For my Indian Art class, I chose to do a photo exhibit for my final. I decided to take pictures depicting the oppression of women in India. This ended up being my favorite final, and I will be displaying them later today for the art department. I hope you all enjoy them, and it helps shed light on the heart breaking issues that are still prevalent in India today.
Vision Statement
India is a country that is beaming with beauty at every round of the corner, every turn of the head. But behind that allure, lies deep-rooted and ancient traditions that have trapped women for hundreds of years, as well as brought about new challenges in the more recent years.
Artist Statement
Although some of these pictures are beautiful to the eye, my heart weeps when it is reminded about what each one represents. My goal with this project is to bring to light some of the issues that women face in India as well as create new images that come to mind when recollecting those issues.
BURIED
There are more than 40 million widows in India - 10 percent of the country's female population. Upon the death of their husband, women are not only considered inauspicious and ostracized, but some relatives even go to the extreme of burying the widow alive in the hole her deceased husband was laid to rest.
SATI
Sati, the term deriving from the Sanskrit word meaning "virtuous woman," was the idea that women would be viewed as a goddess if she burned herself alive on her husband’s funeral pyre. Although sometimes voluntary as a symbol of loyalty, Widows are often forced into the practice.
DOWRY
Dowry, or Dahej, is defined as a gift demanded or given as a precondition for a marriage. Gifts given without a precondition are not considered dowry, and are legal. According to Indian National Crime Record Bureau, there are 1,948 convictions and 3,876 acquittals in dowry cases in 2008.
EDUCATION REJECTION
There is a wide gender disparity in the literacy rate in India: effective literacy rates (age 7 and above) in 2011 were 82.14% for men and 65.46% for women. Approximately 40% of students, mostly girls, drop out of secondary school. The stigma for girls is to stay home and learn household duties, rather than obtain an education.
CHOP IT OFF
Hindu widows especially are faced with a battery of societal taboos; the general rule of thumb is that the higher their caste, the more restrictions widows face. Traditionally when a man dies, his widow is expected to renounce all earthly pleasures. An orthodox widow may be expected to cut her hair or even shave her head.
POPULATION GAP
According to the 2001 Census, there were 496.4 million women in India, out of India’s total population of 1028 million. Meaning there are 35.2 million more males than females in India. Activists fear that eight million female fetuses may have been aborted between 2001 and 2011.
TRAPPED
Women, and wives in particular, are often not seen as equal to society and forced to stay in the home. Housewives accounted for 52% of the total female suicide cases. Married women account for 66.6%. The complex way in which bad marriages drive women to suicide is still to be fully understood.
