The women's situation in India

First of all it has to be pointed out that there is no generally accepted standard neither for India nor for indian women.

India is a subcontinent. This geographical designation means that India is habitat of many different people of most different ethnics. There are about 170 different ethnics living on the subcontinent, in most different climatic zones. There are 17 official languages being spoken, with 11 totally different scripts, and you can find about 3000 dialects. A situation one experiences is perfectly usual and normal in one place, but might be impossible in another place, just a few kilometres away. Nothing applies to Indians equally!

One thing however unfortunately pulls itself throughout the country: ignoring Indian women and their lack of education.

The fact of keeping children away from education constitutes maltreatment in Germany. This ill-treatment still happens to countless Indian girls and women, particularly in rural India. They do not feel it as an physical pain, but probably as a deficit!

For decades, the illiteracy rate in India is constantly around 47 percent of the population. Illiteracy amongst women has to be stressed out especially.

According to Unicef approximately 70 percent of Indian women are unable to read and write!

These disadvantages particularly occur in rural areas and villages. Most of the girls are not sent to school. Preference is certainly given to the boys. Girls are brought in as workers. Daily live of girls is determined by old-fashioned traditions. Due to the lack of education and little chances girls depend on their families as long as they are children.


This dependence continues when the girls get married. The husband is the women's legal guardian - a situation that is inconceivable for Europeans! For the Indian women, too, it is a desaster.

Because of the lack of education the women can not defend themselves in case any problems occur. Dealing with Indian authorities is difficult anyhow, but especially for women, because they are not lawfully accepted as independent person.

This, of course, affects the children, too. And after all, the families suffer because of this deficit of education amongst women. A well educated women will be in the positon of reflecting about old-fashioned traditions and habits, about the society and cast system. Thanks to education she will be able to find new ways and possibilities for her children's way of lifes. She will be in the position of thinking about health care and hygiene in the family's name. She can make sure that the family eats sensibly, might figure out dangerous situations and deal with them more easily. Last but not least the fact of being literate enables women ot practise birth control. Education makes people stay in their countries, they do not have to take refuge in industrial countries as refugees and by that becoming homeless.

Literate people can bring about changes and improvements in their surroundings. This would affect the western world regarding the migration problems.

Mahatma Gandhi said:
"To educate a man means to educate a lifetime.
To educate a woman means to educate a generation."

With great foresight Gandhi pointed out his country's future problems. Against this background, it should not be found difficult to follow the idea of educating girls and women living in small villages you can not find on any map.