Tokato K Sumi
Lizumi Village
“No country can ever truly flourish if it stifles the potential of its women and deprives itself of the contributions of half of its citizens” - Michelle Obama
Globally women have shown their success paradigm in various different important sectors that man holds hitherto. When the Cold War era impeded long last and the 34 heads of European countries mainly dominated by male lauded, rejoicing the end of unprecedented Cold War era. The feminist advocates on which 'era did it end eventually ' as the patriarchal era strongly persists still at that point of time. Today the ending sluggish nature of the patriarchal system is roaring near with escalating winds of change waving tremendously in the favour of women moulding them in the front sprint socially, politically, culturally, and economically.
A stereotype where leadership is male specific is not gender specific anymore. One among the five key aspects of the UN Inter-Agency Committee on Women and Gender Equality indefinitely supports gender inequalities in power and decision making. Politics in the Nordic and Baltic states displays the decision making paradigm accessed by the women. Finland Prime Minister Sanna Marin and President Sauli Niinisto, Norway Premiere Erna Solberg and recently elected first female Prime Minister of Estonia Kaja Kallas, Prime Minister of New Zealand Jacinda Ardern advancing the role play exhibiting their incessant valour and prudence in the public decision making is indeed influential and stands praiseworthy. The rise of Kamala Harris as the first women vice president of US and the highest elected official in the US history displays yet another landmark victory certifying women.
A bird in the cage metaphor that often circumscribed women freedom is seen degrading spontaneously with women flocks now efficiently leading the flying V formation of the birds holding in abeyance the sky is the limit. The world greeted and watches India's daughter Bhawana Kanth the sole and the first female fighter pilot to represent women in the Republic Day in her well refined jumpsuit costume making her the limelight of the parade signs a symbol of women empowerment. As a tribute towards the Girl Child Day the Government of Uttarakhand courageously laid the responsibility of assembly affairs into the hands of a young and dynamic 20 year old girl Shristi Goswami as the Chief Minister of child assembly for a day marks a matter of pride and respect towards women. The first women team of 34 female was also inducted into CRPFs COBRA commando unit. This enormous field requires tough mental and physical attributes which can now be noticed significantly in women will perhaps impetus inspiration to many young girls aspiring to partake fin the commando or military sector.
The theory prescribed by Virginia Wolf in her essay A room of one's own room evince inconsiderable here when she strongly avers of how men socially and physically dominates women by inscripting women as men's mirror . Today women force has reached its highest mountain heyday with aplenty of women participating in various sections thus empowering women in the leadership role though there are still instances of noticeable woeful issues interfaced by women on the other side of the river bank. The world's richest person list incorporates the likes of Mackenzie Scott an American novelist, Walmart heiress Alice Walton an entrepreneur, Francoise Bettencourt Meyers a French Billionaire whose family owns the company L'Oreal marks the incoming of women entitlement in the wealth and the economic segments as well. The world also witnessed the inbound leading right activists in African countries such as Odunayo Eweniyi and Damilola Odufuwa fighting for the rights of Nigerian Women.
The #EndSARS (Special Anti Robbery Squad) movement projected became a rallying cry around the world. The world even witnessed the coming of leading child climate activist Greta Thunberg a Swedish born and the environmental activist Nemonte Nenquimo leader of the Waorani nation, Ecuador. In the health sector, when the world was fiercely battling the pandemic and human life was supposedly put at risk, the real life superwoman Sarah Gilbert Co founder of Vaccitech developed a corona virus gun vaccine that could help save the world from the intangible creatures of COVID -19.Today the replenished theory of women empowerment has churn out galore women to substantially explore their inner potential and have enormously labelled their titanic name in the global world thus surpassing men in various diverse sectors. The philosophical statement inscribed by JS Mill on his brilliant essay “The Subjection of Women” proves worth here when he strongly stated the women could not be treated as inferior to men in terms of their intellectual and spiritual capabilities. The Greeks philosophy “silence is a woman's glory” has indeed transformed into “the unsilence of a woman is her glory today”.
In the context of Nagaland where women have been undoubtedly empowered in various important segments the crestfallen lies inherent when the state does not have even a single female individual in the political decision making body. Women’s role in the political sphere still remains bleak and sings irreversible with persisting cumulative deadlock between Article 243T (2)and (3) of the Indian constitution which famously speaks in favour for reservation of seats for women and the indispensable Article 371A that grants special provision with respect to the state of Nagaland with Article 371A(2) as the major contention .
The Naga women which constitutes half the population of the state remains to establish their political visibility only as voters due to the cultural, social, economic and self imposed constraints as stated in the journal Electoral dynamics of India-the study of Nagaland by Professor Maomenla Amer. The only women elected as a member in the Lok Sabha representing Nagaland till date has been Rano Shaiza in the year 1977. Today Naga women no longer live in the era of Aristotle where women’s role were confined only within their domestic work. The Naga women has established themselves as the strong contender of men in various fields such as education, entrepreneurship, art, music, sports, media, research etc leading the current life race through their exceptional finesse though they are still to label their infinite name as the highest political decision makers.
