How can we improve the situation of Urban Women in India
Guaranteeing the freedom and safety of women in the city:
- According to a 2021 ORF survey performed in 140 Indian cities, 52% of women indicated they turned off job and educational opportunities due to a lack of safety.
- Because of the rise in violence and marginalisation, women lack autonomy or a sense of freedom. One of the key factors is the absence of gender-responsive urban planning, design, and governance.
- When cities are designed for physically healthy, heterosexual men, many realities, including those of women, children, and older people, are not taken into consideration.
Women face two significant barriers to equitable city access:
- apprehension, violence, and
- The unjust weight of care job.
Creating urban legislation while considering the security and autonomy of women:
- Lack of safety has an impact on women’s welfare. Although there is widespread worry about women’s safety, the majority of solutions that have been suggested are technological, such as increasing the number of CCTV cameras, police, or emergency applications.
- Although inclusion and equity are related to safety, safety cannot only be seen from the perspective of security. Until these links are taken into consideration by urban policies, we won’t be able to come up with substantial and permanent solutions.
- The “women’s” issue is a concern for equity and inclusion in metropolitan areas.
- We must first recognise that this is not a “women’s” issue, but rather an urban one of justice and inclusion.
- There is a need for reform in many areas, including the social and physical infrastructure, safe spaces, utilities like transportation, and the way gender-based violence is addressed.
- The public realm needs to be made more open to people of all ages, financial backgrounds, gender identities, and abilities.
- The uneven burden of care has an impact on how women live in urban areas as well. Care work, however invisible, is vital to every society and economy.
- Indian women and girls provide unpaid care for 3.26 billion hours daily, according to an Oxfam projection from 2021. We need to reinvent our cities in order to accentuate the compassionate work in policy and planning.
- Childcare, healthcare, housing, play, parks, and recreational spaces should be accessible to a wider spectrum of city residents, especially the most marginalised and excluded groups.
- Thus, prioritising care offers the opportunity to transform our cities from being merely centres of production and consumption into places of wellbeing.
Conclusion:
- It demands a thorough investigation of people’s social and economic circumstances. Policy must be influenced by multiple viewpoints. The eminent urbanist Jane Jacobs asserts that “cities can offer something for everyone, but only when they are created by everyone.”
- Therefore, as we pursue justice, inclusivity, and safety, we must exercise creativity and bravery. Every city citizen must be treated with respect; this should be a benchmark for our neighbourhoods.
