Because decade after decade, the male part of Indian society grew more dominant, and with that, automatically discriminated against the idea of equality. It completely forgot about the valuable contribution of women to uphold society. But the decades of oppression started to weigh so heavily on women, that they couldn’t help but stand up for themselves, and the society that belongs to them equally. But is there a single place on earth that actually acquired gender equality?

SDG 5: Gender equality

The sustainable development goals or Global Goals are a collection of seventeen interlinked objectives designed to serve as a “shared blueprint for peace and prosperity for people and the planet, now and into the future”. The SDGs were formulated in 2015 by the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) as part of the Post-2015 Development Agenda, which sought to create a future global development framework to succeed the Millennium Development Goals, ending that year.

SDG 5 is to: “Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls.” Through the pledge to “Leave No One Behind”, countries have committed to fast-track progress for those furthest behind, first. SDG 5 aims to grant women and girls equal rights, and opportunities to live free without discrimination. This includes workplace discrimination or any violence. This is to achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls.

The current situation in India

India is, and always has been, a male-dominated society. In theory, government programmes for reform and awareness were put in place, but in practice, these efforts were in vain. In every facet of society: education, employment, health, political empowerment, and legal protection, women are facing the same discrimination that has been going on for ages. In education, far more girls than boys drop out. The inequality between boys and girls is rooted in the patriarchal structure of Indian society. As a result of this inequality, girls and women often die young. In employment, women do not have equal rights. If they raise their voice in protest, they are targeted for violence and discrimination.

Why do we strive for equality?

Gelijkheid is voor iedereen, maar de geschiedenis heeft ons doen geloven dat mannen superieur zijn. Maar nu, in de 21e eeuw, laten vrouwen zien wat ze al die tijd al in huis hadden. Als ze de kans krijgen, laten ze zien hoeveel potentieel ze hebben: in de politiek, economie, sport, entertainment, bestuur, en ga zo maar door. Ondanks dat de kansen klein zijn, zie je dat steeds meer vrouwen omhoogklimmen, en geschiedenis schrijven. Nu is de tijd om vrouwen de kans te geven om hun potentieel te laten zien, en om hen aan te moedigen om hun talenten te benutten. Het is tijd om gelijkheid te laten zien ondanks de genderdiscriminatie. De schepping kan bestaan omdat elk mens telt, niet alleen de man.

What Purple does about gender equality?

The Purple organisation started in 2022, with a vision to strengthen marginalised women in India, by supporting them financially to start businesses. As an organisation focused on women, we feel it’s important to hire women in our own organisation. This way, we work to fight gender discrimination. The team in India is made up of 80% women, who are encouraged to speak up. The businesses that Purple helps to start up, are for women. But the participation of men is not being overlooked. Husbands, brothers, fathers: Purple kindly welcomes all male support in the lives of our women!

The world is changing, so the work is changing. Let us create a world where we appreciate one another and form harmonious relationships that bring forth peace, love and equality.