Globalization is a much used word of present time. Every where, in speeches in writings we hear this word-Globalization, not once but many times. The distant parts of the world, which were not known to each other two decades ago, now are connected in an unprecedented manner. Means whatever incident or development taking place in one part of the world, producing effects rapidly on the other part of the world.
That’s why Mc Luhan has rightly named the world as a global village. Globalization has been characterized variously as “The stretching out of the geography of social relations” (Harveky 1989) etc.
One thing for sure is that the social relations all over the world has been intensified. It is linking the distant localities in such a way that happenings in a small village of India is also influenced by the events occurring in Japan or China or United States.
Not only in happenings or social relations but also in describing all aspects of contemporary life, the concept of globalization is used. We can see this in our day-to-day life starting from introducing, new technologies like ‘internet’ to corporations, industry, nation-state system to advertising agencies to transnational organizations.
The changes due to globalization is really dizzying. So naturally many questions and doubts are placed for the real value of globalization. Any way, lists of transformation definitely taken peace in the meantime, particularly in wealth or economic condition and transnational relationship.
In the process, globalization, as a concept, throwing challenges to women. This concept of globalization has not only broken the geographical barriers, but also broken the barriers of gender. Poet Whitman once wrote, the Female equally with the male I say.
Women have gathered courage to speak against oppression and to protest through written words. They have been for ages oppressed in many ways, like – deprivation of education, geographical displacement, unequal finance for same job, modalities of power, harassment etc.
All these differentiation and deprivation has created a big question mark for the identity of women. They have taken these as exploitation and tried their level best to fight against gender inequalities.
As a result of this fight, we now see, women are seeing toppers in the university list or in competitive Examination. Their number is growing in politics though much yet to achieve, i.e. 50%. In films and other media, we can see the influence of globalization very clearly. Women have got ample opportunity to show their talent.
On one thing. We must agree that women now are in a position to claim same respect and same payment as men. The ad-egencies documentaries, discussions, news reading, anchoring etc. are the fields where women are to par with men or ahead. But they are not getting paid as they should rather they are treated more like a material for entertainment.
But one thing making as happy that there is ample scope before women and sky is the limit for them.
All said and done; globalization still remains as a theoretical construct and the intelligentia must analyse and consider its both the positive and negative sides very carefully. Women need to be doubly careful about its phenomena, because it may also work as a knife with both ways sharpen edge.
