Anguished over falling female sex ratio and rising crimes against women despite a plethora of laws, Rajasthan Governor Margaret Alva has sought concrete steps for changing mindset of people to ensure complete empowerment of women.
"Statistics present a sad picture - falling female sex ratio, rising crimes against women and children, and the negative impact of a competitive globalised economy on their lives," Alva said.
As 2011 Census data reveals - in several districts, where literacy and education have improved, and per capita incomes increased, sex ratio of the girl has fallen, she said delivering a lecture here last night.
"Science seems to have joined hands with tradition to destroy the female foetus which is termed as the missing child," Alva said.
Voicing concern over rising foeticide, infanticide, child marriages, domestic violence, rape and 'dowry death', Alva said "I am deeply anguished - and exasperated - that our Society, even as it places women on a religious pedestal to be worshipped, can maintain a stoic, deafening silence in the face of extreme violence against women.
Though women perform difficult back-breaking jobs in agriculture, industry and the informal sector and work long hours, they are generally paid less than men, she said adding the moment the machine or labour saving devices come, the women are eased out and the men take over.
Stating that woman's income vanishes and her work in the home is termed unpaid labour of love not accounted for in GDP or National Income, she said this is true also of women who work on family farms and enterprises performing difficult tasks for the family -- fetching fuel, fodder and water.
Quoting a UN report, Alva said. "Women, who comprise half the world's population, do two thirds of the world's work, earn one tenth of the world's income and own one hundredth of the world's property.
