Glass ceiling or broken ladder: Call it what you want, but such is the situation for women in our society as it stands. Yes, we have come a long way in the quest for gender equality, but there’s still a few mountains to climb before men and women truly are equal partners in terms of respect, appreciation and recognition. The revolution began with first wave feminism and it is our duty to see through the vision of a society where gender doesn’t influence our opportunities, contributions, roles and our rewards. This calls for an urgent need to review the widespread affect of the glass ceiling, that is gender inequality and using law as a powerful and just tool to shatter it once and for all.

The patriarchal values rooted deeply in our society can be observed yet again by the glass ceiling effect, which is a metaphor for the invisible barrier that prevents women to be in high ranking positions of power. The ceiling is made of glass because the woman can see what lies beyond it, however her scope of growth is limited by the society. What we may not realize is just how pervasive this glass ceiling still is, even after several years into the 21stcentury.

With each session of the parliament, we hear several of our politicians talk about women's rights and the need for them, which is justified by data, both anecdotal and empirical, yet India has failed to address the role of gender in policy making.

Observing globally, India’s ranking in the WEF'S Gender Gap Index is on 108th position for the second year in a row, after falling 21 places before that. Worse still, we ranked lower than last year on the ‘Economic Participation of women in the economy’. To make it more clear, let’s look our Country's Parliament- just 11.8% of parliamentarians are female, and the current Modi government has only a handful of female cabinet ministers. Even countries like Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Kenya, and South Sudan boast of a greater percentage of women representatives in their Parliaments. If this is not a wake-up call for India, then what is?

Majority of the decisions pertaining to women’s rights are taken by the Union Council of Ministers, or the standing committee for home affairs, both lacking adequate women representation. If there is a major lack of women representation in the parliament, then who is looking after our interest? This again becomes a major reason for you to sign this petition and to draw people’s attention towards the urgency of the situation.

The major issue at hand is the prevailing misogynistic mind-set of people. Despite the stir of feminism around the country, people choose to be ignorant and lead their life with an attitude which is based on male- chauvinism, male supremacy and sexism. A recent study by the McKinsey Global Institute estimated that India’s economy could earn an additional $700 billion to $2.9 trillion by 2025 by enabling its women to participate in the economy at par with men.

The cultural attitude of people will change for better with time, but for now we need the government to interfere and voice the opinions of women in a way that reflects in legislation. Not only do women need conduction of sensitive training programs, where the employers are initiated towards hiring women at higher ranking positions, given equal opportunity, provided with same benefits as men but also reservation of seats. Seat reservation will make sure that women get an opportunity to rise to the level of their male counterparts, showcase their talents and get the pay that their skill set deserves. It is the need of the hour, to pass a bill making reservation of women in all sectors for mass development. Moreover it will enhance the economic independence of women and help us to bolster the invaluable power of human resource and raise the GDP of India.

The facts have been laid. The glass ceiling is there to be shattered. It is time to escape the shackles of the past that have been holding us back as a country for so long. United under a common cause, we the society can bring about the change that will undoubtedly make our country safer, prouder and more progressive. Help women, help the country. Empower them to reach their full potential and contribute to society. All you need is express your commitment to the cause by signing the petition and you'd have contributed to a cause that'll see the country reach greater heights in all fields.