women enpowerment

My first exposure to discrimination against girls was at age of five.My father was posted in a  small town of Punjab.I was taken for admission to class 1,I was shocked to see the state in which school was operating.
 It was primary single section school in which there was only one teacher for classes 1to 5,the building was an old hall with no walls n all classes  sitting in separate groups under group leaders with a rod in their hands , shouting at the top of their voice.The building should have been demolished long back.The teaching included only reading n writing of hindi,n counting numbers,tables, additon ,sustraction sums etc upto hundred.My father  had joined as Headmaster of the Boys' High school which presented a contrast to girls' school-had a vast beautiful campus with all infrastructural facilities in all areas required for all round development of students.My father was upset about the girls' school but there was no altenative as that was the only school available.My elder sister who was in class 6th had to be admitted in a boarding school in a city nearby.Though I did not raise any question but this discrimination got registered .
The second episode which left a scar on my tender mind was the marriage of a very pretty n lovable young girl from a family  opposite to our residence.The family was that of well to do landlords n she was the only daughter.The marriage was a great spectacle to watch n everything ,seemingly, ended happily.The speculations started when the girl was never sent back for a year ;n finally there was news that she had been brought back n admitted in a hospital.My mother went to the hospital taking me, a six year old child, to see her;n what we saw there was a lifeless skeleton looking blankly at us-there was no pain,no feelings no tears ,she passed away after a few days.I still do not know what the butchers had done to that ever smiling princess.This wounded the little girl I was .
In the same town there was a monument called "satian di bowli' where a fair was held every year to pay tributes to them.The story was that a rajput man of that town had two wives.The ladies were not allowed ever to  go out except with their husbands though the husbands had the right to go anywhere -drink,dance  or for any entertainment show.Once there was a religious street play in the town in the neighbourhood.These two ladies could not control their zeal n went to see the play without their husband who was not in town.Somehow the man got to know about it n the punishment awarded to them was that they were dressed up like brides,taken around the town n finally buried alive at the place which became a place of worship.What impression did it leave on the mind of a child can be well imagined.
Besides,my general observation was that girls were just to obey whatever was ordered,do all household chores all thru the day without any appreciation n had no access to any expenditure or any life of their own.
Based on all these observations my conclusion was that there can not be any change in the life of women  without  access to higher  education followed by economic independence.
I struggled to complete my higher education n took up teaching as my profession because it was my firm belief that thru this profession i could contribute to some extent to improve the lot of girls  by guiding girls,boys n parents to respect the individuality of girls n let them lead a respectable life .I think many of women of our times felt the same way n grew to lead an independent n dignified life.
But alas not much has changed -just see the constantly falling sex ratio in Punjab .It is appalling to see the publicity of welfare schemes launched by the present Govt. for the girls-providing a sum of Rs..... at the birth of  a girl child  n a sum of Rs...... as dowry at the marriage of a girl.will these mercenary schemes help in the empowerment of women?