Women need to be encouraged for greater participation: Meenakshi Lekhi

Speaking at a session on 'Gender Equality

Citing the example of Gujarat, she said her party had been encouraging participation of women at all levels - the Panchayat and the Legislative Assembly - through measures such as 33% reservation for women, saying that her party believed in increasing participation and empowerment of women in the event which was organized by the Confederation of Indian Industry and the World Economic Forum in New Delhi.

Focussing on gender-based norms and perceptions and how they could be transformed in India, the session saw panelists and participants speaking on women in different spaces in their life: at work, at home, and in their various roles, the perception and the reality.

Film Director Shekhar Kapur who directed films like Bandit Queen and Elizabeth, said that both his films dealt with the issue of power: in one, the assertion of male power, caste dominance through rape and in the other political power and how the protagonist had to deny her sexuality in order to rule and dominate, especially the men.

"Culturally, especially in the Indian sub-continent, we see women as property. We need to change that, he argued, and stressed on the role that media could play in changing that perception. We also need to recognize and appreciate the contribution of all women, especially those whose economic contribution may not be recorded conventionally, for example women working in farms, as fisherwomen etc," Kapur said.

"We believe that women should have the freedom of choice," said Rebecca Reichmann Tavares, Representative, UN Women Multi-Country Office for India, Bhutan, Maldives and Sri Lanka.

"We have to understand how women see themselves, and how they make their choices in order to be able to empower them," she added.

While things are changing at the ground level she stressed on the need for better partnerships between men and women in order to bring about change.

Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy, Documentary Filmmaker, SOC Films, Pakistan and Co-Chair of the India Economic Summit, who has made a film on acid attack survivors, said her film explored the concept of choice. "Traditionally, there are so many societal and economic pressures on a woman that she does not really have a choice. We need to break the glass ceiling - of the mind - and of course in the workplace, and empower women to make choices," said Chinoy.

Speaking of the corporate world, Arun Das Mahapatra, Managing Partner, Heidrick and Struggles, India said that gender diversity is the hottest topic in the corporate world. Despite some very successful women, and an acknowledgement of their calibre, the number of women in the corporate world is few.

"Moreover, the corporate world loses women, especially in the 25-35 year bracket, when they often leave work to focus on their families and homes. There is a need for role models, mentors, and ways to provide support to women through family-friendly policies to increase their participation and bring about greater gender equality. Going forward we see women playing a very important role," he said.