Lets go back to some history : Birth of International Women’s Day - In 1908, around 15,000 women marched in New York City, demanding better working conditions, fair wages, and voting rights.The Socialist Party of America declared the first "National Woman’s Day" on February 28, 1909. In 1910, German activist Clara Zetkin proposed an annual International Women’s Day at the International Socialist Women’s Conference in Copenhagen.
The first official IWD was celebrated on March 19, 1911, in Austria, Denmark, Germany, and Switzerland. By 1975, the United Nations officially recognised March 8 as International Women’s Day.
International Women’s Day is marked to not only celebrate women’s social, economic, cultural, and political achievements but also importantly
1) Raise awareness about ongoing gender inequalities.
2) Advocate for equal rights and opportunities for women globally.
Progress however has been not very encouraging.
According to the World Economic Forum, at the current pace, achieving full gender parity may take until 2158—approximately five generations from now !!!
The theme for International Women’s Day 2025, "For ALL Women and Girls: Rights. Equality. Empowerment," emphasises the importance of achieving gender equality and empowering women and girls globally. To add more more emphasis asnd accelerate women’s empowerment this year adopts a campaign theme "Accelerate Action," emphasising the urgency of advancing gender equality. Highlighting the swift and decisive steps to address the systemic barriers and biases that women face in various spheres of life.
A recent look at the country's statistics when it came to gender disparity in workforce, in pay scale, female infanticide, death by suicide rates and many such issues , disappointed me to a large extent.
Most of these issues stem from a strong inherent and unshakeable patriarchal society.
Unfortunately Patriarchy isn't always overt or obvious. It operates through ingrained societal expectations, stereotypes, and biases that shape our perceptions and behaviors, often without our conscious awareness. Even those who consciously believe in gender equality can be influenced by the invisible patriarchy, leading to internalized biases and self-limiting beliefs.
One common example - Unequal distribution of housework and childcare. I see it all the time in my field i.e medical field. Women Doctors and Nurses often disproportionately handle domestic tasks and childcare responsibilities though handling the same amount of professional workload.
Why is it labelled "Invisible Patriarchy " : It is meant for those people who consciously believe in gender equality but yet are " patriarchal ". Why so ??
1) Normalization: The patriarchal structures and norms are so ingrained in society that they appear as natural or inevitable, making it difficult to recognize them as problematic. For eg Financial investment decisions by the men or the child care responsibilities by the woman.
2) Lack of Awareness: Many people are unaware of the subtle ways in which patriarchy operates, leading to a lack of understanding and action to address it.
3) Internalized Patriarchy: Individuals, particularly women, may internalize patriarchal beliefs and norms, leading to self-doubt and self-limitation. What a woman sees and learns as a child is what is ingrained in her leading to a vicious cycle.
History, Statements, Patriarchy - but nothing holds ground more than evidence. Lets see what evidence tells us on this women's day.
India has an exploding population on the verge of crossing China. It has an estimated 520 million women and 540 million men over the age of 14 who can legally work. Yet India’s female labour force participation rate is lower than in many countries at comparable levels of income and development. Strikingly in Urban India, where 500 million people live, has less than 50 million women in the labour force.
Staying out of the labour force is not associated only with poorer women, rural women or those with lower levels of education. In fact, women who are graduates or have higher education degrees are more likely to be out of the labour force and attending to domestic responsibilities than women with no education.
Then there are more than 70 million women who are doing economically productive work, but for no wages. These are women who work in a household enterprise that is engaged in crop cultivation, milk and livestock production, retail sale of food, or small-scale manufacturing, but do not get paid for their work. In Indian labour statistics, they are termed as "unpaid helpers in household enterprises." While some men do such unpaid work as well, women are twice as likely to be unpaid helpers.
Being in the field of private medical practice for more than a decade,I have seen , faced and dealt with a major concern of gender pay gap.
The gender pay gap, where women are paid less than men for the same role, is a global concern and deeply ingrained in India’s workforce. Ranked 135 out of 146 countries in the Global Gender Gap Index (2022) by the World Economic Forum, India faces a substantial disparity in labour income: men earn 82%, while women earn only 18% (World Inequality Report, 2022).
It is a multifaceted issue :
1) Occupational Segregation: Women in India are often clustered in undervalued sectors such as education, healthcare, and social work. The Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) 2022 highlights that these fields are typically less compensated compared to male-dominated sectors like engineering and finance, PLFS 2022 Report.
2) Educational Attainment vs Job Roles: Despite constituting 48% of higher education enrollments as per the All India Survey on Higher Education (AISHE) 2021-2022 women frequently find themselves in lower-paying roles. Advanced degrees do not always translate into higher earnings or career progression.
3) Gender-Based Dynamics and Workplace Discrimination: Gender biases in hiring and promotions significantly affect wage parity. Research by McKinsey & Company (2023) reveals entrenched discriminatory practices that hinder women’s career advancement and equitable pay.
4) Part-Time and Informal Work: A significant number of women work in informal or part-time roles, which are less secure and lower-paid. The International Labour Organization (2022) notes that these jobs often lack essential benefits and job security, contributing to the gap.
5) Career Breaks and Maternity: Career interruptions due to maternity and caregiving can slow professional growth and reduce income potential. NITI Aayog (2023) underscores the long-term impact of such breaks on women’s earning capacity.
6) Negotiation and Bargaining Power: Social norms often discourage women from negotiating salaries, resulting in lower initial pay and fewer raises over time. This issue is particularly pronounced in India, as noted in the global context by Harvard Business Review (2022).
7) Lack of Women in Leadership Roles: Women’s underrepresentation in executive roles exacerbates the pay gap. Despite significant workforce presence, women hold only 17% of executive positions, with female CEOs often earning less than their male counterparts, according to Deloitte (2023).
8) The Urban-Rural Divide: The gender pay gap is also intensified by the urban-rural divide. Over 60% of rural women work in informal sectors, facing weak enforcement of wage laws and minimal benefits.
9) Cultural norms and limited educational access further restrict their entry into better-paying jobs, as detailed by the International Labour Organization (2022).
10) Informal Economy Challenges- work in occupations that are not formal on paper.
11) Cultural Barriers: In India, entrenched societal norms that devalue women’s work perpetuate gender discrimination and undermine pay parity
There have been many efforts to rectify these. Some of them are :
1) The Equal Remuneration Act (1976) mandates equal pay for men and women performing the same level of work.
2) Maternity Benefit Act (1961) ensures paid maternity leave, aiming to prevent career disadvantages due to childbirth.
3) The Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition, and Redressal) Action (2013), commonly known as the POSH Act, protects women from workplace harassment, contributing to a safer work environment.
4) The Companies Act (2013) mandates gender diversity policies at the executive level.
Most of these acts formated years ago are only on paper with no real presence or implementation on the ground. Unavailability of jobs to women in the child rearing age groups to avoid maternity Benefits is a glaring reality so is blatant gender disparity in the pay scale inspite of the same level of work.
‘To bridge gender pay gaps, a mindset shift is essential. Only through unified efforts of Samaaj, Sarkaar, Bazaar — enforcing laws and challenging deep-rooted cultural biases — can we overcome systemic barriers and achieve true equality.’
Violence :
In India, 30% of women have experienced domestic violence at least once since they were 15 years old.
Violence within the confines of home continues to remain a serious concern with 24% of the complaints received by the National Commission for Women over 2024 pertaining to domestic violence. Complaints from women seeking "right to live with dignity" continue to top the list, accounting for nearly 28% of the total cases in 2024, followed by domestic violence and dowry harassment.
There have been many protests in the recent past by men quoting that most of the dowry cases are falsified by women for harassment purposes.
While there is data available on cases registered and their disposal under the Dowry Prohibition Act, it's important to note that this data is often classified, and the exact percentage of "false" cases is difficult to determine.
According to the NCRB 2022 report, the combined false cases for three specific crimes of similar nature viz. Rape, Attempt to commit rape and Assault on Women with intent to Outrage her Modesty - account for 7.23% of the total false cases reported. Similarly in the same report, as per Dowry Prohibition act percentage of false cases was 1.57 %.
This doesnt justify the actions of the women in question but it does highlight the difference in the projection of the magnitude of the issue.
Women in India have twice the suicide death rate (SDR) compared with the global average for women. Studies do state that "relatively high SDR among women in low-income and middle-income countries compared with high-income countries might be related to the higher level of institutional discrimination women experience in these countries, including women having restricted access to productive and financial assets and to justice, or unequal rights with regard to citizenship, household responsibilities, divorce, and inheritance".
Am I pessimistic? Yes !
Do I dare to be hopeful ? Not really!
Reason : Lack of acceptance and an attitude of defiance even. Some sort of absurd expression of loss of ??? Power if there is a change.
Sitting in a room full of robotic surgeons , more than 200 with maybe 10 -15 women ( maximum ) on international women's day is a dark stark reminder of the progress we are making in terms of the development of women.
Maybe the fact that "achieving full gender parity may take until 2158—approximately five generations from now !!!" Should be drilled into our heads and more importantly our son's heads along with the basic concept- women are human too !!!!
