrieved
February 25, 2021, from https://thekootneeti.in/2019/06/22/sdg5-where-india-stands-in-gender-equality/
SDG 5: Gender
Equality. (n.d.). UN India. Retrieved February 25, 2021, from https://in.one.un.org/page/sustainable-development-goals/sdg-5/
Situation of
women in India. (n.d.). Step Up for Rights of Females. Retrieved February 25,
2021, from https://www.female-rights.com/india/
Sustainable
Development Goals. (n.d.). UN India. Retrieved February 25, 2021, from https://in.one.un.org/page/sustainable-development-goals/
United Nations
Partnerships for SDGs platform. (n.d.). Voluntary National Review Report on
Implementation of Sustainable Development Goals. Retrieved February 25, 2021,
from https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/content/documents/15836India
Where is India
Located? Location map of India on a World map. (n.d.). Maps of World. Retrieved
February 25, 2021, from https://www.mapsofworld.com/india/india-location-map.html
Hi Alisha,
ReplyDeleteI also chose India as my next country for blog #2. I read your last blog post on gender equality in Nepal, and see parallels with both countries as far as taking much action to alleviate the prevalent issue of gender inequality. My parents are from India, and have definitely seen change from 20 years ago as far as putting gender equality at the forefront of the nation's agenda. I'm very happy to know that literacy rates are over 60% in women now and over 80% of women have access to banks. Those statistics are really promising for India and hopefully these statistics can be even higher in the future.
Hi Alisha,
ReplyDeleteIt appears as though gender inequality has become a priority in India. The government is working to make the necessary improvements to change the reality of the country for women and prioritize their education. The increase in literacy rates for women as well as the amount of women with bank accounts and the decrease in young women being married shows that the implementation of this SDG. My best friend's parents are from India, and her mother has shared with me extreme stories be about the role women play in society when she was growing up. There was nothing she wanted more as a young women than an education and self-sufficiency for herself, which is what brought her to America. Major improvements to gender inequality in India continue to be made over the years that gives hope for future generations.