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A Feminist Analysis into Identity, Health and Power Dynamics in Our Society

A Feminist Analysis into Identity, Health and Power Dynamics in Our Society

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“There is no chance of the welfare of the world, unless the condition of women is improved.”

-        Swami Vivekananda

 

Women make up roughly half of the human population. They are extremely important in society. The status of women can readily be used to gauge a country's civilisation and culture. However, women have always been the most vulnerable and exploited group in society, regardless of age, time, place, or civilization. The low status of women in ancient times became a vicious circle that needed to be broken in order for India to develop. This was due to a lack of opportunity and health facilities. Embarrassment, torture, exploitation, and violence have all been perpetrated against women.

 

  1. Feminist Analysis into Identity

 

1.1 Women's positions and identities are extremely fragile in patriarchal societies such as ours, where women are treated as second-class citizens. Women faced a variety of issues in ancient times, including the practice of inhuman rituals such as sati burning, polygamy, purdah pratha, child marriage, and so.

 

1.2 However, as society evolved, the status of women improved with the emergence of female social reformers who dedicated their lives to empower women. A few of them with their significant contribution are as follows:

 

      Savitribai Phule (1831-1897)

 

A Dalit woman and a pioneer of the Indian feminist movement, Savitribai Phule championed the cause of education for women in India. She was the country’s first female teacher who went on to establish several schools for women of all castes. Along with her husband Jyoti Rao Phule, Savitribai campaigned to abolish caste and gender discrimination and set up ‘Balhatya Pratibandhak Griha’ to prevent female infanticide. She worked with other women to uplift the victims of rape and prevent killings of widows. Today, every educated, privileged Indian woman should be deeply grateful to Savitribai Phule and her associates.

 

      Tarabai Shinde (1850-1910)

 

A feminist activist and an associate of Savitribai, Tarabai Shinde’s thoughts and opinions remain controversial to date because of their progressive and non-conformist nature. She was an ardent critic of the inherent patriarchy of Hindu scriptures and worked extensively to highlight the disparities between men and women. While she shared the same views on gender and caste-based discrimination as Savitribai’s, she also believed that women all around the world are similarly oppressed. Her first published work was her Marathi book named “Stri Purush Tulana” (Comparison of men and women) which is frequently cited among the Indian feminist circuit to date as it is deemed as one of the first modern feminism texts in India.

 

      Ramabai Ranade (1863-1924)

 

Married off as a child of 11, Ramabai Ranade decided to devote her life to the emancipation of women. Fortunately, her husband was encouraged her to study and widen her horizon of knowledge. She went on to establish Seva Sadan in Pune and Mumbai which focussed on teaching women various life skills. Seva Sadan continues to educate girls to this date. She was also the president of All India Women Conference and was the first Indian woman to address a public gathering in English. She had devoted her life to make women independent, financially and otherwise.

 

1.3 From the work of aforestated social reformers women became important participants in India's war for Independence. Eventually they also rose up against the 'purdah' and assembled behind the tricolour flag in a show of defiance. Following India's freedom, women attempted to reclaim their dignity and standing.

 

  1. Feminist Analysis into Health

 

2.1 When years went passed a new term, feminist political economy of health arose, combining and connecting a feminist political economy perspective with a focus on women's health inequities. The concept of feminist political economy of health has been shaped by feminist medical sociologists and health scholars. There are huge health inequalities outside of the healthcare system due to women's social, economic, political, and cultural circumstances, there are also significant health disparities within the healthcare system. Health inequities are one of the central problems in public health ethics; a feminist approach leads us to examine not only the connections between gender, disadvantage, and health, but also the distribution of power in the processes of public health, from policy making to programme delivery.

 

  1. Feminist Analysis into Power Dynamics in Our Society

 

3.1 In addition, the concept of power lies at the heart of a wide range of feminist philosophical debates. The feminist perspective on power is straightforward: they feel that power in society is unequally and unjustly distributed in favour of males. Women are discriminated against, according to feminists, and men use their authority to control women's lives.

 

3.2 Many feminists divide men's power over women into two categories: public and private spheres. Even many feminists would admit that the balance of power in the public realm, such as the workplace and politics, is shifting. Government laws and regulations, for example, mandate that men and women be paid equally.

 

3.3 However, feminists contend that the greatest inequality exists in the private sphere, and that government regulations and legislation have little direct impact on the family. Women, for example, are typically responsible for childcare and frequently work the 'triple-shift.' According to feminist, Carol Pateman, inequality in the private domain prevents women from acquiring power in the public sphere.

 

Conclusion

 

In a nutshell women play an important role in our society. Women's empowerment in the purest sense will occur only when society's attitude toward women changes. Women's empowerment remains a dynamic goal that demands an effective and object-oriented approach, such as education, awareness, and collaborative social and political initiatives. Today, many educated ladies have taken it upon themselves to battle these societal ills. It is past time for society to acknowledge women's worth.

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