Notion Seats and forms of power - Are all citizens on an equal footing in modern day in India?

SEATS AND FORMS OF POWER

Introduction:

The notion I'm going to deal with is seats and forms of power. First of all, I would like to give a definition of power; power is the ability to control others, events or resources. To illustrate this notion, I will broach the subject of India.

We will ask ourselves if all citizens on an equal footing in modern day India? 

To answer this question, first, we will see inequalities among citizens, then inequalities among men and women and finally, the evolution of Indian society.

1. Inequalities among citizens

To start with we will see the inequalities among citizens. 

>The caste system in India developed more than 3000 years ago when the Hindu priests divided the society into four great hereditary social classes, which still survive today. The Brahman caste is the highest. At the other end of the social ladder, the Dalits are not even members of a caste into which they are outcastes. No one can change the caste into which they are born or marry someone belonging to another caste. Dalits are only allowed certain jobs such as cleaners, cobblers...

Discrimination against Dalits has largely disappeared in urban areas but it still exists in rural areas where they are obliged to use specific eating places, schools, temples and water sources. The caste system has also been adopted by the Muslim majority in Bangladesh. Thought the caste system is forbidden in both countries, discriminatory traditions still prevail. There are 170 million Dalits in India today. Less than a third are literate, well over 40 percent survive on less than 2 dollars a day.

>The document "A Country on the march" presents the social inequalities. The wealth is unequal indeed there are 42% of the population who live on less than 80p a day in 2005. While India account 55 billionaires (fourth-highest in the world). The number of women is a minority compared to the number of men. There are only 74% who are literate whose 83% of male and 65% of female. According to a study on overall well-being, 17% people describe themselves as "thriving", a majority of Indians,64% believe they are "struggling", while 19% think they "suffering".

1. Inequalities among men and women

To continue, we will talk about inequalities among men and women. 

>In the dowry tradition the family of the wife-to-be gives a dowry or gift to the future husband’s family on marriage. This gift is supposedly given as compensation to the groom’s parents for the cost of educating their son. If after the marriage the woman’s family does not keep its promise, the bride is subject to torture and sometimes even killed. The dowry tradition also explains why many parents do not want have daughters. The government has taken many steps to stop this practice but it is deeply rooted in Indian society.

>The document “India’s girls go missing” is composed of a photograph and a record. The photograph is campaign poster. It shows the face of an Indian baby girl who stands out against the blurred image of Indians women wearing traditional saris and hiding behind their veils. The photograph focuses on the facts that many Indian girls and women disappear at birth or later. We are told that 600 000 girls are missing every year, and that 50 million have been missing in three generations.

They suffer of gendercide such as infanticide, murders etc. Now; the record is an interview that explains why there is a gendercide. Indian family prefers having a boy than a girl because they are financially far more attractive. Indeed, a boy can keep the name of the family and look after the family business. So there are more and more abortions ever if it's illegal because the bride’s family has to pay the dowry to the bridegroom’s family.

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