The growing influence of the corporate world has increased the body-centric image of women, Lucknow University's former Vice Chancellor Dr Roop Rekha Verma said today.
"The growing influence of the corporate world has increased the body-centric image of women. Women now may think that they are liberated after globalisation, but in fact, they are more chained with their retrograde self-image," Verma said at a national seminar on women's issues in Mumbai University.
She was delivering the keynote address at the two-day national seminar on 'Contemporary issues in women's studies: A feminist discourse' organised jointly by Association of Indian Universities, AIU, and University of Mumbai.
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"We need to conduct a review of the steps we have taken forward and also those taken in regression," she said.
Though some of women's problems have been blunted, some have become sharper and many now have been added to the old list, Verma said.
"Nowadays, the problems before a woman start even before she is born. If at all a girl child is allowed to be born, she faces a series of problems till her death.
Hurdles like survival, dignity of life, denial to participation in decision-making, gender equality, etc, chase her all her life," she said.
While finding solutions, inclusion of men is a must, she said, adding, that all these problems should be viewed as problems of human rights.
In his presidential remarks, MU Vice Chancellor Dr Rajan Welukar explained why despite so many efforts, no major change was visible so far.
"Our main problem is that we do not participate in change and development. We only teach and preach about change and progress, and wait for someone else to take the lead," Verma said.
"We need to focus on four 'I's - introspection, intervention, innovation and implementation. A change will be possible only after society starts dealing with women's problems as 'problems before our society as a whole'," he said.
