The Bengali poet Kazi Nazrul Islam, now adopted as the National Poet of Bangladesh, once wrote “whatever good there is in this world, half of it is created by women and half by men”. That honest truth is increasingly relevant in the world today, where entrenched patriarchal societies are depriving themselves of the power of women to add to social harmony, prosperity and peace in their communities and countries. 

Large parts of South Asia would have benefited greatly by granting greater social, economic and even political power to women. India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka have experienced the transformative power of women, leaders who have rewritten the destinies of their countries. Even an orthodox society like in the Maldives has had women political leaders. The export earnings of Bangladesh depends almost entirely on the labour of women, particularly in the textile sector, and whose steady earnings have transformed the face of rural Bangladesh and increased her per capita income to a level significantly higher than that of India

Leveraging Women's Skills 

The empowerment of women in South Asia will increase the GDP of each country by several percent annually. Even in societies where women's roles are restricted, they have essential roles in education, healthcare,  nursing, IT services and hospitality and BPO back offices, apart from women-only industries like food processing, apparel. This would free men to discharge other essential roles in government and the economy. 

Women, after all, hold up half the sky. India can take the lead in pushing for social and economic freedoms in South Asia, rather than press for their political rights first. It would be more useful and productive if these societies supported greater education and encouraged the local leadership to use women's capacities to add to their economic well-being and prosperity.

Opportunities to Women 

Gender segregation in certain communities need not deprive their women of learning or working in segregated spaces, institutions and businesses. While many orthodox societies have begun giving greater opportunities to their women, some countries of South Asia should use their civilisational ties and economic capabilities to urge their governments - like the Taliban in Afghanistan - to educate and empower their women for their own growth and good. India, for one, can offer to create - if required - segregated facilities for education, IT services and upskilling training centres in those communities as there are both kinds of establishments in the country and the economic capacity to be generous to neighbours in need without expectation of a quid pro quo.

Showing the Way

India can play a real and effective role in women’s empowerment in South Asia without prioritising political rights like the West does  in a region stretching from West Asia to the ASEAN. Female literacy, numeracy and skill training can be imparted by skilled Indian women, who are highly qualified and competent in every field. One hopes India can focus on its development partnership programmes to elevate the status of a billion women, one-eighth of the planet’s human population, who live in South Asia.

(The writer is a former Indian ambassador. The views expressed are personal.  He can be reached at sarva.chakravarti@yahoo.co.uk)