Not a Country for Women

A recent Spanish documentary entitled "Not a Country for Women," portrays women's role in Indian society and offers horrifying testimonies of what too many women in India are forced to suffer every day. 

Click here to listen to a report (in Spanish) on the radio station Cadena Ser. 

We agree that this country is full of lights and shadows and, as in the words of one of the commentators, we believe that "India has started to follow a course of undoubtable modernization and of gender equality and which will be unstoppable. It is a country that has begun to move forward and it has begun to move forward with women of resilience." (min 37:00)

Women's literacy project, Gulabgarh - How the women of Gulabgarh found me

Ever heard of Gulabgarh? Where is that? On the edge of the Indian Himalayas? I thought the Himalayan range was in Tibet and Nepal ... in India, there are mountains? ....

This was the way I felt when I first heard of Gulabgarh. I myself, for the first time in India, had no idea of this country: its diversity, its colors, the culture, the landscape, the people. Just respect. A sentence of Michael Obert, a German travel journalist, could have been mine: "For a long time the idea of a trip to India inspired fear to me. I did not feel ready for the subcontinent and I feared that nothing might become of it. "

Today I can say, yes, India has not left me. What fascinated me, among many things on my trip to India (tour of Rajasthan), were the women. The barrenness, poverty, simple life, and then these proud and so sincere women. Quite strange, but they have left me the least. They activated me to think about me and my own life, as a woman. I myself grew up in Germany, well protected, with a good education, a college degree and a good job.

Later Tashi Chering, my Indian guide, told mein his reserved manner, about the W.L.P., which he has founded. As the result of a linguistic misunderstanding (yes, my English skills are upgradeable), I initially thought that it was a literary club for women (sorry!) and was interested only partially in the project.

Later, it turned out to be a mistake and I learned that the W.L.P. is a school for women in Gulabgarh in which the women are getting a chance to learn to write, to read, to count and to learn English. I looked at my Indian map for Gulabgarh and learned that many women living in the remote region of Paddar, in which Gulabgarh is located, have received no school education. Everything I had heard about the project, for me had hand and foot and I trusted Tashi.

But still – isn’t it better to support a project that is advocating directly for the education of girls? A project that takes care of the future of the girls in India?

But who take care for the girls on-site? Who is learning with the girls? Who makes sure that the girls get an education as equal as the boys? Who are the good examples for these girls? And who educates the boys of today that later, as fathers, they will make sure that their daughters will get a very good education? The moms!

And when I realized this, I realized that I want to support the WLP.

I am not a feminist, but I think we women of the world should stick together. And my thanks go to Tashi, who sticks, as a man, also by women J.

And yes, the Indian women cannot get rid of me. Even on my last trip to India I was introduced to a very remarkable Indian woman.

78 years, short grey hair, jeans and sneakers, studied medicine in London, born 2 sons, made a career as a doctor in Delhi and be divorced from her husband at age of 40 because of a "bad marriage". Unfortunately, I forgot to ask her name.

The power of this woman - I wish it for myself and for the women of Gulabgarh.

Greetings, Andrea

Closing the Gender Wage Gap

As we all know, gender inequality is not limited to India; it exists in most countries around the world, including the U.S. The gender wage gap is evidence of this. As the following infographic shows, the difference in economic attainments between men and women as shown in their earnings, is one aspect of the gender gap that we must make an effort to eliminate. It's true that there's still a long struggle ahead for us, but we've got the determination and the enthusiasm to work for change.

“ Created by: LearnStuff.com ”

Indian Women Struggle for Change

Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

Statistics show that women in India have achieved a great deal in recent years, including a reduction in maternal mortality rates, and an increase in both literacy rates and education levels. However, there is still much to be done to reduce the gender gap. 

In reaction to the gruesome gang rape in Delhi, a protest movement emerged which was born, according to the women who started it, "'of their outraged realization that no matter how accomplished they become, or how hard they work, women here will never fully take part in the promise of a new and more prosperous India unless something fundamental about the culture changes.'"

According to the N.Y. Times article "Indian Women March: 'That Girl Could Have Been Any One of Us'"), "sociologists and crime experts say the attacks are the result of deeply entrenched misogynistic attitudes and the rising visibility of women, underpinned by long-term demographic trends in India." These atttitudes must change.  How, then, can we contribute to this change?

The Women's Literacy Project of Gulabgarh is aware that, no matter how small our effort, we can all help to improve the situation of Indian women and we therefore support whatever measures and efforts must me taken to achieve this aim. In our case, actions begins with increasing the literacy rate among the women of rural areas in Paddar.

Among other things, literacy empowers women by increasing their self-confidence and providing opportunities for them to improve their lives at both a personal and professional level. It also raises awareness, helping women to recognize what their collective needs and rights are, thereby providing them with an essential tool for understanding why this affirmative struggle for change is so important. Finally, literacy can show women how they can remain united in this positive undertaking.

On a positive note, we see that people have joined together in this movement to demand a safer existence for all women throughout India. Let us hope that this union is a long-lasting one, capable of bringing on other greatly needed changes in social attitudes that will close the great gender divide.