Essay – Social evils
Social evils Essay: Aristotle stated that human beings are by nature social animals, an individual who is naturally unsocial and not accidentally is either beneath our notice or more than human. Human beings are inherently flawed creatures and a society built by human beings is invariably possessed with social evils. In simplistic words, social evils can be described as issues that directly or indirectly impact societies negatively. Any thought transpiring into actions that hinder the efficient functioning of societies or communities dwelling in it is a social evil.
Discussion
India is a developing nation country that shelters a diversity of all sorts such as religion, caste, creed, racial background and social stature. Hence Indian society is more susceptible to social evils in comparison to most developed nations. Social evils often take the form of deprivation or exploitation of one community by the other. The major social evils of India are female infanticide, child marriages, dowry, consumer education ageism and period poverty.
Social evils pertaining to women have existed in India since time immemorial. According to National Statistical Office (NSO), India’s literacy rate among women is 29.70%
which is drastic as compared to the average illiteracy rate between men and women together is 15.3%. The gap between male and female literacy rates can be attributed to the regressive mindset and social stigma associated with women’s education.
The persistent patriarchal framework of the country has a prevalent perception of women’s education as a burden on families especially since she has to be married off to another family. The states of Rajasthan, Bihar and Uttar Pradesh have been recorded as having the lowest women’s literacy rates. Child marriage is a social evil that emanates from the problem of women’s illiteracy as the knowledge of the legal marriage age and the consequences of illegal marriage is obscure in the aforementioned states. Despite legislation making 21 the legal age of marriage for both men and women, states such as Bihar, Jharkhand, and Uttar Pradesh account for more than 50% of child marriages.
Dowry is the amount of money that a bride is required to provide to the groom before marriage. The dowry system is as old as the marriage system in India, however, it is not of Indian origin. The dowry system was prevalent in Elizabethan England and was established in India with colonial rule. The dowry system is most prevalent in the state of Uttar Pradesh. Dowry harassment causing dowry death has been recorded as many as 6.8 thousand in the year 2014.
Ageism is a more contemporary social evil in India as compared to the aforementioned social evils. It has developed in Indian society very subtly emanating from the problems of the generation gap. It entails stereotyping older men and women as inefficient and inept in terms of social productivity leading to maltreatment of older people especially those above the age of 60 years. According to national statistics, 33% of employees in corporates face discrimination based on ageism.
Conclusion
To conclude, social evils are inherent in societies as human beings are invariably flawed. In a diverse country like India, social evils are imminent as stereotypes stemming from cultural and social differences are difficult to resolve. Social evils tend to affect women more than men in the patriarchal social system of India. Despite having several laws in place, age-old social evils are difficult to resolve unless communities are determined to change their cultural outlook.
FAQs related to Social evils
Q1. what is women’s illiteracy rate in India
Ans: According to National Statistical Office (NSO), India’s literacy rate among women is 29.70%.
Q2. Which Indian states record the lowest women’s literacy rate?
Ans: The states of Rajasthan, Bihar and Uttar Pradesh have been recorded as having the lowest women’s literacy rates.
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