I measure the progress of a community by the degree of progress

The words of B. R. Ambedkar—“I measure the progress of a community by the degree of progress which women have achieved”—resound like a judgment from the eternal tribunal of justice. They declare that no society, however wealthy, however advanced in technology, however proud of its monuments, can be called truly progressive if its women remain bound in chains. For the fate of women is the mirror of a nation’s soul; where they rise, the community flourishes, and where they are cast down, all humanity sinks with them.

The origin of this wisdom lies in the long struggle for dignity that Ambedkar himself carried in his own life. As a leader who rose from oppression to become a voice for the voiceless in India, he saw clearly that communities could not be measured by the wealth of kings or the glory of temples, but by the condition of their most vulnerable. And who more vulnerable, in ages past, than women—denied education, stripped of rights, silenced in council, and reduced to shadows in the home? To Ambedkar, the true measure of justice was whether these women could stand as equals, walking side by side with men in knowledge, in opportunity, in freedom.

History itself confirms his words. Consider the age of Sparta, where unlike in other Greek cities, women were given education, training, and a measure of freedom. While Athens, with all its philosophy, kept women behind closed doors, Sparta flourished with a resilience born of women who could bear strong children, manage estates, and speak their will. This strength was no accident; it was the fruit of granting dignity to half the community. The progress of women lifted the whole.

Or think of Japan in the post-war era, where one of the great transformations was the granting of suffrage and expanded rights to women. As they entered education and the workforce, the nation experienced a flowering of industry and innovation. Their contributions became the very heartbeat of Japan’s progress, demonstrating that when women achieve, the community advances not by inches, but by leaps.

The meaning of Ambedkar’s words is sharp and unavoidable: progress cannot be measured in gold, in weapons, or in towering buildings. These are but illusions if the daughters of the land remain shackled. The true foundation of progress is equality—when women are educated, when their voices are heard, when their talents are free to shape the destiny of the community. A society that denies this is not advanced, but crippled, walking only on one leg while the other is bound.

The lesson for us is clear: if we wish to see our nations flourish, we must look to the condition of our women. Are they free from fear? Do they have equal opportunity to learn, to lead, to shape the future? If not, then no matter what else is gained, the community is still in chains. Justice demands that we measure ourselves not by what the powerful achieve, but by what the once-silenced are now allowed to create.

Practical wisdom calls us to act: educate your daughters as well as your sons. Listen to the voices of women in the home, the workplace, and the halls of power. Support policies that ensure safety, equality, and dignity for all. And in daily life, challenge the customs and prejudices that seek to keep women small. For in their rising lies the rising of the whole.

Thus, let Ambedkar’s words endure as a torch passed from generation to generation: the progress of a community is bound to the progress of its women. To uplift them is to uplift all; to hold them down is to sink the nation. Remember, then, that the true measure of greatness lies not in monuments of stone, but in the flourishing of mothers, daughters, and sisters who carry within them the light of humanity’s future.