Bubbles = Happiness

Why Women?

[Written during my consultancy at CARE India]

The battle began even before she was born.

Lali’s mother had to fight to keep her alive. Over the years, she had witnessed the suspicious, overnight disappearance of hundreds of new born girls in the village and she had promised herself that her daughter would not meet a similar fate. She was an ambitious and restless woman, but the weight of endless archaic and discriminating traditions had rendered her powerless despite her immense, inherent strength.

For Lali, being the only sister to three brothers meant being denied even basic privileges. Food was disproportionately divided. After all, the boys needed nutrition and strength as they would some day be the breadwinners of the family. The fact that nutrition was crucial for Lali, who would have to prematurely bear children of her own some day, was conveniently ignored. When Lali’s mother tried to plead with the elders to send her to school, they asked her how she planned on getting money for both her education and dowry. Being uneducated and unemployed and knowing first-hand that dowry was supremely important and inevitable, she gave up the fight. Lali was married off at the age of 15, much before she was mentally and physically ready for the massive responsibility. Thus continued the cycle of ignorance and denied opportunities; one which engulfs the lives of millions of girls across the country.

And on this backdrop, India continues to display an astonishing dichotomy. On one hand, India is well on its way to becoming a world power and on the other it is deeply mired in gendered orthodoxy. It is home to 1.5 lakh millionaires, making the country's high networth individual (HNI) population 12th largest across the globe. In contrast, 42% of the country lives below poverty line.

How can we bridge this ever-growing gap? How can we uplift the large section of poverty ridden communities in India? The answer is simple. By unleashing the untapped potential of millions of women. By recognizing women as the solution, not the problem!

Like Nicholas Kristof rightly pointed out, “The plight of girls is no more a tragedy than an opportunity.” It is about time we realized that women are the key to holistic development in India. It is a proven fact that gender inequality hurts economic growth. When you empower a girl or woman, she becomes a catalyst for change in her community. When you give her a chance to start a business, learn to read or participate in politics, she creates ripples of change that lift communities out of poverty.

Educated women invest 90% of their incomes into their families compared to roughly 30% by their male counterparts. This money is spent on educating daughters, who then delay their marriage, preventing risks of early pregnancy and childbirth. They grow up to be healthier and more skilled citizens, and are able to increase their household income. Over time, they help their families and entire communities escape poverty by spearheading several small enterprises. Slowly, this new cycle of empowerment replaces the earlier cycle of discrimination and the gaping economic gap is seen diminishing.

And thus begins the Multiplier Effect.