This article does not intend
to debate on the suitability of women as fighter pilots. However, if we
are to improve the lot of women, we have to go beyond shop window
exercises aimed at grandstanding. We need to address the real issues
concerning underprivileged women, who reside at the bottom of the
economic pyramid. The Govt needs to give these women encouragement to do
things that they can easily achieve, and, which will improve their lot
economically, rather than dangling fruit that are difficult to reach for
the vast majority.
Some years ago, on Republic Day 2014, the nation was treated to the sight of a contingent of smartly uniformed women officers from the three services, marching ahead of the columns of men from various regiments. The idea was ostensibly to protect women power. No one questioned why the women officers were carrying rifles like jawans, and not swords as officers normally do. This could imply that as officers, they were being placed on par with the men they are expected to lead. That was another matter, but let that pass. Around the same time, the media went to town about a lady Air Force officer who commanded the honour guard for President Barack Obama during his India visit.
The media as expected, waxed eloquent about how another glass ceiling had been broken and women were emerging in a new India and so on. This was simply another red herring to deflect from the real issues plaguing women. As far as commanding the Guard of Honour was concerned, there was never a glass ceiling, as all officers, whether male or female, are expected to perform a variety of routine tasks. Barking out drill commands to a body of soldiers, during peace time, is certainly nothing exceptional. Armed Forces officers do it all the time.
The issues concerning women have a great deal to do with a class of people who are least concerned about women marching along or even becoming pilots. These people are at the opposite end of the pyramid from those who can qualify as fighter pilots and it is issues like safety, hygiene, health, education, food and nutrition that concern them.
The women who can aspire to be fighter pilots are well educated and come from relatively well to do households, where there is far more freedom given to growing young girls to dream big, as against homes where their dreams and aspirations are not only prevented from growing, but both boys and girls are brainwashed into fulfilling stereotyped roles from an early age. Those who live at the base of the pyramid also have to contend with hostile male dominated environments every day of their lives with little hope of succor from a society and police steeped in the belief of male superiority. Since India's feudal mindset decrees that as it the boy who must grow into a bread winner, it is he that needs to be groomed, educated and nurtured for his future role, while the girl child is taken for granted, as her only role would be child bearing, rearing, home cleaning and cooking, none of which require any formal education beyond primary school level.
On the other hand, women military officers function in a highly disciplined, closely monitored environment, where infringement particularly by their male colleagues invites swift and sometimes harsh punishment. Military leaders in their ingrained desire to not only do the right thing, but also be seen to be making the right moves and noises, frequently go out of their way to create an artificial environment to ensure that the woman officer makes the grade and is seen as a model of success.
One of the important reasons for slow changes at the level of the less privileged is the lack of opportunity for women to contribute economically to society. It is possible to improve conditions for women if there are reachable avenues for women to take up jobs and professions. And this applies equally to cities as it does to small towns and villages. Certainly, there are shining examples of women who clawed their way out of poverty and retrograde mindsets to earn international acclaim, but those are so few. Further all these women had the backing of families who wanted them to pursue education and were able to find the ways and means to do so. But not everyone can.
Some years ago, on Republic Day 2014, the nation was treated to the sight of a contingent of smartly uniformed women officers from the three services, marching ahead of the columns of men from various regiments. The idea was ostensibly to protect women power. No one questioned why the women officers were carrying rifles like jawans, and not swords as officers normally do. This could imply that as officers, they were being placed on par with the men they are expected to lead. That was another matter, but let that pass. Around the same time, the media went to town about a lady Air Force officer who commanded the honour guard for President Barack Obama during his India visit.
The media as expected, waxed eloquent about how another glass ceiling had been broken and women were emerging in a new India and so on. This was simply another red herring to deflect from the real issues plaguing women. As far as commanding the Guard of Honour was concerned, there was never a glass ceiling, as all officers, whether male or female, are expected to perform a variety of routine tasks. Barking out drill commands to a body of soldiers, during peace time, is certainly nothing exceptional. Armed Forces officers do it all the time.
The issues concerning women have a great deal to do with a class of people who are least concerned about women marching along or even becoming pilots. These people are at the opposite end of the pyramid from those who can qualify as fighter pilots and it is issues like safety, hygiene, health, education, food and nutrition that concern them.
The women who can aspire to be fighter pilots are well educated and come from relatively well to do households, where there is far more freedom given to growing young girls to dream big, as against homes where their dreams and aspirations are not only prevented from growing, but both boys and girls are brainwashed into fulfilling stereotyped roles from an early age. Those who live at the base of the pyramid also have to contend with hostile male dominated environments every day of their lives with little hope of succor from a society and police steeped in the belief of male superiority. Since India's feudal mindset decrees that as it the boy who must grow into a bread winner, it is he that needs to be groomed, educated and nurtured for his future role, while the girl child is taken for granted, as her only role would be child bearing, rearing, home cleaning and cooking, none of which require any formal education beyond primary school level.
On the other hand, women military officers function in a highly disciplined, closely monitored environment, where infringement particularly by their male colleagues invites swift and sometimes harsh punishment. Military leaders in their ingrained desire to not only do the right thing, but also be seen to be making the right moves and noises, frequently go out of their way to create an artificial environment to ensure that the woman officer makes the grade and is seen as a model of success.
One of the important reasons for slow changes at the level of the less privileged is the lack of opportunity for women to contribute economically to society. It is possible to improve conditions for women if there are reachable avenues for women to take up jobs and professions. And this applies equally to cities as it does to small towns and villages. Certainly, there are shining examples of women who clawed their way out of poverty and retrograde mindsets to earn international acclaim, but those are so few. Further all these women had the backing of families who wanted them to pursue education and were able to find the ways and means to do so. But not everyone can.
Women who can aspire to be fighter pilots can equally aspire to be bank managers, doctors, or Govt officers or airline pilots - simply put, they have multiple choices they can pick from. However that is not a luxury available to women from poorer sections. So there is little to be gained from putting up posters of women in flying suits, with the aim of motivating women from there.
It is like showing an average factory worker the glossy pamphlet of a house costing several crores. He would like to live there, but he knows it is futile to even think about it, and would rather see something he can reach.
Putting it differently, we have to create a sufficient number of low hanging fruit that most women can pluck.
Women's safety has often been cited as a reason for women not going out to work. So why not create a scenario where there are many more women out working. Why not create a situation where the boys at the same economic level have to compete with their sisters to get the same job, rather than competing only with other boys.
Can we not set apart a portion, say 30%, of taxi driver licences, for women? Similarly for auto rickshaw driver licences. Why not bus drivers and conductors? Why can't more women become electricians, plumbers, mechanics, carpenters and masons? Why can't more seats be reserved for women in the ITIs and other institutes imparting technical training? And similarly for other professions as well.
If this could be done, there would be more women out on the roads and women's safety would improve through numbers. Women are more comfortable taking an auto driven by another woman. At present, there are hardly any women auto drivers in Mumbai . Further, once parents from poorer sections realise that their daughter is capable of earning without their having to spend large sums on education, they would encourage her to complete some basic education, perhaps at least till Matric. Just as nursing has come to be regarded as a women dominated profession and parents in Kerala encourage their daughters to study enough to get a job as a nurse, so should it be for many more professions.
It would also reduce the pampering of the boy child as he would now have to study diligently to avoid the ignominy of having to take up a menial job, while his sister succeeds as a trained technician. Most importantly, it would contribute to the self worth of the girl child, when she has her own well-earned money in her bank account.
This, in my view, is a better way of improving the lot of women in society than training a privileged few as fighter pilots.
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