Ex-DSP Punjab Police

Engineering from IIT Madras

 The course here is a great strategy
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Can be finished in 12-13 Days.

03-12-2020
 ISSUES RELATED TO WOMEN EMPOWERMENT
Issues related to Economic Empowerment
 As per Global Gender Gap Report, 2020, Women constitute only 22% of
the labour force in India, compared with 82% of men.
 The female estimated earned income in India is mere one-fifth of the
male income (among the world’s lowest).
 Women representation on company boards in India is also very low at
mere 13.8%.

Issues related to Political Empowerment

 Women in India held just 25.2% of parliamentary (lower-house) seats in
2019.
 ISSUES RELATED TO WOMEN EMPOWERMENT
Issues related to Educational attainment
 In India, 66% of women are literate compared with 82% of men.

Issues related to Imbalanced sex ratio

 A combination of son and small family-size preferences and the
availability of prenatal sex determination technologies have
resulted in imbalanced sex ratios.
 Despite sex-selective abortions being illegal since 1996, the sex
ratio at birth has remained persistently high at 110 male births per
100 females since 2000.
 ISSUES RELATED TO WOMEN EMPOWERMENT
Issues related to Crimes against women
 It increased 7.3 per cent from 2018 to 2019.
 Majority of cases under crime against women were registered under
‘cruelty by husband or his relatives’.
 Women in India face domestic violence due to a variety of reasons
including Orthodox & Patriarchal mindset and Changing socio-
economic relations particularly in urban areas.
 Higher income of a working woman than her partner, abusing and
neglecting in-laws, dowry demands etc. may lead to violence.
 REPRODUCTIVE RIGHT

Union Cabinet has approved Medical Termination of Pregnancy (Amendment)

Bill, 2020 for amending Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act, 1971.
 REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS AND ITS SIGNIFICANCE
These are the rights of individuals to decide whether to reproduce and
have reproductive health.

This may include an individual's right to plan a family, terminate a

pregnancy, use contraceptives, gain access to reproductive health
services, learn about sex education in public schools.

Reproductive rights are significant as a human right, for maternal

health and social and economic development of women
ISSUES RELATED TO REPRODUCTIVE RIGHT IN INDIA
1. Medical Termination of Pregnancy (MTP) Act, 1971
2. Challenges in public health system
3. Societal pressures
4. Patriarchal structure
MEDICAL TERMINATION OF PREGNANCY (MTP) ACT,
1971
1. Denial of Reproductive rights to Unmarried women.
2. Upper limit of 20 weeks

 This is problematic since a number of foetal abnormalities are

detected after 20 weeks and resent medical techniques allow for
safe removal of a foetus at a relatively advanced state of pregnancy.
 Also there have been some cases where the 20-week mark passed
due to delay in courts or low awareness among young girls, leaving
many, including rape survivors, with unwanted pregnancies
 PROPOSED AMENDMENTS
Enhancing the upper gestation limit from 20 to 24 weeks for termination of
pregnancy.

Ensuring dignity and confidentiality of women seeking termination: Name

and other particulars of a woman whose pregnancy has been terminated
shall not be revealed.

Relaxing the contraceptive-failure condition for “any woman or her partner”

(including unmarried women) allowing them to medically terminate the
pregnancy up to 20 weeks.
 Challenges in public health system
It faces a range of issues, including low public investment, poor
infrastructure, including medical and diagnostic facilities, and
inadequately skilled human resources etc.

Societal pressures
There exists a social stigma related to abortion and contraception and
sex education are taboo topics in India. Unmarried women have limited
to access birth control due to such pressures.

Patriarchal structure
It affects women’s agency to make free reproductive choices and also
leads to women undergoing unsafe abortions and sterilizations to
avoid unwanted pregnancies.
 SURROGACY BILL
Recently, the Cabinet approved the Surrogacy (Regulation) Bill after
incorporating the recommendations of a Rajya Sabha Select
Committee.
 SURROGACY
Surrogacy is the practice whereby one woman carries the child for
another with the intention that the child should be handed over after
birth.

Altruistic surrogacy: where the couple does not pay the surrogate
mother any compensation other than the medical and insurance
expenses related to the pregnancy.

Commercial surrogacy: here compensation (in cash or kind) paid to the

surrogate mother, which exceeds the reasonable medical expenses
associated with the pregnancy.
 SURROGACY IN INDIA AND RELATED ISSUES
India has emerged as a surrogacy hub for couples from other countries.
A study conducted in July 2012, put the surrogacy business at more than $400
million with more than 3000 fertility clinics all in India.
Concerns regarding surrogacy in India
 Exploitation of surrogate mothers due to poverty and lack of education
 Abandonment of children born out of surrogacy
 Rackets involving intermediaries importing human embryos and gametes
PROVISIONS OF THE SURROGACY (REGULATION) BILL,
2019
 Prohibition of Commercial Surrogacy
 Other purposes where surrogacy is allowed
 Lays out various eligibility criteria
 Establishment of Authorities
 Insurance cover
 Appeals
 Parentage and abortion of surrogate child
 PROHIBITION OF COMMERCIAL SURROGACY AND
EXCEPTIONS
Prohibition includes surrogacy or its related procedures undertaken for
a monetary benefit or reward (in cash or kind) exceeding the basic
medical expenses and insurance coverage.
It also prohibits surrogacy for producing children for sale, prostitution
or other forms of exploitation.
But the bill allows Altruistic Surrogacy, where no such other monetary
compensation is paid to the surrogate mother.
Surrogacy is allowed for intending couples who suffer from infertility,
for any condition or disease specified through regulations.
 ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA
Who can opt for surrogacy
Any Indian couples or couples of Indian origin who have a medical condition
(could be either or both members of the couple) which necessitates
gestational surrogacy.
Women who are windows or divorcees (between the age of 35 to 45 years)
ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA
 Establishment of Authorities
Both the central and state governments shall appoint one or more
appropriate authorities, including the National and State Surrogacy
Boards.

Insurance cover
36 months for the Surrogate Mother to take care of all her medical
needs emergency conditions/complications.

Appeals
Intending couple or the surrogate mother can file an appeal with the
state government within 30 days from the rejection of the surrogacy
application.
 MENSTRUAL LEAVE
Zomato announced a new paid period leave policy for employees.

In 2017, the digital media company Culture Machine, which has offices in five
cities in India, put in place a menstrual leave policy independent of vacation
and sick days.
 MENSTRUAL LEAVE

The State of Bihar has had two extra days of casual leave per month for
women government employees to take time off for periods since 1992

Menstruation Benefit Bill, 2017 was tabeled in Lok Sabha in March2017.

 NEED OF MENSTRUAL LEAVE

Age-old taboo: The policy will be

instrumental in tackling an age-old taboo in
India by generating awareness and open
discussions on the issue

Addressing the associated shame or stigma:

The policy is intentioned at providing women
the freedom to tell people on internal
groups, or emails that they are on period
leave.
 NEED OF MENSTRUAL LEAVE
Spillover to the unorganized sector: Increased debate and conversation on the
issue at national level could lead to recognition of menstrual leave in
unorganized sector.

Reassertion of reproductive rights: The policy has the potential to make all
women conscious of their reproductive rights irrespective of direct effect of
policy on them.

Availability of associated infrastructure and menstrual products: Provision of

sanitary napkins and adequate facilities for sanitation and washing could come
into limelight as a result of this policy discussion.
 UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCES

Hiring bias: Additional costs associated with extra paid leaves might
discourage companies from hiring women employees.

Reinforcing the prevalent stereotyping: The policy risks reinforcing the

stereotypes of labeling women as ‘needing extra protection and extra
time off’.

Negative effect on privacy: Asking women to inform their employers

they’re on their periods forces women to let go of their menstrual
privacy.
 GENDER DIMENSIONS OF THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC

COVID 19 Lockdown and social-distancing norms are likely to have an

outsized impact on women
 Livelihood and Job Security
 Social Inequities
 Health
 Increase in instances of Domestic Violence
 ECONOMIC IMPACT

Oxfam India estimates the economic loss from women losing their jobs
during the pandemic at about $216 billion, around 8% of the GDP.

According to the ILO, 81% of Indian women work in the informal

economy. The informal sector is the worst hit by the slowdown.

Social distancing has temporarily disrupted the functioning of (SHGs).

Many women are at risk of a permanent exit from the labour market.
The end result will be the feminization of income poverty
 SOCIAL IMPACT

Migrant Women: Many of the millions of migrant workers forced to

flee cities for their rural homes with little notice were women. They
have safety concerns, with travel a risk for many.
COVID-19 is shifting other household dynamics, too.
✓ Domestic responsibilities that women bear, like cooking and
cleaning, have escalated.
✓ As women in Indian families tend to eat last and the least, financial
strain and food shortages affect women’s nutrition more than men.
Gender inequality in food security will increase further following the
loss of employment income.
Increase in instances of Domestic Violence: There has been a more than two-
fold rise in complaints of domestic violence since the lockdown.

 Lockdowns imposing stricter control on mobility: It puts women in abusive

relationships at extremely high risk of damage from physical, sexual and
emotional abuse.
 Disturbances in relationships: due to stay-at-home rules, economic
uncertainties, and anxieties caused by the pandemic.

 Disruptions in support systems: Healthcare providers and police are

overwhelmed and understaffed, domestic violence shelters are closed or full
 GOVERNMENT INITIATIVES TO HELP DOMESTIC VIOLENCE
VICTIMS
Channelizing One Stop Centres, which provide legal and psycho-social help to
survivors of gender-based violence, are linked with local medical teams,
police and the National Legal Services Authority (NALSA).

The Uttar Pradesh police launched an initiative in March, “Suppress corona,

not your voice” asking battered women to call a helpline number to enable
women police officers to reach them following a complaint.
 GOVERNMENT INITIATIVES TO HELP DOMESTIC VIOLENCE
VICTIMS
Judicial interventions: Delhi high court directed the state and Centre to take
measures to protect women from domestic violence.

Jammu & Kashmir high court, taking Suo moto cognizance of domestic
violence cases during the lockdown, offered a slew of directions including
creating a special fund and designating informal safe spaces for women like
grocery stores and pharmacies.
STAY TUNED…

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