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Women Empowerment : Issues and Solutions



Women Empowerment : Issues and Solutions

*What is Women Empowerment?

   Women empowerment refers to the emancipation of women from the vicious grips of social, economical, political, caste and gender-based discrimination.

It is the creation of an environment for women where they can make decisions of their own for their personal benefits as well as for the society.



Current Scenario
WOMEN: BOTTOM OF ALL HIERARCHIES 
Ø Patriarchal structures and ideologies lead to their subordination and gender inequalities.
Ø Lag behind in all indicators of social and human development.
Ø India has the most adverse sex ratios for women in the world.
Ø Women’s life expectancy, health, nutritional and educational levels are significantly lower than that of men.
Ø Do low skilled and low paid jobs, get lower wages.
Ø Participation in political and social decision-making is abysmally low.
Ø Little say in the socio-economic, legal and political rules which govern their lives.
Ø Live with burdens and fears of being aborted, sexual abuse, rape.


*Issues/Challenges

Ø Perspective: Biased perspective of society. Discrimination shadows women from cradle to grave.
Ø Patriarchal structures and practices.
Ø Economic Backwardness: Women constitute only 29% of the workforce but forms majority of the destitute in the country.
Ø Gender gap in the ownership and control over property affecting well being, social status and empowerment of women.
Ø Lack of access to gainful employment and less paid jobs.
Ø Implementation Gaps: Attention is only on devising new schemes rather than proper monitoring and implementation of the existing ones.
Ø Delay and loopholes in the legal structure leading to increase in the number of rapes, extortions, acid attacks, etc.
Ø Lack of Political Will to empower women politically.
Ø Lack of access to education.
Ø Religious mythologies justifying male superiority leads to creation of patriarchal ideology.

*Way Ahead

Ø Replacing ‘Patriarchy’ with ‘Parity’.
Ø Making women’s contribution to society visible as their contribution to GDP has always been major.
Ø Creating a social environment which gives women self-esteem and self-confidence.
Ø Education of women is the most important component for women’s empowerment.
Ø The methodology of education should be participatory and non-hierarchial.
Ø Political Will: Women should be given decision-making powers and appropriate rights and resources.
Ø Proper implementation of existing women’s welfare programmes.
Ø Enabling women to take their own decisions.
Ø Access to facilities, resources and gainful employment.
Ø Restructuring of legal structure to deliver fair and in- time justice.

*Landmark steps taken for women empowerment

Ø Right to equality under Article 14
Ø Equal pay for equal work under Article 39(d)
Ø Maternity Relief under Article 42
Ø Dowry Prohibition Act, 1961
Ø Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act, 2005
Ø Sexual Harassment of Women at Work Place (Prevention, Prohibition, and Redressal) Act, 2013
Ø Panchayati Raj Institutions reserve one-third of their seats for women.
Ø Women’s Reservation Bill: Pending Bill which proposes to reserve 33% of all seats in the Lok Sabha and in all State Legislative Assemblies for women. 

*Government Schemes

Ø Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao: Celebrate the girl child & enable her education.
Ø Mahila E-haat: Direct online platform to support women enterpreneurs.
Ø Stand-Up India: Facilitates bank loans to woman borrower for setting up a greenfield enterprise.
Ø One Stop Centre Scheme: To support women affected by violence, in private and public spaces.
Ø Support to Training and Employment Programme for Women (STEP): Provide skills that give employability to women.
Ø Swadhar Greh: Rehabilitation of women in difficult circumstances.

Thus, the need of the hour is an egalitarian society, where there is no place for superiority. There is no tool for development more effective than the empowerment of women.



                                                                                                                    Article by

                                                                                                           Mr. SANJIT RAJ


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