The young acupuncturist was carefully pressing very long, thin, needles, into her client's knees and one needle into the top of her head. A small pulse of electric current passed through the needles to help relieve some of the joint pain she was experiencing. "You see, women in India don't look after themselves, they focus all their attention on their husband and children. Then when they're older they have problems with their weight and also their hips and knees, with crippling effects on their mobility", she told me.
The position of women in India is under scrutiny at the moment because of the horrific attacks of beating, rape and murder - these acts of violence towards women and children shockingly fill the newspapers on a daily basis. Protests in Delhi have simply elicited yet more violence and no change in the statistics. One newspaper claimed that women, seen out of the context of family, were considered by most of the population as 'objects' not people.
Of the BRICS countries, South Africa leads the league in 'Gender Equality', placed at 16th and the equal rights of women are safeguarded and entrenched in its Consitution. Russia, Brazil and China, follow about 30 places behind. But India is placed 105th out of the 135 countries! In a patriarchal society, it is difficult to effect a change of attitude towards gender equality and it would seem that this hurdle, is one which has to be addressed for the sake of progress, for an emerging third world country, taking its place centre stage in a global environment.
In the last few days, large boards have gone up all over town asking people to write their comments on the desirability of empowering women ! The gist of many of the comments is that women are 'cute', 'sweet' and 'adorable'.......!
The position of women in India is under scrutiny at the moment because of the horrific attacks of beating, rape and murder - these acts of violence towards women and children shockingly fill the newspapers on a daily basis. Protests in Delhi have simply elicited yet more violence and no change in the statistics. One newspaper claimed that women, seen out of the context of family, were considered by most of the population as 'objects' not people.
Of the BRICS countries, South Africa leads the league in 'Gender Equality', placed at 16th and the equal rights of women are safeguarded and entrenched in its Consitution. Russia, Brazil and China, follow about 30 places behind. But India is placed 105th out of the 135 countries! In a patriarchal society, it is difficult to effect a change of attitude towards gender equality and it would seem that this hurdle, is one which has to be addressed for the sake of progress, for an emerging third world country, taking its place centre stage in a global environment.
In the last few days, large boards have gone up all over town asking people to write their comments on the desirability of empowering women ! The gist of many of the comments is that women are 'cute', 'sweet' and 'adorable'.......!
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