Open Access Research Article
HARNESSING INNOVATIONS FOR GENDER EQUALITY
Published Paper
Article Details
HARNESSING INNOVATIONS FOR GENDER
EQUALITY
AUTHORED
BY - 1MS. AMANDEEP KAUR & 2SIMRAN
1Assistant
Professor, University Institute of Law,
Sant Baba Bhag
Singh University, Jalandhar, PB
2LL.M, Student,
Sant Baba Bhag Singh University, Jalandhar, PB
ABSTRACT
One of the essential
Humanitarian right is Gender equality.
It is a condition in which all the people, irrespective of gender,
have equitable utilisation of opportunities and resources. Half of the world’s
population is made up of women, who also have half of its own potential and
abilities. Over the past few decades, there have been advances in achieving sex
equality. There are a number of potential
innovations that have been
taken to accelerate progress
towards gender equality. This
research paper examines some key innovations towards gender equality/sex
equality and the initiatives taken by the Indian government towards promoting gender
equality. This study also explores the importance of gender equality.
Men of quality respect women’s
equality”
~ Jeremiah Say
INTRODUCTION
Equality is a core Human right and one of the pillars of
democratic societies. Every person,
whether men and women, is free
to develop and have the right to be
treated equally. Gender equality aims to eradicate discrimination based on sex/gender
and promote fairness or equality. The idea of gender equality has existed since the
draw of human civilisation. But still it can not be achieved completely over the world.
Sexism/Gender inequality reflects the gap that occurs due to inequality between
men and women. For centuries, gender
based discrimination has been
caused with the women and they were excluded from social, political and
economic life. They were deprived of education, representation and leadership
too. Many countries such as India,
Egypt and
Indonesia have laws that give less proprietary rights to the women from the
ancestral property as compared
to men. From Ancient time,
women were only associated with domesticity,
taking care of the children. They were regarded as ‘GRAHANI’. Therefore, the
occupation was predominated by men. But now, that traditional stereotype has
been changed. Now, the women could be Independent and men are also engaged in
the responsibilities of household. In order to achieve the goal of gender
equality, women empowerment should be required in making decisions at public
and private level. It took initiatives and addressing. Many authors and feminists had changed history through the power of their pens. ‘Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’ is a
prominent author known for her strong stance on gender equality. In her book ‘we should all be feminists ‘advocating for the removal
of stigma associated with feminism and actively promoting gender equality. ‘Mary
Wollstonecraft’ in
her writings ‘A Vindication of
the Rights of Women’ stated that like men’s, the women also deserve the
same educational, economical and political rights. The view that men and women
have the same capacities is found in Book V of Plato’s Republic in which Plato has argued that the ruling and guardian class of the ideal republic
should be composed of both men and women. ‘Oxfam’ asserts
that there is no economic, social and environmental justice without Gender
Justice. Now, these days the world governments have started taking
steps to ensure
gender equality. Several
laws and policies
are enacted or prepared
to encourage women. Initiatives have been made on gender equality at the
international level.
MEANING OF GENDER EQUALITY
Sex Equality
is the idea that men and women
are the same in all relevant
way; they should have equal rights and opportunities to
live fulfilling lives.
DEFINITIONS OF GENDER EQUALITY
According to United
Nations, “Gender
Equality refers to the equal rights, responsibilities and opportunities of women and men”.
According to World Health Organization,
“Gender Equality is the absence
of discrimination on the
basis of a person’s sex or gender in all sphere of life”.
IMPORTANCE OF GENDER EQUALITY
Gender equality
is essential for overall development of the nation. Here are some importance of gender equality.
1.
Women Empowerment: Gender equality is important
for women empowerment. To enable women to
make informed decisions in the sectors like careers and leadership.
2. Reduction of Violence:
Gender equality
is important to reduce violence
against women and promote a
respectful or safer society.
3.
Reduction of Poverty: Gender equality is reducing poverty
by encouraging women to
start their own business and reducing the gender wage gap.
4.
Promote women Literacy: Gender equality in education leads to improved
women literacy rates among women and girls.
5.
Challenges Discriminatory Laws: Gender equality challenges discriminatory laws,
policies and practices that are male dominated.
HARNESSING INNOVATIONS FOR GENDER EQUALITY
Despite notable
advancements much work remains in the field of gender equality.
Here are some harnessing innovations made for gender equality-
·
MOBILE/ONLINE BANKING
Online Banking is one of the innovation which enables women in rural areas so that they should access financial services
through their mobile phones.
·
E-LEARNING PLATFORMS
E-learning or Online classes are providing education
and skills training
to girls in conflict
zones or areas where schools are not available. It aims to increase digital
literacy among women. It encourages girls to start their career in the field of
science, technology, engineering and mathematics.
For example, Digital
Empowerment Foundation (DEF),
India’s Digital India
Initiative and Australia’s
Digital Inclusion Strategy.
·
E-COMMERCE PLATFORMS
E-Commerce Platforms like Flipkart or Amazon etc. enables the women entrepreneurs to sell their
products and services online. Online marketplaces
and financial tools support women’s entrepreneurship.
For example, Sweden’s
Women Business Development Program provides funding,
training and networking opportunities for women entrepreneurs.
·
HEALTHCARE AND WELLBEING
Providing healthcare services
to women particularly in rural and underserved areas.
For example, Brazil Women’s Health Program is an effective
innovation which provides comprehensive healthcare services
including reproductive health and violence prevention.
·
DATA-DRIVEN ADVOCACY
United State’s Data 2x Initiative that aims to improve data collection and analysis on the
subject of gender equality.
UK’s Gender Data Portal
provides a platform
for collecting gender
data and supporting evidence-based policy making.
·
POLICY AND LEGISLATION
Innovation in the field of law reduces
gender inequality and gender violence.
For example, Iceland’s Equal Pay Law requires companies to pay equal wages
to men and women.
·
INTERNET OF THINGS (IOT)
It is a device and sensor that enables women to report incidents of harassment at the workplace.
·
VIRTUAL REALITY FOR WOMEN’S
EMPOWERMENT
Virtual reality
based training programs
offer a means of skill development, educational access and career
opportunities.
·
MOBILE APPS FOR THE SAFETY OF WOMEN
Several Apps have been made which provides a platform for women to report
incidents of harassment and
Violence.
For example, Safetipin, Raksha and Himmat.
·
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE POWERED TOOLS
Artificial Intelligence can be an effective measure for promoting gender
equality. Here are some tools powered by Artificial Intelligence which helps in promoting gender equality.
Chatbots:
Chatbots powered by AI provide
resources and support
to the women and girls who
experience violence or discrimination.
Smart Home Security: smart Home Security powered
AI can provide safety and security
to women in their homes.
Job Matching Platforms: Job Matching Platforms powered by AI can help women
in finding jobs and employment opportunities according to their skills
and interests.
INITIATIVES MADE BY UNITED NATIONS
The UN’s Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)
and the World Bank are making initiatives regarding gender equality in
developing countries.
·
UN WOMEN established in 2010, is a global
campaign for gender
equality. It works to
promote women’s rights, empowerment and participation.
·
THE BEIJING DECLARATION AND PLATFORM FOR ACTION,
this declaration was adopted in 1995, this is a landmark
document which sets out a comprehensive framework for achieving
gender equality.
INITIATIVES MADE BY INDIA GOVERNMENT
To
advance gender equality, the Indian government has launched a number of projects. Here are several projects
launched by the Indian government.
·
Beti Bachao Beti Padhao, 2015.It seeks to improve girl’s
education and health while
also avoiding sex selective abortion.
·
National Policy For Women: This
policy was launched
in 2016. It aims to promote women empowerment, equality
and justice.
·
The Sexual Harassment Act,2013: The Sexual Harassment Of Women At Workplace ( Prevention, Prohibition and
Redressal) Act,2013 aims to
prevent and prohibit sexual harassment against women’s at workplaces. It also provides
redressal to the women regarding
harassment at workplaces.
·
The Domestic Violence Act,2005
: It is an enactment
that recognizes women’s rights and provides provisions for protection orders,
monetary
orders and compensatory
orders from court against domestic violence. It aims to teach the people that domestic violence
is unlawful and should be prohibited by law.
·
Stand-Up India Scheme,2016: It
provides financial assistance to women
entrepreneurs from Scheduled Castes/Schedule Tribes.
INDIAN CONSTITUTION AND GENDER EQUALITY
Several significant Articles
of the Indian Constitution address
the principle of gender equality as outlined below.
·
ARTICLE
14: RIGHT TO EQUALITY
Right to Equality ensures
equality before law and equal protection of the
law.
·
ARTICLE
15: PROHIBITION OF DISCRIMINATION
It forbidden
discrimination based on gender.
·
ARTICLE
16: EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES IN EMPLOYMENT
It ensures equal
opportunities in the matter relating to appointment in
public sector jobs and it also
prohibits discrimination based on gender in employment. The government also makes reservations for disadvantaged
groups like SC/ST and OBC.
·
ARTICLE
39: EQUAL PAY:
It ensures that there
should be no discrimination between the wages provided to men or women for equal work.
CASE STUDY
·
Shayara Bano v/s Union of
India and Ors. (2017)
The court observed that
Triple Talaq is unconstitutional. It violates Article 14 i.e. right to equality, as the husband
the husband breaks
the marriage tie instantly without the consideration of the wife.
·
Vishaka
and Ors. v/s State of Rajasthan (1997)
It is a landmark judgement which dealing with
the sexual harassment against women at Workplace. The court has issued various
guidelines for preventing and
addressing such harassment. In result new Act
i.e. The Sexual Harassment of women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and
Redressal) Act, 2013 is enacted.
CONCLUSION
Gender Equality is essential for a
peaceful and prosperous world. When every person has equal rights,
duties, and opportunities the gender equality
should be achieved. The
Harnessing Innovations for gender equality is essential for promoting women’s
empowerment. Innovations in the field of technology,
education, economic empowerment and women’s safety
can reduce the gender gap between men and women. It helps us to
address the complex challenges that women can
face.
REFERENCE
Article Information
HARNESSING INNOVATIONS FOR GENDER EQUALITY
Authors: MS. AMANDEEP KAUR, SIMRAN
- Journal IJLRA
- ISSN 2582-6433
- Published 2025/03/17
- Issue 7
About Journal
International Journal for Legal Research and Analysis
- Abbreviation IJLRA
- ISSN 2582-6433
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