Educationists gathered to talk about women empowerment at Indian Institute of Technology on Women’s Day.
A panel discussion that dealt with women in engineering and science led to an enthusiastic debate between the panelists and audience.
The key, felt Dr Manjula Rani, an
alumnus, was education. “More women should pursue higher education. Education should not be important just as a criterion for marriage, but as a source of learning. Women should be given the freedom to make their career and marriage choices, just as the men in our society are,” she said.
But while the shortcomings of society, Prof Maryam Shojaei Baghini, a faculty of the institute, looked at the problems in the attitude of Indian women.
“Ambition is lacking severely in a majority of Indian women, and efforts both social and otherwise need to be put in that direction. While there are opportunities now, the motivation to progress is lacking,” she said.
The panelists agreed that more women need to be made part of the power centre. In the corporate sector, job interviews and performance appraisals should be made gender sensitive. Also, having women as a part of major decision-making bodies should be mandatory.
The discussion ended in a Hindi play Bimb-Pratibimb (two women-one ordeal), which premiered at the Kala Ghoda festival. The play is about two women who are widowed early. Both are suppressed by so-called norms, customs and tradition of society, but they find their own destiny.