Pre-Departure Critique
During my trip to India, I am eager to learn how gender differences affect society. I want to understand how gender equality works in India. Before knowing I was going to India, I had a biased view of women being discriminated against in India. Also, during the Evisa process, I was surprised that once I chose the “student” option, the questionnaire automatically defaulted to my father’s employment information or spouse. This supports the idea that a mother would not be the one to finance the family.
Gender inequality is a persistent issue in India that manifests in various forms, including economic, political, social, and cultural spheres. Despite the significant progress made in recent years, women in India still face significant disparities and discrimination in several areas.
According to the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), 12,680 crimes against women were reported in Karnataka in 2020 and 371,503 in India. As we know, the root causes of violence against women in India are complex and multifaceted, with factors such as patriarchal attitudes, gender-based discrimination, poverty, lack of education, and inadequate legal and law enforcement mechanisms all playing a role. I want to understand how much gender inequality plays a role in the violence against women.
Violence against women in India is a serious and complex issue that has been a long-standing problem. The issue encompasses various cases of abuse, including domestic violence, sexual harassment, rape, dowry-related violence, acid attacks, and honor killings. India’s law criminalizes rape in most cases, but marital rape is not illegal when the woman is older than 15. Research by Showalter et al. (2020) shows that married women in India experience intimate partner violence (IPV) at alarming rates. The prevalence of IPV for women in India is higher than the global rate, estimated at 33%, and the Eastern Mediterranean Region rate, estimated at 37% (World Health Organization [WHO], 2013).
While abroad, I would like to understand more the women’s perspective on this inequality. Am I biased with a Western view of gender equality? This topic interests me because I want to understand if gender equality is an issue in India or if my ideals influence me. Also, I am interested in why violence against women is still a big concern in India and how the government can prioritize it. I am concerned about exploring this research in India because, as a woman, I feel there can be some obstacles because of my gender.
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References
Crime against children - national crime records bureau. (n.d.). https://ncrb.gov.in/sites/default/files/crime_in_india_table_additional_table_chapter_reports/6-Crime%20against%20Children_2012.pdf
Showalter, K., Mengo, C., & Choi, M. S. (2019). Intimate partner violence in India: Abuse in India’s Empowered Action Group states. Violence Against Women, 26(9), 972–986. https://doi.org/10.1177/1077801219848500
U.S. Department of State. (2022a, May 10). 2021 country reports on human rights practices - united states department of state. U.S. Department of State. https://www.state.gov/reports/2021-country-reports-on-human-rights-practices/
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World Health Organization. (2013). Global and regional estimates of violence against women: Prevalence and health effects of intimate partner violence and non-partner sexual violence. Geneva, Switzerland: Author.
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