- Yes, the subject matter is done to death with reams and reams having been written over the years. Nonetheless, the women’s lot simply does not appear to have undergone drastic alteration to mention they are at par with men in society’s overall scheme of things. Despite making tremendous progress over the millennia vis-à-vis developments, innovations, inventions, and the emergence of cutting-edge technology-driven initiatives, women continue to be treated as second-class citizens. Yes, none of the hitherto reserved male bastions is anathema to women of late since the latter have proved their mettle in every aspect and at par with the former. However, the mindset of society stereotyping women hasn’t changed much though. This is sad.
PC: Wajee Hospital
- People are a microcosm of society showcasing how perspective changes over some time. Unfortunately, society’s outlook toward women hasn’t altered on expected lines despite living in a supposedly modern environment. Certain norms associated with men and women have stuck for eternity. Take for instance, how Indian society treats married women extracting penalties by robbing the young of economic independence. When a woman and a man get married, who pays the penalty? Of course, she pays a penalty. They have a child, again, she pays a penalty. These marriage and motherhood penalties refer to how women’s work prospects dip down. Only theirs, not their spouses’. Strange? Not at all. Let’s dwelve deeply to understand the phenomenon better.
- Agreed, the motherhood penalty makes sense insofar as someone must take care of the child, and patriarchy is powerful. This penalty can be high in rich economies too. The marriage penalty is more atrocious because why should becoming a wife mean one gets tasked with taking full-time care of a man who presumably managed to take care of himself when unmarried? As World Bank’s new South Asia development update suggests, marriage affects female labour force participation independently, and even before childbearing, in settings of the deepest gender inequality. In neighbouring Nepal, the marriage penalty is statistically insignificant. In India, women’s employment rate drops 12 percentage points following marriage. That’s disconcerting.
PC: The Economic Times
- As if this is not already painfully unfair, men get to enjoy a marriage premium, becoming a husband being associated with higher labour force participation. Marriage is a near-universal in India. So long as irrational gender norms persist, women just will not be able to reach their work and wage potential. Nobody’s really the better off, not the economy, not the next generation, not even the husband who might think he is. Total disconnection from a household’s labour also deprives him of its emotional support. Education can mitigate the marriage penalty. More educated women can have greater household bargaining power and more educated husbands can have less conservative social attitudes. The window of opportunity for economic freedom should be fully explored by women. The men and in turn society should support this wholeheartedly.
