In the course of the evolution of mankind and the expansion of civilisation, one of the major transformative forces that have contributed to this accelerated speed of collective progress and societal development is education. Not only does education ingrain knowledge and the ability to think critically in individuals, but it also enables them to take full accountability and responsibility for their own work as well as the society and community they are a part of. Very often, economic prosperity is believed to be a cornerstone of success, but it is actually education that illuminates one’s life and adds meaning to one’s existence. Having said that, with the rapid modernisation of India, education for women has been reshaping the entire social landscape, aiming to empower women. With so many campaigns and education initiatives of the government, Indian women are envisioning a chance towards an inclusive and brighter future, where their education would help them carve their way to success.
Although India now takes pride in producing bright female scholars and successful women entrepreneurs, the picture was slightly different a few centuries back when the only world that the women knew was their households, and their roles were limited to familial duties and motherhood. With little or no access to women education in india, the women had no idea of the vast scope they had beyond their traditional roles. However, the scenario kept changing as the number of female students started increasing in the classrooms, and women started reclaiming their equal status beside their male counterparts. As the massive wave of education forced the outdated expectations to recede, women started writing their own destinies, liberated from the narrow-mindedness and constraints of the traditional patriarchal society in India.
This revolution in Indian society started with Savitri Phule, who is the symbol of women’s empowerment and a pioneer of women education in india. Also, at the behest of Raja Ram Mohan Roy, the Father of the Indian Renaissance, the propagation of women’s education began as a wildfire, setting in motion the relentless efforts to convince families to send their girl children and women to school. It was not a matter of a few weeks, but rather years of struggle, when these efforts finally started paying off, as women started shattering the traditional constraints and became a part of the change they wanted for themselves. Since then, education has helped to close the gender gap in manifold ways owing to the multiple education campaigns and policies exclusively designed for girls and women in India. As people became more aware of the need to have gender parity in education, a tangible shift could be observed both in the mentality of the society, as well as the women who did not want to be merely subservient to their male guardians or counterparts but make significant strides in academic accomplishments and towards professional aspirations as well.
Over the years, India has taken up several initiatives to promote women education in india including the Beti Bachao Beti Padhao scheme launched in the year 2015. The Sarva Shiksha Abhiyaan, the Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyaan, the National Scheme of Incentives to Girls for Secondary Education, the Udaan Scheme, and many such government schemes have not only propelled the process of empowering women in the Indian society but also launched a fresh attack to eradicate the deep-seated patriarchal tendency time and again. For instance, these schemes aided families from rural India and the underprivileged sections of Indian society to uplift the status of women of their families through women education in india, which automatically abolished their thought of restricting the possibilities of a girl child to only domestic roles. These schemes have appeared as a blessing to all those miserable families, wrought with illiteracy and poverty, for whom having a girl child is nothing but an unexpected and unwanted burden on the family’s financial capability, which is enough to convince them to commit female foeticide and infanticide which are some of the appalling and unpardonable crimes in the Indian society. However, it is because of these opportunities provided by the government schemes and programs that Indian women are shedding their age-old conventions and preconceived roles to enter into the highly competitive professional sector, and this participation is a significant step towards the creation of a diverse, literate, and talented workforce, essential for the enrichment of India’s economy.
One of the biggest challenges to gender in India has always been the lack of economic empowerment of women due to the expectation of being financially supported by a male figure throughout their life, starting from their father, followed by their husband or son. With the highly taken-for-granted role as homemakers, many women, in spite of being educated, spend their entire lives rearing children and fulfilling household chores and familial duties. However, it is the strong sense of autonomy, urge for freedom, and economic empowerment triggered due to education that women are now transforming into multitaskers who can be both a CEO of a company and the best mothers to their children and a doting wife to their husbands. Not only are the women launching their own businesses and, creating significant opportunities for the employment of thousands of men and women, and driving the economic growth of the nation, but also consolidating their position beside their male counterparts. The only difference here is that, unlike the role of a subordinate before, now it is more of a strong pillar of support, a competitor, an inspiration, a motivator, or even a leader at times.
Some of the inspiring women of India, like Kiran Bedi, Anandibai Joshi, Sarojini Naidu, and Kalpana Chawla, have been trailblazers and symbols of endurance amidst all the oppressive norms of the Indian society that has time and again tried to subjugate women and creating a barrier to an inclusive society. However, it is the achievements of these epitomes of strength, power, and knowledge, and the stories of their struggle that continue to resonate among the future generations of girls so that they can recognise their potential and become a part of the bigger dream envisaged by India.
