Why India

India is a vast, diverse and populous country with significant social, economic and cultural disparities within – and between – the country’s different regions.

Home to over 1.1 billion people, India has the second highest population in the world. Nearly 35% live on less than US$1 a day. While poverty affects both men and women, it is India’s women – particularly dalits, those from the lowest caste, and women from tribal communities – who suffer most.

Despite the Indian Constitution guaranteeing equality before the law - and non-descrimination on the basis of sex - India remains a patriarchal society. Male inheritance and property ownership, early marriage, dowry, sati, honour crimes, lack of education of girls, witch hunting, violence against women, trafficking and female infanticide all major issues in the country.

Strong social, cultural and religious traditions continue to hinder women’s progress towards full and active participation in their own lives, within their families, their communities and their country. For many of India’s women, there is a wide disparity between their country’s progressive reforms and their daily experience.

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Fact File:

Population: 1.16 billion (UNDESA, 2006)
Only 33% have access to improved sanitation (UNDP 2006)
An estimated 2 - 3.1 million Indians are affected by HIV and AIDS, and India has the third largest HIV-positive caseload (UNAIDS, 2007)
Education
52% of women are illiterate (UNDP, 2004)
If a household only has one girl child the likelihood of her being sent to school is 56% (UNICEF 2007)
41% of women have received no education at all, compared to 18% of men (India Ministry of Health National Family Health Survey 3, 2005-6)
Female infanticide
In the 2001 census, there were 35 million more males than females in India, and for every 1000 boy babies born in the country there were only 927 infants
In 80% of districts in India the situation is getting worse. In 14 districts of Haryana and Punjab, there are even fewer than 800 girls per 1000 boys (UNICEF 2007)
It is estimated that between 1985 and 2005, 10 million female foetuses have been aborted (Centre for Global Health Research 2006)
Maternal mortality
Of every 100,000 live births, 540 women die (UNDP, 2006)
In 2000, India alone accounted for one quarter of maternal deaths worldwide (UNICEF 2007)
One woman dies every 7 minutes in childbirth (UNICEF 2007)
Nearly 136,000 women die each year from pregnancy-related causes (UNICEF 2006)
Violence against women
One woman is a victim of dowry-death every 75 minutes (National Crimes Bureau of India, 2004)
In India, 45% of women are still being forced into marriage before the age of 18 in violation of the law (UNICEF 2007)
Political participation
In 2006 the total number of women government members rose from 68 to 83 - 9.6% of the total (Worldwide Guide to Women in Leadership)
Effects of the 2004 tsunami
In India, a total of 10,749 people died as a result of the tsunami, with a further 5,640 reported missing (OXFAM, 2005)
In the southern state of Tamil Nadu, 2,406 women died, compared with 1,883 men (OXFAM, 2005)

Unequal access - women’s position in Indian society

India’s Constitution recognises women’s equality with men as a fundamental right and has initiated a number of policies to progress and support women’s rights and freedoms. These include positive discrimination, often 'reserving' public sector and government jobs for those from scheduled castes and tribes.

In recent years significant legislation has been introduced to both reduce, and in many cases end, discrimination against women in issues of marriage, divorce, inheritance and employment.

Amongst the most important such reforms is the devolving of power to local government through the Panchayati Raj institutions, where 33% of seats are reserved for women, thus enabling them to take a strong and focused role in creating policies that directly address their needs and concerns.
However, the Women's Reservation Bill, providing for 33% reservation for women in Parliament, has not been enacted, despite constitutional backing.

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Women in Tamil Nadu engaging in anti-liquor protest
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In 2006 a new Domestic Violence Bill also came into effect, giving women survivvvvors unprecedented rights to shelter, aid and protection. This Bill was a landmark event, but there is still much to do to bring about the practical realisation of equality for most women across the country.

Escalating religious and regional tensions have also placed an additional burden on women, who are often seen as 'representative' of their particular religious tradition. Enforcing stricter conformity to many of the more conservative aspects of that tradition can result in women being confined to the private, domestic sphere - thus restricting and hindering their ability to move, and participate fully and freely within their families and communities.

Inequality from birth
India’s legacy of social/caste hierarchy has long impacted on women – determining their status as ‘subordinate’ from birth. The extreme nature of such a concept is poignantly reflected in the ratio of female infants to male. A century ago, 972 baby girls were born for every 1000 boys; today that figure stands at 927 female infants, and India is one of the few countries worldwide with an adverse child sex ratio in favour of boys.

Although gender-based abortion was made illegal in 1985, it is estimated that India has lost 10 million girls in the past 20 years. Furthermore, in the 12 years since selective abortion was outlawed, only one doctor has been convicted of the crime.

From birth, Indian girls face unequal access to food, healthcare, and education. As they grow up they may also face real discrimination and inequality in employment - and all too many will experience some form of violence associated with the practice of dowry. Despite being illegal, the caste system also continues to operate in India, and women of scheduled castes continue to suffer practices of 'untouchability', social exclusion, assault and sexual violence. While both male and female dalits and tribal communities suffer discrimination, dalit women face it in a more intensified manner.

HIV and AIDS
In addition, the heavy burden of HIV and AIDS falls disproportionately on Indian women. Of the 111,608 people reported to have AIDS in 2005, 32,567 (34%) were women. Women's low social and economic status, their poverty, illiteracy - and exposure to multiple forms of violence - increases their vulnerability to HIV and AIDS. Lack of access to basic education, human and civil-rights awareness and healthcare perpetuates the burden, damaging lives and limiting women’s ability to contribute to their own – and their country’s – development.

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