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Social Stratification

Notes offence against the State and is punishable with not less than five years of imprisonment and
a fine of Rs. 15000 or the amount representing the value of dowry.
• Child Marriage Restraint (Amendment) Act, 1976 : The age of marriage was raised to 18
years from 15 years in the case of girls and to 21 years in the case of boys.
• Hindu Adoption and Maintenance Act, 1955 : An unmarried woman, widow or a divorcee
of sound mind can also take a child in a adoption.
• Hindu Succession Act, 1956 : It vested women with rights in the matter for inheritance as
well as alienation of property at par with males.
Besides these, several laws have been enacted to give labour protection for women workers. The
Maternity Benefit Act, 1961 and the Equal Remuneration Act, 1976 are two exclusive and substantive
laws providing respectively for (i) leave with wages for six weeks following child birth; non-
exposure to work of arduous nature for one month immediately preceding six weeks before
delivery and (ii) payment of remuneration equal with men for work of equal value. Protective
provisions under other laws provide for facilities such as creches, time off for feeding the children,
separate toilets etc. The Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act, 1971 permits abortions, if found
justified from the medical point of view. Pre-natal Diagnostic Techniques (Regulation and Prevention
of Misuse) Act, 1994 regulates investigation for sex determination of foetus. Sex determination tests
are often conducted to identify female foetus and abort the same illegally. “Violence against the
human body is generally a penal offence, whether it be the man or the woman who is affected. The
provisions of laws affecting women in this regard have been periodically reviewed and amendments
carried out, especially to make the relevant penal provisions more deterrent and effective. Rape,
kidnapping, homicide for dowry, torture, molestation, sexual harassment at workplace, are all
women related offences which have come under public debate and scrutiny very frequently”
(Sarla Gopalan, 2000).

10.3 Women’s Empowerment

The concept of empowerment flows from that of power. In the popular sense, the term ‘power’ is
understood as the capability to do anything. In the societal context, ‘power’ is understood as
authority, right to command, right to govern or rule, capability to influence etc. Thus, empowerment
simply means vesting power where it does not exist or exist inadequately. “Empowerment has
become a fashionable buzz word. It essentially means decentralization of authority and power. It
aims at getting participation of deprived sections of people in decision making process. In other
words, giving voice to the voiceless. Activists want government to empower poor people including
women by legislative measures and welfare programmes. Unless capacity is built in these sections
in reality, the power is used by others rather than the section for which it is meant (K.D. Gangrade,
2001).
Women’s empowerment as a phenomenon is not something new. It has been there throughout the
history in all societies. What could be considered new is its increasingly coming out in public,
used as a social movement and being looked as an ideology. Now it has been reshaped from
women’s welfare to their development to empowerment and is being discussed, reported and
critically evaluated. What is rather new is the identification of the girl children and women as a
special group and the acknowledgement, internationally, of the importance of specific focus on
the critical and key issues related with the empowerment of women. What is further new is the
increasing realization and recognition that empowering women is absolutely essential, rather
imperative, for familial, societal, national and international development and progress. It has also
been realized and accepted that genuine commitment and efforts have to be made at the
governmental, non-governmental and individual levels to work towards establishing women’s
empowerment.

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