Thursday, March 18, 2010

Gender Quota - Where are the Women protesters ?

In further progression of the quota system in India, it has now been proposed to provide quota for womens in the parliament. No doubt arguments have already started to have further sub-quotas for SC / ST womens & so on. The issue that has surprised me this time is the whole hearted support from every women in the country in support of this quota. Well, you would say this is natural, but i have conflict with the double standard being displayed over here.

Everyone knows there are two powerful emotions in the country for & against the overall Quota system. In the past there were violent demonstrations as well against the quotas which were well participated by womens as well. I see no such second opinions from women, this time around. So does that means, that all female folks are in agreement of furtherence of Quota Raj, because it is beneficial to them ? If that is so, then it would also mean that all those womens who had protested in the past over Quotas were doing so only because they were on the wrong side. I mean they were not protesting on ideology, but only because they were from the group (higher castes / Brahmins) which will not get the Quota benefit.

This lack of ideology / conviction disturbs me. Either you are for quota or are against it. How can there be a middle path (at least not in the current form). I accept that in some parts & geography of our society, gender in-equality is rampant. But it is equally true that the same is showing a diminishing trend. With the spread of literacy & modern culture, the world is fast changing for womens. You now have womens in every field & their numbers are growing. This has been possible not because we have implemented quota, but becuase our society is changing & accepts merits instead of gender in its decisions. We need to encourage this merit system further& Gender quota (for that matter any quota system) is definitely not the way forward.