President Ram Nath Kovind said that women are shattering the glass ceiling in one domain after another. The latest is their enhanced role in the armed forces. He inaugurated the National Women Legislators’ Conference-2022 in Thiruvananthapuram on Thursday, hosted by the Kerala Legislative Assembly as part of ‘Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav’.
He called for better participation of women in politics in the country even as he praised Kerala for helping them progress in several fields, including health. He said that their numbers are rising in the traditional male bastions of Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics, and Management, collectively known as ‘STEMM’. There must have been more women than men among the Corona Warriors who guarded the nation during those months of the crisis, he added.
He said that Kerala has always contributed more than its fair share when it comes to healthcare personnel, and women of this state have set an example of selfless care even at a great personal risk during this period of crisis.
However, he said that we have to admit that they have suffered from deep-rooted social prejudices. Their proportion in the workforce is nowhere near their potential. This sad state of affairs is, of course, a worldwide phenomenon, he added.
President said that India has had at least one-woman prime minister, and there has been one woman too among his illustrious predecessors in Rashtrapati Bhavan, when several nations are yet to have their first female head of state or government.
Putting the matter in the global context helps us realise that the challenge before us is to change the mindset – a task that is never easy. It takes immense patience and time. “We can certainly take solace in the fact that the freedom movement laid a solid foundation for gender equality in India, that we had a great beginning and that we have already come a long way” he added.
He said that over the decades, the state of Kerala too has been a shining example, removing obstacles in the path of women’s progress. Thanks to a higher degree of sensitivity among the population, the state has charted new paths in helping women achieve their potential in the spheres of health, education and employment.
