Mother Teresa may be a step away from sainthood, Kalpana Chawla may have found a place among the stars, J.K. Rowling may be Hollywood's most powerful woman, but the bitter truth is that gender equality is a myth even today.

Respected Chairperson and Members of the House, the examples I have just cited are exceptions to the rule and women-because we are referring to women when we speak of gender inequality-are being exploited all over the world. There is no walk of life-professional; social, political or domestic in which they can claim to have achieved equality with men. The furore over Women's Reservation, the indifference faced by women politicians during Parliament sessions, the daily humiliation that women undergo, on the roads, and in their work places are testimony to this fact.

Friends, researching for this morning's debate was not a difficult task. A glance at the newspaper was more than enough. GIRL RAPED IN PARK; HOTEL EMPLOYEE MOLESTED; ANOTHER CASE OF FEMALE INFANTICIDE, were only some of the headlines that I read with disgust. Almost 60 years of democracy and this is what we have achieved!!? Everywhere a girl has to prove herself . She suffers repeatedly at the hands of ungrateful husbands and in-laws, her dignity assaulted and her daily life made into a veritable hell.

And lest my worthy opponents think that this inequality is present only in so-called backward societies, let me remind them that not very long ago, the U.S.A recorded the highest number of wife-battering cases and Princess Diana had to undergo a virginity test before her marriage to Prince Charles-this, in a civilized, advanced society, which is propagated as the spearhead of an enlightened culture??!!

Most people will agree that there is no difference between the sexes, yet in every sphere there is a dichotomy of thought-one standard...