An Enigma Called Asia

India remains traditional and backward as far as woman's liberation is concerned, writes Annie Datta in her column.

Asia has given the world Aishwarya Rai, one of the most beautiful women of recent times. Recently a tulip in the Netherlands has been named after her. Beauty and celebrity have met in her case. Asian economies are overactive and overheated. There is great future for Asian countries in the coming decades. Surprisingly, Asia, the Indian subcontinent in particular, remains traditional and backward as far as woman's liberation from age-old evils like dowry is concerned.

Although it is observed in middle class families in India that married women contribute substantially to the family's income, the demand for dowry has not diminished nor has violence that the system implies shown any impressive decline. Violence includes dowry related deaths and crimes like female foeticide and infanticide. There were 6,917 dowry deaths recorded in India in 1998 (a report). Such figures close to the beginning of the 21st century, supposed to be the century of the woman, are shocking to say the least.

While Asian economies are likely to steam ahead, the fate of a young woman and her crisis is a problem that will take many decades to get defined. To an extent the problem is not just Asian but global. Women are badly caught on the crossroad of a happy idyllic marriage and the economic compulsion of staying afloat above dependence and deprivation. It remains an enigma. Could it be that the system still holds the unconscious of an average Asian woman? Working women in Asia now have more rights and choices both at home and at the workplace, but they also suffer increasing stress because they still have to function in a traditional setting.

A psychological study from Singapore confirms the stressful dilemma of a working Asian woman when it points out that "In Asia, families are important and trying to balance family and work could be very stressful." More telling is the 1999 Human Development Report, according to which "South Asia, home to 23% of the world's people, has less than 1% of Internet users." And "To purchase a computer would cost the average Bangladeshi more than eight years' income, the average American, just one month's wage." Also we are told that women make up just 27% of the Internet users in Japan compared to only 7% in China. Most users are still male and the relatively well off.

Asian women have to travel a long way through the maze of industrial-technological culture for a due place of dignity and recognition. Asian women are adventurous and intelligent and tuned to the pace of times. They have great ingenuity in problem solving and innovation. One puts a simple puzzle of seating 11 pigeons in ten places between the fingers. The Chinese student at the campus manages it deftly as if knitting a lace on steely needles. The Japanese friend on the other hand came pat with another solution: Cook and eat the problematic bird!