WOMEN EMPOWERMENT FOR RURAL DEVELOPMENT Gopalakrishnan D – II M.Tech student, M.Indumathi* & C.Premlatha* - *Assistant Professor Department of Textile Chemistry, SSM College of Engineering, Komarapalayam, Namakkal -638 183 Email:
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Abstract Empowerment refers to increasing the spiritual, political, social or economic strength of individuals and communities. It often involves the empowered developing confidence in their own capacities. Empowering women to participate fully in economic life across all sectors is essential to build stronger economies, achieve internationally agreed goals for development and sustainability, and improve the quality of life for women, men, families and communities. India as a country is still recovering from years of abuse in the time of the Raj and more years of economic suffering at the hands of the License Raj. It is only now that globalization, liberalization and other socio-economic forces have given some respite to a large proportion of the population. However, there are still quite a few areas where women empowerment in India is largely lacking. To truly understand what women empowerment is, there needs to be a sea-change in the mind-set of the people in the country. Not just the women themselves, but the men have to wake up to a world that is moving towards equality and equity. It is better that this is embraced earlier rather than later, for our own good. India’s poor performance on women’s empowerment and gender equality is reflected in many indicators. In many parts of the country, sex ratio has dropped to fewer than 850 females per 1000 males. India is ranked 132 out of 148 countries on Gender Inequality Index as per the 2013 Global Human Development Report. Women from disadvantaged groups such as Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and minorities in particular face discrimination, exploitation and limited employment opportunities. Our work recognizes that women are by no means a homogenous category. The private sector is a key partner in efforts to advance gender equality and empower women. Rural women are key agents for achieving the transformational economic, environmental and social changes required for sustainable development. But limited access to credit, health care and education are among the many challenges they face, which are further aggravated by the global food and economic crises and climate change. Empowering them is key not only to the well-being of individuals, families and rural communities, but also to overall economic productivity, given women’s large presence in the agricultural workforce worldwide. Keywords: Women Empowerment, gender equality, rural communities, economic productivity 1
1. Introduction In previous times, the status of women in India was inferior than men in the practical life. However, they had a higher status in scriptures. They are considered as the perfect home maker in the world. With their incomparable quality of calmness of their mind, they can easily handle even toughest situation. Indian women are completely devoted to their families. They’re preached in the names of Goddess Saraswati, Goddess Durga, Parvati & Goddess Kali. Their condition remains unchanged even during the modern times with only little changes. In India, women were never given any right of liberty & equality. Their condition becomes even worse when they gave birth to girls. Men treated them in a humiliated manner. They were not only permitted not to step outside their house but also abstained from being educated. They were also supposed to eat after their husbands or even sometimes to eat their husband’s leftovers. Women were prohibited from prohibited from taking external matters as well as domestic matters. 1.1. Women status in the Ancient India It’s said during the ancient India, women enjoyed equivalent status & rights like their males counterparts. In addition they were properly educated in the early Vedic period. These references are available from the works of Grammarians such as Katyayana and Patanjali. Women also had the freedom to select their husbands. This system was known as ‘Swayamvar.’ In fact during this time, women had superior position than the males. 1.2. Women status in the Medieval India The status of women in India deteriorated during the medieval period with the entrance of the Muslims. Several evil practices such as female infanticide, sati and child marriage were practiced during this period. ‘Purdah’ was introduced to the society. Women were also forced to practice ‘zenana.’ Polygamy was also common during this period. Women also excelled in literature, music and arts. They were also rulers during this period. Some great-women rulers were Razia Sultana who was the only women-monarch to-rule-the throne of Delhi, Nur Jahan, Gond queen Durgavati who ruled for fifteen years before she was defeated in a battle by Ali emperor Akbar’s. Nur Jahan is still considered as the most effective ruler by the society. In spite of these powerful women, the condition of poor women remained the same. At this time girl were forced to get married at a very tender age. The society also practiced Sati where women were forced to jump over the burning bodies of their husbands during
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funerals. The southern India also practiced Devdasi tradition where girls were forced get married to trees or deity. 1.3. Women status in the Modern India In the modern time, women in India were given freedom & right such as freedom of expression & equality as well as the right to be educated. Various prestigious positions at this period were held by women. They’re enjoying the ‘ladies first’ facility in different fields. However, some problems such as dowry, domestic violence, sex selective abortion, female infanticide are still prevalent. Preventive measures need to be taken to ensure that women are empowered in India. During this time there was a little development in the women status. There were many women reformers in India who worked for the uplift & betterment of their female counterparts. The begun of Bhopal discarded the purdah & fought in the revolt of 1857. Their education was elevated and English was introduced during this period. Various female writers emerged in the society. 2. Influencing factor in changing women status 2.1. Poverty Poverty is considered the greatest threat to peace in the world, and eradication of poverty should be a national goal as important as the eradication of illiteracy. Due to abject poverty, women are exploited as domestic helps and wives whose incomes are usurped by the man of the house. Additionally, sex slaves are a direct outcome of poverty, as unearthed. Andhra Pradesh accounts for nearly half of all sex trafficking cases in India, the majority involving adolescent girls. According to police estimates, a shocking 300,000 women and girls have been trafficked for exploitative sex work from Andhra Pradesh; of these just 3,000 have been rescued so far. The state is relatively prosperous, ranking fourth in terms of per capita GDP in India, but it is also home to some of the poorest people in the country. If poverty were not a concern, then the girl child will be able to follow her dreams without concerns of sexual exploitation, domestic abuse and no education or work. 2.2. Health and safety The health and safety concern of women are paramount for the wellbeing of a country, and is an important factor in gauging the empowerment of women in a country. However there are alarming concerns where maternal healthcare is concerned. UNICEF came up with shocking figures on the status of new mothers in India (2009). The maternal mortality report of India stands at 301 per 1000, with as many as 78,000 women in India dying of childbirth
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complications in that year. Today, due to the burgeoning population of the country, that number is sure to have multiplied considerably. The main causes of maternal mortality are:
Haemorrhage: 30%
Anaemia: 19%
Sepsis: 16%
Obstructed Labour: 10%
Abortion: 8%
Toxaemia: 8%
While there are several programmes that have been set into motion by the Government and several NGOs in the country, there is still a wide gap that exists between those under protection and those not. Poverty and illiteracy add to these complications with local quacks giving ineffective and downright harmful remedies to problems that women have. The empowerment of women begins with a guarantee of their health and safety. 2.3. Globalization Globalization has presented new challenges for the realization of the goal of women’s equality, the gender impact of which has not been systematically evaluated fully. However, from the micro-level studies that were commissioned by the Department of Women & Child Development, it is evident that there is a need for re-framing policies for access to employment and quality of employment. Benefits of the growing global economy have been unevenly distributed leading to wider economic disparities, the feminization of poverty, increased gender inequality through often deteriorating working conditions and unsafe working environment especially in the informal economy and rural areas. Strategies will be designed to enhance the capacity of women and empower them to meet the negative social and economic impacts, which may flow from the globalization process. 2.4. Nutrition In view of the high risk of malnutrition and disease that women face at all the three critical stages viz., infancy and childhood, adolescent and reproductive phase, focussed attention would be paid to meeting the nutritional needs of women at all stages of the life cycle. This is also important in view of the critical link between the health of adolescent girls, pregnant and lactating women with the health of infant and young children. Special efforts will be made to tackle the problem of macro and micro nutrient deficiencies especially amongst pregnant and lactating women as it leads to various diseases and disabilities.Intra-household discrimination in nutritional matters vis-à-vis girls and women will be sought to be ended through 4
appropriate strategies. Widespread use of nutrition education would be made to address the issues of intra-household imbalances in nutrition and the special needs of pregnant and lactating women. Women’s participation will also be ensured in the planning, superintendence and delivery of the system. 2.5. Drinking Water and Sanitation Special attention will be given to the needs of women in the provision of safe drinking water, sewage disposal, toilet facilities and sanitation within accessible reach of households, especially in rural areas and urban slums. Women’s participation will be ensured in the planning, delivery and maintenance of such services. 2.6. Housing and Shelter Women’s perspectives will be included in housing policies, planning of housing colonies and provision of shelter both in rural and urban areas. Special attention will be given for providing adequate and safe housing and accommodation for women including single women, heads of households, working women, students, apprentices and trainees. 2.7. Environment Women will be involved and their perspectives reflected in the policies for environment, conservation and restoration. Considering the impact of environmental factors on their livelihoods, women’s participation will be ensured in the conservation of the environment and control of environmental degradation. The vast majority of rural women still depend on the locally available non-commercial sources of energy such as animal dung, crop waste and fuel wood. In order to ensure the efficient use of these energy resources in an environmental friendly manner, the Policy will aim at promoting the programmes of non-conventional energy resources. Women will be involved in spreading the use of solar energy, biogas, smokeless chulahs and other rural application so as to have a visible impact of these measures in influencing eco system and in changing the life styles of rural women. 3. Women Empowerment Measures 3.1. Social Empowerment Women are educated about the social benefits including awareness about the existing social problems in the society, good recognition & image in the family & community, role in making important decision in their family, plan & promote better education for their children, taking care of health of the aged and the children just to mention a few. Women are also allowed to participate in political and public life. Therefore, they are given a chance to serve
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the community including fighting for the basics amenities & welfare needs of the village community such as:
Safe drinking water
Public sanitation
Street light
Chance to help the weaker people like disable and the aged
3.2. Educational Empowerment While illiteracy levels in India continue to stand at about 54% for women and 76% for men, school enrollment, attendance and quality of education, especially for the girl-child threatens to deteriorate even further if appropriate measures are not put in place and mostly this is due to the lack of women education in India. Illiteracy is one of the main obstacles in women empowerment in India. While the country has grown from leaps and bounds since its independence where education is concerned, the gap between women and men is severe. While 82.14% of adult men are educated, only 65.46% of adult women are known to be literate in India. Not only is an illiterate women at the mercy of her husband or father, she also does not know that this is not the way of life for women across the world. Additionally, the norms of culture that state that the man of the family is the be-all and end-all of family decisions is slowly spoiling the society of the country.
Data Source: Census of India 2011 Most women are given a chance of finishing their education to the degree level. They are discouraged from getting married and raising a family when they are young. There are number of women education grants that offer help to women from poor background in order to give them a chance to be educated. There’re various scholarships that benefits women in 6
India to achieve their career by going back to school or various training institutions where they can further their education. Also, many NGO‘s in India offer support to women in order to benefit them in education. The government of India is also setting aside funds that are used to empower women & other initiatives that will empower them. 3.3. Quality Status of Education Concerns have been raised by those monitoring millennium development goals. They are saying that going to school is one thing, but the quality of education is another. Pupils enrolled in public schools in India are experiencing numerous challenges as far as their education is concerned (Oxfam India’s Anjela Taneja, 2010). Some of the issues that have been include:
Over-crowding of classes
Absentee teachers
Unsanitary conditions
Teachers who lack professional qualification
Because of the prevailing conditions, it is feared that pupils, especially the girl-child may be adversely affected. Parents may decide that it’s not going to be beneficial taking their children to school, so they would rather have them remain at home. This definitely needs to change with the encouragement given to women education in India. The National Council for Teacher Education released a report in 2010 saying that an additional 1.2 million teachers were needed to fulfill the RET Act guidelines. A civil society made up of about 10,000 NonGovernmental Organizations (NGOs) realized that only 5% of government schools complied with the required infrastructural standards as spelt out in the act. 40% of the primary schools had more than 30 pupils per class, while 60% of classes didn’t have electricity.The RTE forum also discovered that 21% of the teachers weren’t professionally trained teachers. 3.4. Business Empowerment The status of the women in India has greatly improved and there are many women who are holding high position in the government offices. This has proved that women can be even better than men if they are given an opportunity. Women are given equal opportunity like their male counterparts by the government. The government of India set aside some reasonable amount of money which women who have business ideas can borrow in order to start businesses. Women are encouraged to start small business in order to have their own source of income thus they become independent. Various non-governmental organizations
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also offer financial support to women in India and encourage and teach them how they can be making their own money by starting various business activities. 3.5. Women and Agriculture In view of the critical role of women in the agriculture and allied sectors, as producers, concentrated efforts will be made to ensure that benefits of training, extension and various programmes will reach them in proportion to their numbers. The programmes for training women in soil conservation, social forestry, dairy development and other occupations allied to agriculture like horticulture, livestock including small animal husbandry, poultry, fisheries etc. will be expanded to benefit women workers in the agriculture sector. 3.6. Women and Industry Women at present cannot work in night shift in factories even if they wish to. Suitable measures will be taken to enable women to work on the night shift in factories. This will be accompanied with support services for security, transportation etc. The important role played by women in electronics, information technology and food processing and agro industry and textiles has been crucial to the development of these sectors. They would be given comprehensive support in terms of labour legislation, social security and other support services to participate in various industrial sectors. 3.7. Women and Economy Women’s perspectives will be included in designing and implementing macro-economic and social policies by institutionalizing their participation in such processes. Their contribution to socio-economic development as producers and workers will be recognized in the formal and informal sectors (including home based workers) and appropriate policies relating to employment and to her working conditions will be drawn up. 3.7.1. Micro Credit In order to enhance women’s access to credit for consumption and production, the establishment of new, and strengthening of existing micro-credit mechanisms and microfinance institution will be undertaken so that the outreach of credit is enhanced. Other supportive measures would be taken to ensure adequate flow of credit through extant financial institutions and banks, so that all women below poverty line have easy access to credit. 3.7.2. Poverty Eradication Since women comprise the majority of the population below the poverty line and are very often in situations of extreme poverty, given the harsh realities of intra-household and social 8
discrimination, macroeconomic policies and poverty eradication programmes will specifically address the needs and problems of such women. There will be improved implementation of programmes which are already women oriented with special targets for women. Steps will be taken for mobilization of poor women and convergence of services, by offering them a range of economic and social options, along with necessary support measures to enhance their capabilities 4. Conclusion Equal access to education for women and girls will be ensured. Special measures will be taken to eliminate discrimination, universalize education, eradicate illiteracy, create a gendersensitive educational system, increase enrolment and retention rates of girls and improve the quality of education to facilitate life-long learning as well as development of occupation/vocation/technical skills by women. Reducing the gender gap in secondary and higher education would be a focus area. Sectoral time targets in existing policies will be achieved, with a special focus on girls and women, particularly those belonging to weaker sections
including
the
Scheduled
Castes/Scheduled
Tribes/Other
Backward
Classes/Minorities. Gender sensitive curricula would be developed at all levels of educational system in order to address sex stereotyping as one of the causes of gender discrimination. A holistic approach to women’s health which includes both nutrition and health services will be adopted and special attention will be given to the needs of women and the girl at all stages of the life cycle. The reduction of infant mortality and maternal mortality, which are sensitive indicators of human development, is a priority concern. To effectively meet problems of infant and maternal mortality, and early marriage the availability of good and accurate data at micro level on deaths, birth and marriages is required. Strict implementation of registration of births and deaths would be ensured and registration of marriages would be made compulsory. In accordance with the commitment of the National Population Policy (2000) to population stabilization, this Policy recognizes the critical need of men and women to have access to safe, effective and affordable methods of family planning of their choice and the need to suitably address the issues of early marriages and spacing of children. Women’s traditional knowledge about health care and nutrition will be recognized through proper documentation and its use will be encouraged. The use of Indian and alternative systems of medicine will be enhanced within the framework of overall health infrastructure available for women. References 1. Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead by Sheryl Sandberg 9
2. Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide
by
Nicholas D. Kristof 3. I Thought It Was Just Me: Women Reclaiming Power and Courage in a Culture of Shame by Brené Brown 4. How to Be a Woman by Caitlin Moran 5. http://www.womenempowermentinindia.com 6. www.yourarticlelibrary.com/essay/essay...women-empowerment 7. www.womenempowermentinindia.com/ 8. www.indiacelebrating.com/essay/social-issues/women-empowerment/ 9. www.wcd.nic.in/empwomen.htm 10. www.ifad.org/gender/learning/role/labour/in_tamil.htm
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