Improvements were made in numerous sectors in post-independence India that led to the well-being of women in society. Many programmes and strategies were created with the goal of bringing about growth among women. The primary components that encourage women empowerment include encouraging them to obtain education and participate in the labour market.
Reasons for persistence of patriarchy:
1. The initial lessons in patriarchy are learned in a family where a man/father is the head of the household. Man is considered the family's head and has power over women's sexuality, labour, reproduction, and mobility.
2. The idea of motherhood is promoted by patriarchal society, which limits women's mobility and burdens them with the responsibility of nurturing and rearing children.
3. These gender stereotypes that women are at a disadvantage and are vulnerable to violence and other kinds of discriminations and injustices.
4. Systemic deprivation and violence against women, such as rape, sexual harassment, sexual abuse, female feticide, infanticide, sati, dowry deaths, wife-beating, high female illiteracy, malnutrition, undernourishment, and a persistent sense of insecurity, keep women confined to the home, economically exploited, socially suppressed, and politically passive.
5. Patriarchal knowledge constructions foster patriarchal ideology, which is reflected in educational institutions, the knowledge system, and the media, all of which encourage male domination.
6. Religion and religious institutions legitimize patriarchal social practices since most religious traditions regard male authority as superior, and laws and customs concerning family, marriage, divorce, and inheritance are tied to patriarchal control over property that is skewed against women.
Intervention required for improving women status and removing patriarchal attitude:
1. Focusing on behavioural change programmes for bringing attitudinal change in society. Forced law and judicial intervention are not enough. Role modelling and emotional appeal would go a long way in ensuring change of behaviour. Example being selfies with daughters.
2. Reservation for women in parliament and state assemblies. It’s time to rethink the 108th constitutional amendment bill for political empowerment of women.
3. Their that’s been legislative modernity in case of women specific laws such as e.g. Protection of women from Domestic violence Act, Maternity benefit bill, PCPNDT etc. But we still need to make many existing laws more gender neutral. Marital rape being one of them.
4. Conviction rate in violence against women is very low (26% as per NCRB2019). There is a need to reform the criminal justice system so that justice is not denied and violence as a means of women subjugation is dealt with iron hands.
5. Changes at the institutional level are required so that domains which are seen as male dominated are reformed for better representation of women in all walks of life. Eg- SC allows women to appear in NDA Examination.
It can be concluded from the above discussion that women’s status in Indian society has radically changed since Independence. It cannot be said that the measures taken have been completely implemented in the society as still customs and traditions are given much more importance in a country like India, still, a gradual change has been experienced by the women over these years and they have become much more independent and aware in today’s time.