An article highlighting the role of modern women in the different sectors of the economy |
The progress of the world depends to- day to a large extent on the part played by women within the framework of the society. Hence. a modern approach is being adopted as far they are concerned. Being of vital importance by participating in several sectors of the economy women play leading roles regarding the prosperity and welfare of a country. Subsequent to the Industrial Revolution the level of contributions in the Gross National Product for women has increased considerably.Gone are the days when they had to confine themselves within the four walls of the house caring for husbands, rearing children and engaging in household activities. Nowadays, they have a more extended role in the advancement of the nation rather tjhan the family. There is a sudden boost tup in women,s responsibilities as compared to the previous century. The new woman is actively engaged in several fields such as economic, social, political, financial and other important sectors of thecountry. The presence of women is also higly maked in the medical,legal and administrative professions. Social work is of paramount importance in a developing society since the world is a constantly changing place whereby new discoveries are made and modern techniques of living are being adopted. The implementation of new standards of living engenders problems specially scourges like drug addiction, prostitution, alcoholism and exclusion. In such conjectures the need for social workers is highly felt. Perseverance and patience are required to perform these jobs. These characacteristics are scarce in men. Nowadays, these works are performed by females.They are more apt to take the responsibilities of social integration and reassurance.In Mauritius also most of the NGO(non- governmental organiastions) employ women who excel in social works. Various departments of the social security consist mainly o fwomen.It must be pointed out that the portfolio of social security is occupied by a female.The percentage of women exceeds that of men in social work. The Maurtius Family Association has made remarkable progress during the 1970's as far as population control is concerned. In this organisation, manly women are employed and emphasis must be laid on the important volume of work performed by motivators .Nowadays, health workers consist of a few males.However, the basic work is carried out by women. Politics is another domain where the cotributions of women are extremely noticeable. The womenfolk is becoming more and more conscious about political affairs. Being fully emancipated they are claiming their rights. The emergence of the new era has brought about alterations in the status of women whose place is no longer at home. Consequently, women are more aware about their role in society and this factor has led them to get involved in politics. In many countries like Bangladesh, Tamil Nadu, India, Greenland and Uk many women have been Prime Ministers.They have cast off their shyness and are taking a positive approach towards politics. Even in Mauritius women form part of the Cabinet and the Legislative Assembly. In fact , the Parliament consists of many female members and a few ministers. Although polittics is consdered as a dirty business women are participating to a lage extent in the day to day administration of their respective countries. The presence of women in politics can be easily justified by the fact that they no longer want to be manipulated by men This can probably account for the reason why the Ministry of Women & Family Affairs has to be represented by a female only. Long ago, this post was occupied by men but it must be pointed out that women are more suitable. for this ministry. Women are embarking in political careers since they want to fight for their rights and raise their status In the present century, women are employed both by the private and public sectors.They play a preponderant role in several professions.Other than the usual secreterial duties performed by them,they are now involved in many jobs at the administrative and excutive levels Their presence is also conspicuous in the legal, mechanical,,technical and engineering fields. Women are now joining the polce force, the army and the civil aviation department. There are also many female executives and decision makers in the management of public affairs. Their contribution is vital importance towards economic and social development of the country.Throughout the ages we have seen the status of womem moving in ascending direction. Progress in the different aspects of country's economy reflects an important amount of women's input.Both men's and women's contribution englobe the Gross National Product. Previously,the family budget consisted only of man's income. But now ,the tendency has changed. Many men prefer to marry working wqmen so that an additional income is derived to inject in the budjet.Only a small percentage marry housewives. The family' welfare is largely dependent on the monthly salaries from employment. Other than providing the family with basic needs, it raises tyhe standard of living by incurring expenditures on luxury goods which in turn adds to the individual's comfort. Further savings can be allocated towards welfare. Working women bring additional revenue in the family budget.The income of the husband is usually channelled towards food , clothing and medical expenditures. The other revenue can be directed towards education and children's care. Several projets like housing and investment in luxury items can be effected from the savings.Hence, from the financial point of wiew it goes without saying that the importance of an employed woman in a family is primordial.Takihng into account all the current expenditures in a family, it is a univesally acknowledged fact that one salary is inadequate for the smooth running of a household budget.Women also contribute financially for the welfare of the state through taxation Hence,the female work force is of prime importance to the government as far as revenue is concerned . Many women are engaging themselves in the field of sports and achieving much success. Discipliones which were previously reserved for men are now being attempted by women. Nowadays they participate in severa sports like athletics,wrestling, basketbal, bodybuilding, volleyball, football,swimming. gymnastics,tennis andl badminton. They manifest their presence in this particular domain. In many countries training facilities and various incentives are offered to aspiring sportswomen encouraging them to embark in sports career. They represent their countries at national and international levels as far as the promotion of sports is concerned. During the past years countries from different parts of the world have sent female ambassadors in international competitions like the Olympic Games,, Alger Games, the Davis Cup and the Wimbledon games. Many female international athletes like Marie- Josee Perec, Maria Mutola,Brigitte Kraus and Florence Griffith- Joyner have become world champions by breaking world records.In the field of lawn tennis there are Stefi Graph and Mary Pierce. Several sportswomen in Mauritius are progressing and have won numerous medals at the national and even in international competitions for their performance. Sports is being promoted by the Ministry of Youth & Sports with special emphasis being laid on the participation of the maximum women. Women are, therefore investing in the promotion of international prestige by engaging themselves actively in sports. Progress in economic develpoment cannot be achieved solely by men's contribution. Modern economy is entirely dependent on the effort of each and every individual. including the womanfolk. With the assistance of the female working force the world is moving at a giant's pace in tne field of administration, finance , social matters, technology, science, medicine , public and private sectors thereby increasing the GNP.. This contributes to raise the standard of living as a whole.Female ambassadors represent severaL nations on a worldwide basis. In certain cases negotiations accomplished by them are done in a far better way than male diplomats. International recognition and prestige are acquired by the country. The Mauritian economy is largely dependent on the sugar industry,. tourism and textile sector. While a slight percentage of women are employed i by the sugar industry, the terxtile industry absorbs s higher proportion of female workers. To remedy the shortage of labour female employees had to be imported from abroad. The country is moving in a forward direction with the contribution of the female sex. Women have come out of their nutshell to assert and impose their role in the constantly changing society. By going hand in hand with men they have the power to make a country achieve its target;welfare,prosperity and success at all levels. After analysing the performance of women on a worldwide basis it is conspicuous that there is a there is a radical change in their responsibilities and conditions as compared to the previous century. In this new millenium the contribution of the female work force is clearly visible in the different spheres of life./ . |