Speakers at the seminar on Monday. Picture by Jai Prakash

Patna, May 23: The success of women’s liberation still depends on the men. This was the perception of the speakers at a seminar based on “gender studies”.

The seminar was organised by the Centre for Gender Studies, a non-government organisation, at Magadh Mahila College today.

“I am surprised to see the percentage of female participation today, where it seems, male intellectuals have outnumbered them. I would request the organisers that when such seminars are organised, they should try to bring in more female participants,” said Padmasha Jha, pro-vice chancellor, Bhim Rao Ambedkar Bihar University, Muzaffarpur.

Jha added such seminars should have representation from both sides in equal numbers and more young students should be pulled in because ultimately it is the younger generation that will have to solve the problems and not the elders.

“They (youths) should arm themselves to tackle problems. It will be easier for them if they listen to educationists about their experiences,” said Jha.

She then stressed on the need for shifting such seminars from urban areas to remote villages.

“In metros and other cities, women get a lot of opportunities to explore their identity but rural women are more like a parasite. They suffer from inferiority complex because of no employment opportunity. Until the rural women are provided with the means of employment, this gender discrimination will remain the same,” Jha said, adding that there should be a national scheme for promoting jobs to women in rural areas.

“The small trades where the rural women have tried their hands on should be encouraged and endorsed. Businesses like makhana trade of Kanpur should be endorsed and women should be employed there because they are better at it than men,” said Jha.

Among those present at the seminar, some felt that women are yet to get their legitimate rights.

Sudipto Adhikari, the vice-chancellor of Patna University, said: “Today in every field, the word gender often comes into play. But to understand this gender study one has to go through different characters and disciplines of the subject.”

He added: “For a woman whether she is from Asia, America or Australia, her space is ideally the household. Even if the woman is empowered, she has to strive hard to get her space on a par with the men. On the contrary, there are women who are totally dependent on men for their elevation.”

Ratneshwar Mishra, former head of department of history, Mithila University, Darbhanga, explained the history behind gender differentiation.

“The Colonialists did not let women of our country to use their franchise as they did not want India to develop and later the women prevent them from getting their colonialism established in the country. The Nationalists, too, preferred women to remain confined in their homes, as they believed it was part of Indian tradition,” said Mishra.

The former head of department added that women, during the freedom struggle, hid arms and ammunitions to help the freedom fighters but the Nationalists, even after their great contribution, never allowed such issues to come into light.