Opinion
Gender Equality or
Encashment
of the Last Human Resource? by
Kusum Choppra
November 20, 2005
Twenty five years ago, all over the developing world, much noise was
made about the Encashment of the Last Human Resource, by marginal
farmers, who lost their lands and migrated to woe-begone slums in the
cities.
This Last Human Resource was their nubile daughters, who sold themselves
over and over again to keep the home fire burning, very often while the
men folk first drank away their sorrows and later castigated the poor
Last Human Resource for their loss of face.
In the 1980s there was a widespread outcry over the effect of the World
Bank and Big Farmers’ formula of “ costly inputs and export orientation
of agriculture”, which forced migration of marginal farmers to urban
slums.
Given the limited resources and employment potential of migrants, it
took very little time for families to resort to encashing their only
saleable commodity, the nubile young girls, and confirmed ILO studies.
In Thailand, Philippines and South Korea, sex holidays provided the most
imaginative foreign exchange funnel. Between 70 to 80 percent of the
male tourist traffic from Japan, Australia, Europe and the U.S.A. did so
solely for the purpose of sexual entertainment.
And in South Korea, easily the hands-down winner in the stakes for the
World Bank and U.S.A.’s awards for obedient developers, the sponsored
orientation programs instructed young girls that their “ carnal
conversations “ expressed their patriotism. Young recruits were taken
through their paces by experienced old hands; and the passing out
certificate at the end of the orientation course was a credit card,
valid at the five-star ‘inns’, which would remit commission into the
account of the call-girl who brought in her customers, foreign exchange
spending beaux who added to the country’s Forex kitty !!
In the World Bank lexicon, South Korea is a stunning example of how
development with World Bank aid raises standards of living, damage to
morals and social cultures notwithstanding. The situation in India is
approaching critical status, despite the heightened AIDS paranoia, with
its lucrative spin-offs.
Where India perhaps will score better is the addition of the Gender
Equality argument to the debate, as a social trend; instead of
percolating down, this has escalated to the top of the social ladder in
recent times with fathers entrusting their businesses to daughters. Or
perhaps, is it that old fear fostered by the kundlis: that the exit of
daughter Laxmi will mean financial curtains for him?
Witness: the failed businessman who entrusts his only daughter with the
task of resurrecting his drowned business. The challenge: “set the
business on its feet. Why do you need to get married when you can have
fruitful relationships ?” and perhaps occasional rendezvous’ with Lover
Boys while she chases business for Papa dear? Gender Equality!!
Why should the daughter not do for her parents what a son would have
done? Quite a contrast from the hoary tales of girls hanging themselves
to save the father from the shame of acknowledging that he did not have
enough to give each of them a reasonable dowry or brides being burnt
over insufficient dowry. Nowadays, when you’ve already blown up your
money, don’t get the daughter married at all, let her have a “
relationship”.
Attention Maitri karaar brigade. Of course it is another matter
altogether that in this era of ‘living in’ , the maitri karaar is
hopelessly outdated. Maitri karaar used to be an agreement reached by
two people who decided to live together as man and wife without being
married legally. The woman had no legal rights, although legal circles
opined that any child of the union could have claimed maintenance from
the father’s estate; but no such case surfaced while the karaar was in
vogue. Now it is history.
Had it been an only son, would the businessman have postponed the
marriage to resurrect the dud business?
As the encashment of the last human resource, a daughter does for the
family what a son, perhaps cannot. Of course he would have the option of
marrying an heiress, perhaps. .
A son brings the dowry home, a daughter takes it away.
Dowry has, after all, been used as a club on women since Time
Immemorial.
A no-dowry marriage is rarely acceptable. Especially for the father of
the daughter who measures his “nose”, his real or imagined status by the
quantum of dowry he can give away.
The debate is open: is this gender equality or encashment of the last
human resource?
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