Changes for Girls and Women in India

India is a country in southern Asia. Of all the countries in the world, it ranks second in population. Only China has more people than India. More than two-thirds of India's people live in rural areas. The rest live in modern cities.

In India's cities, schools are a lot like American schools. Parents want their daughters and sons to learn. They encourage them to study hard. They know that education will help their children get good jobs someday.

But in many small villages, parents have a different idea. They think education is more important for boys than for girls. Parents want their daughters to learn to cook and keep house, not to read and write. They expect their daughters to marry young, raise children, and obey their husbands Many village girls are as young as 14 when they marry a man husbands. Many village girls are as young as 14 when they marry a man chosen by their parents.

In this way, the lives of many Indian girls are predetermined. They cannot dream of a future in which they have jobs and support themselves. As adult women, they are dependent on their husbands.

5 In recent years, education leaders have been helping girls in these villages. They have set up schools for girls. They have tried to get parents to reconsider their plans for their daughters.

Khushboo Rawat's story shows how hard it can be to change parents'

Her mother died when Khushboo was a young girl. After that, her er expected her to cook and care for her younger brothers and sisters. When Khushboo was 14, her father expected her to marry. Khushboo wanted to stay in school, and her teacher supported her plan. Furious, Khushboo's to stay in school, and her teacher supported her plan. Furious, Khushboo's father threw her out of the house. Fortunately, she was able to live with her grandmother and finish high school. Now she is attending college and working at a food company to support herself.

7 Nirma Chaudhary is another young Indian woman who wanted a paying job. Unlike Khushboo's family, Nirma's family encouraged her. Although Nirma married at 17 and soon had a son, her husband and parents wanted her to have a career. The fire station in Nirma's village needed firefighters and wanted women to train for the jobs. After Nirma finished a six-month ining course, she went to work at the fire station. Some people in Nirma's illage condemn her behavior. They believe it is inappropriate for females to pursue careers. They think women should stay at home and care for their families. Khushboo's and Nirma's stories show how new ideas are replacing old ones in India's villages. The lives of girls and women are slowly changing. In time, perhaps, education and jobs will be available to all of them.

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