Dr. FARKHANDA RAHMAN
The world has epitomized to a reachable spot. Mars is no far and boundaries are imaginary. The growing technologies have brought the world on figure tips of a common person. Digitalization seems to be the main axis of spinning globe.As I sit here to write this piece, I feel myself to be the product of digitalization. For communication, expression and innovations technologies are next to oxygen in this era. COVID-19 has been a blessing in disguise as it formed the base stone for digital world. To save time, space, cost and energy humans and majority of working sectors have been forced to be digitally updated. The use of digital technologies has lately been a paradox in the sense that the people who need it the most are the ones kept aloof. Women in 21st century are not untouched with digitalization but stereotypes and social scores decrease their access to technologies (especially in rural masses). They share the same roof and the same meals but not the same techno-availability. Populaces of a nation are the wheels of its economy. All the wheels must be equally sound so as to maintain the equilibrium.
Women play ample roles in their lifetime. She embraces all changes and challenges of her womanhood gracefully. As a proof of unconditional love for her dear ones, sacrifice is a bitter-sweet cookie of her morning tea! Her mindset is moulded in such a way that she romanticises sacrificing.From the first dawn of her life she learns the art of giving up. At every stage of her timeline she has to make hard choices; schooling or helping mother at home, career or marriage, job or children? Majority of times giving up a desire dominates because in a blind age old belief, sacrificing is caring.What is the fun of transforming to a butterfly from a caterpillar if it has to remain shelled within a cocoon? The women have been fashioned in a multi-oriented persona. She is a relaxant to her parents, stress buster of her partner and a protective shelter and shield for her children.She is a home maker yet a dream chaser.
Digitalisation is a promising dawn for different horizons of women empowerment (health, education, finance, security and emotions). Information technology has overcome the hardest hurdle of her growth lane; going out. Within her home’s comfortif given freedom to the arena of digitalisation, she can be a scholar, an entrepreneur, a designer, writer, seller or a buyer andanyone that she has always desired to be. Giving up or carrying on with a dream should be her own resolution and not something that has been imposed on her. With information technology and the digital platform, she is more like a kangaroo mother (struggling not for an existence but for passion) with baby in her pouch and laptop in her lap!
Education is the key of civilisation. Some women have left footprints on moon while others can’t even write their names. E-learning can bridge the gap between possible and impossible by overcoming the familial, geographical, societal, institutional, unfriendly environment, harassment and other barriers of women education and empowerment. Open and distance education can help women to learn with greater confidence, polish their skills, explore career opportunities, have knowledge of their rights, educate her children and have flexibility for time and space. The basic reason for increasing violence is silence of victim. Fear, societal pressure and shame keep victims hooked to the culprits. If she isdigitally sound, she can file the complaint, get the justice and meanwhile protect her identity.
Online business and e-marketing via whatsapp, twitter, instagram, facebook etc. are the modern scenarios of digitalisation and highly beneficial for women empowerment in terms of networking. Healthy women make healthy families.In order to keep a check on their and the health of other persons in the family they must be acquainted with the digital instruments (thermometer, pulse oxy-meter, digital blood pressure machine, diabetic measuring kit, pregnancy test )and mobile Apps (to maintain weight, manage PCOS, monitor regularity of cycles).
Technological evil or blessing is an outcome of its usage. Today we are connected to the whole universe yet isolated from the persons in the same room. In this fabricated setup unhealthy use of digitalization has led to virtual competitions, postural problems, eye and sleep disorders, social anxiety and mental health disorders. Calculated and productive use of digital platformsis what can protect us from its negative impacts.
There has been a hike in the percentage of female drug peddlers and abusers, late marriages, divorces and suicides. Maybe it is an outcome of inevitable insecurities that different stages of modern womanhood bring. A burning dream/desire can bring world down to ashes. She is not denying her basic duties but care, expression of thoughts and understanding by a father, a partner and a son is what can give her power to empower. Like bold multiple colours in the wings of a butterfly, she’s the master of multitasking, let her fly and explore.
(Author is a Veterinary Assistant Surgeon, Department of Animal Husbandry Kashmir and can be reached out at [email protected])
