International Journal of Multidisciplinary Education and Research

International Journal of Multidisciplinary Education and Research

ISSN: 2455-4588; Impact Factor: RJIF 5.12
www.educationjournal.in
Volume 1; Issue 5; July 2016; Page No. 45-49

Women empowerment-issues and challenges

Kusam Rani
Assistant Professor, Department of Economics S.D. (PG) College, Panipat, Haryana India

Abstract
Women’s Empowerment has been an issue of immense discussions and contemplation over the last few decades world-wide. This
as an agenda has been on top of the lists of most government plans & programs as well. Efforts have been made on a regular basis
across nations to address this issue and enhance the socio-economic status of women. However, it has been observed that most of
the policies and programs view empowerment in the economic sense only working in the belief that economic self-reliance
empowers women ignoring other variables like health, education, literacy etc. This working research paper attempts to understand
the concept of women empowerment on a holistic basis and critically examine the efforts initiated towards empowering women
with special emphasis upon the Self Help Groups (SHGs) based upon empirical work undertaken in the Ranchi district of
Jharkhand state in India. It further aims towards understanding the linkages between SHGs & women empowerment and proposing
suggestions to accelerate the empowerment drive paying due attention to the local level area specific factors for a developing
country like India which have a crucial impact upon region specific women empowerment process and thereby point the way for
further research in the area.

Keywords: Women Empowerment; SHGs; Socio-economic status; income generation; economic self-reliance; India

1. Introduction the consequences for the society. The goal of women

Women empowerment means their capacity to participate as empowerment is simply providing strength to them. The
equal partners in cultural, social, economic and political strength may be giving political or economic authority or
systems of a society. Empowerment is a multi-dimensional provision of health and nutrition of health and nutrition care
process which should enable individuals or a group of or social element in the poverty eradication. Empowerment of
individuals to realize their full identity and powers in all women, has become an important issue in the startergies of
spheres of life. It is a process that gives a person freedom in balanced development with social justice. Economic
decision making. According to Webster’s dictionary the word empowerment results in women’s ability to influence or make
empowerment indicates the situation of authority or to be right decision, increase self-confidence better status and role
authorized or to be powerful. In other words empowers means in household etc. The country’s first prime minister, Pandit
to authorize. So empowerment is a process which gives jawarharlal Nehru who said “when women move forward the
women power or authority to challenge some situation. family moves, the villages moves and the nation moves”
Empowerment is an active multi-dimensional process which employment gives economic status to women, economic
enable a women to realize their identity, position and power status gives way to social status and thereby empowerment”
in all spheres of life. Empowerment demands a drastic and then no one can stop women to grow in our country and take
basic changes in the system or marriage and family, husband the country along with it to new heights. Therefore if women
and wife relationship and attitude towards the socialization a gains economic strength they gain visibility and voice. The
remarriage. Definition of empowerment keller and mbewe status of women in India has been subject to many great
“empowerment is a process whereby women become able to changes over the past few millennia. The history of women in
organize themselves to increase their own, self-reliance to India has been eventful. Women play a vital role in society.
assert their independent right to make choices and to control Women have contributed in all areas and there are so many
resources which will assists in challenges and climinating examples in all fields. There is a need of time to frame the
their own subordination. Women Empowerment refers to women empowerment programme at all levels. The great
increasing and improving the social, economic, political and contribution expect from advocacy groups, policymakers,
legal strength of the women, to ensure equal-right to women, social researchers, health workers, social thinkers and
and to make them confident enough to claim their rights sociologist for the women empowerment. Women
Women empowerment means emancipation of women from Empowerment commission is a tool to eradicate various
the vicious grips of social, economic, political, caste and women problem and provide right track for them.
gender-based discrimination. It means granting women the According to the Government of India Report,
freedom to make life choices. Women empowerment is not a ‘Empowerment means moving from a position of
new concept it is quite a well-known concept round the globe. enforced powerlessness to one of power’ In this process,
Women all over the world have been challenging and women should be empowered socially, economically,
changing gender inequalities since the beginning of history. educationally and politically that can help them take self-
These struggles have also been supported by many men who decision regarding education, mobility, economic
have been outraged at injustice against women and thereupon independency, political participation, public speaking and
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awareness to exercise rights. The women’s movement and the status of women from these early ages to the present day
NGOs widespread network of having strong grass-root by different methods. Scholars have believed that women of
presence and deep insight into women’s concerns have ancient India enjoyed equal status with men in all aspects of
contributed in inspiring initiatives for the women life. It is evident from all available accounts that in early
empowerment. Women today are trying to understand their Vedic society, women occupied the same position as men.
position in the society and have become increasingly aware of Reference to complete gender equality is found in all parts of
sexual inequalities in every sphere of life by seeking ways to Vedic literature. Women reached a very high standard of
fight them with pride and dignity Women empowerment does learning and culture, and made all round progress. They could
not mean ‘deifying women’ rather it means replacing move freely with their husbands or lover, and were employed
patriarchy with parity. In this regard, there are various facets in a number of professions. Literary women scholars
of women empowerment, such as given hereunder:— like Gargi, Maitrayi, Godha, Vishwashrawere well known
and acknowledged for their intellectual and literary
Human Rights or Individual Rights abilities. But the status of women starts declining during the
A woman is a being with senses, imagination and thoughts; period of Smritis (period of codification of social laws).
she should be able to express them freely. Individual During this period women were denied the right to study the
empowerment means to have the self-confidence to articulate Vedas. Marriage or domestic lives become compulsory for
and assert the power to negotiate and decide. women. The Moguls, during their rule, allowed a sudden fall
in the dignified position occupied by Indian women.
Social Women Empowerment Education for women was stopped and they became victims
A critical aspect of social empowerment of women is the of evil practices like early child marriage. The Purdah system
promotion of gender equality. Gender equality implies a came into existence. Some social scientists have described the
society in which women and men enjoy the same Mogul era as the dark age of women. But worst scenario was
opportunities, outcomes, rights and obligations in all spheres about to come, Indian women’s position in society further
of life. deteriorated during the medieval period when Sati, child
marriages and a ban on remarriage by widows became part of
Educational Women Empowerment social life in some communities in India. Among the Rajputs
It means empowering women with the knowledge, skills and of Rajasthan, the Jauhar was practiced. In some parts of India,
self-confidence necessary to participate fully in the the Devadasis or temple women were sexually exploited.
development process. It means making women aware of their Polygamy was widely practiced, especially among Hindu
rights and developing a confidence to claim them. Kshatriya rulers. Then Britishers arrived in India they listened
to the wise counsel of social reformers like Raja Ram Mohan
Economical and occupational Empowerment Roy and Swami Dayanand and they enacted several laws to
It implies a better quality of material life through sustainable improve the position of women, to bring back the dignity and
livelihoods owned and managed by women. It means glory of women. Later, stalwarts like Mahatma Gandhi and
reducing their financial dependence on their male Pt. Nehru advocated women rights. As a result of their
counterparts by making them a significant part of the human concentrated efforts, the status of women in social, economic
resource. and political life began to elevate in the Indian society.

Legal Women Empowerment Current Scenario on Women Empowerment

It suggests the provision of an effective legal structure which Based on the ideas championed by our founding fathers for
is supportive of women empowerment. It means addressing women empowerment, many social, economic and political
the gaps between what the law prescribes and what actually provisions were incorporated in the Indian Constitution.
occurs. Women in India now participate in areas such as education,
sports, politics, media, art and culture, service sector and
Political Women Empowerment science and technology. But due to the deep- rooted
It means the existence of a political system favouring the patriarchal mentality in the Indian society, women are still
participation in and control by the women of the political victimized, humiliated, tortured and exploited. Even after
decision-making process and in governance. almost seven decades of Independence, women are still
Swami Vivekananda, one of the greatest sons of India, quoted subjected to discrimination in the social, economic and
that, “There is no chance for the welfare of the world unless educational field.
the condition of women is improved, It is not possible for a
bird to fly on only one wing” Therefore, the inclusion of Barriers in Women Empowerment
“Women Empowerment’ as one of the prime goals in the Many of the barriers to women's empowerment and equity lie
eight Millennium Development Goals underscores the ingrained in cultural norms. Many women feel these
relevance of this fact. Thus, in order to achieve the status of a pressures, while others have become accustomed to being
developed country, India needs to transform its colossal treated inferior to men. The most widespread and
women force into an effective human resource and this is dehumanizing discriminations against women are on the basis
possible only through the empowerment of women. of the biased perspective. The discrimination against the girl
child begins from the birth itself. Boys are preferred over
2. Status of Women in India girls; hence, female infanticide is a common practice in India.
Indian cultural history has a very old and long roots, it can be The ordeal that an Indian girl faces at birth is only the
traced back to thousands of years. Sociologists have analyzed beginning of a lifelong struggle to be seen and heard. The
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traditional Indian society is a patriarchal society ruled by the and working women are not adequately protected from
diktats of self-proclaimed caste lords who are the guardians of exploitation. The problem essentially is routed in gender
archaic and unjust traditions. They put the burden of disparity in India. Gender disparity manifests itself in various
traditions, culture and honour on the shoulders of women and forms, the most obvious being the trend of continuously
mar their growth. The incidences of “honour killing” reveal declining female ratio in the population in the last few
the distorted social fibre in the male-dominated society. There decades. Social stereotyping and violence at the domestic and
are many barriers in the way of female empowerment. They societal levels are some of the other manifestations.
are briefly discussed below: Discrimination against girl children, adolescent girls and
women persists in parts of the country. The gender disparity
Illiteracy can be understood that it exists by looking at the sex ration in
Women’s illiteracy stands in the way of women’s India which stands at 933.
employment in business and commerce, agriculture and
industries, both traditional and modern. The proportion of Implementation Gaps
women students has increased steadily after independence Through all these years, the attention is only on developing
and mostly in the last decade. The literacy rate of women has and devising new schemes, policies and programmes and
gone up from 8.86 per cent in 1951 to 29.75 per cent to 54.16 have paid less attention to the proper monitoring system and
per cent in 2001. The 2011 Census report indicates that implementation short-sightedness, for e.g. despite the
literacy among women as only 65.46 percent it is virtually presence of The Pre-Natal Diagnostic Technologies Act and
disheartening to observe that the literacy rate of women India various health programmes like Janani Suraksha Yojana and
is even much lower to national average i.e. 74.04. Enrolment National Rural Health Mission (NHRM), our country has a
of women in higher education has grown since 1995. But skewed sex ratio and a high maternal mortality rate (MMR).
these figures are not satisfactory when compared with the
enrolment figures of boys. The main hindrance in the women Loopholes in the legal structure
education in India is rural residence, low caste, low economic Although there are a number of laws to protect women
standing combined with the traditional attitude towards against all sorts of violence yet there has been the significant
women education as a whole. The growth of women’s increase in the episodes of rapes, extortions, acid, attacks etc.
education in rural areas is very slow. Moreover education is This is due to delay in legal procedures and the presence of
also not available to all equally. Gender inequality is several loopholes in the functioning of a judicial system.
reinforced in education which is proved by the fact that the
literacy rate for the women is only 65.46% against 82.14% of Lack of Political Will
men as per 2011 Census. The rate of school drop outs is also The still- pending Women’s Reservation Bill underscores the
found to be comparatively higher in case of women. This lack of political will to empower women politically. The male
higher rate of illiteracy of women is undoubtedly attributing dominance prevails in the politics of India and women are
for women dependence on men and to play a subordinate role. forced to remain mute spectators.
The lack of education is the root cause for women’s
exploitation and negligence Poverty
Due to immense poverty of the majority of the Indian
Economic Backwardness population, the opportunity of education, participation in
Women constitute only 29% of the workforce but forms social and civic life are thus restricted to women belonging to
majority of the destitute in the country. There has been a the upper and middle layers of society. Due to abject poverty,
failure in transforming the available women base into human women are exploited as domestic helps and wives whose
resource. This, in turn, has hampered not only the economic incomes are usurped by the man of the house. If poverty were
development of women but also of the country’ as a whole. not a concern, then the girl child will be able to follow her
dreams without concerns of sexual exploitation, domestic
Unaware of their legal status abuse and no education or work.
Women are generally not aware of the provisions related to
the improvement of their own position. Even if they know Health and Safety
about some of the provisions related to their rights of The health and safety concerns of women are paramount for
succession, marriage, or family, they do not desire to invoke the wellbeing of a country, and are important factors in
them. Traditional dominance of the authority of the male gauging the empowerment of women in a country. However
parents, husband, and other elder members of the family often there are alarming concerns where maternal healthcare is
restricts the enjoyment of their legal rights by the women. concerned. While there are several programs that have been
The materialization of these problems still depends largely set into motion by the Government and several NGOs in the
upon the attitudinal changes in society. country, there is still a wide gap that exists between those
under protection and those not. Poverty and illiteracy add to
Inequality these complications with local quacks giving ineffective and
Women equality is not universal Women’s equality in terms downright harmful remedies to problems that women have.
of education, employment, and power is still an individual The empowerment of women begins with a guarantee of their
rather than a universal achievement. The majority of our health and safety
women are still content to accept an inferior status. This is by
and large due to the fact that, although legally women have Role and Importance of Woman
equal rights with men, there are not enough jobs for women Traditionally, an Indian woman had four fold status-role
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sequences. These were her role as a daughter, wife, housewife Economic Benefits
(homemaker), and mother. The woman, whose status and role Women Empowerment also leads to more economic benefits
traditionally was well defined and almost fixed in the society, Not to the individuals but to the society as well. Unlike earlier
is now experiencing far-reaching changes. The woman in days when they stayed at home only and do only kitchen
modern times is entering into certain new fields that were stuffs, nowadays, they roam outside and also earns money
unknown to the woman’s sphere of role-sets. They are like the male members of the society. Women empowerment
activating participating in social, economic, and political helps women to stand on their own legs, become independent
activities and also to earn for their family which grows country’s
economy. For a general idea on how an empowered women
Women’s role in society can impact an s53 percent higher returns on equity, 24 percent
Women can help the society in various ways. They can higher returns on sales and 67 percent higher returns l
engage in social activities and work for the betterment of the (OECD, 2008). This study shows the impact women can have
society. Young educated girls can get engaged in a profession on the overall economic benefits of a company. If
of her choice. We need more doctors, engineers, software implemented on a global scale, the inclusion of women in the
developers, and social workers. The world cannot grow at formal workforce (like a Fortune 500 company) can increase
good pace unless women come forward and take initiative for the economic output of a nation. Therefore, women can also
the development works. They can contribute enormously in help businesses grow and economies prosper if they have, and
the field of health care. Women education will also if they are able to use, the right knowledge and skills in their
improve the level of sanitation and hygiene. As a mother, her employment
role in the development of the emotional psychological aspect
of the new born child has been also very significant. She was Reduction in domestic violence
not only the creator and maintainer of her child but an Women Empowerment leads to decrease in domestic
educator and disciplinarian as well. The woman is now an violence. Uneducated women are at higher risk for domestic
important instrument of social change. The extent of woman’s violence than an educated women.
participation in the corporate life is thus the measure of social
change in India. The women of the present generation have Reduction in corruption
generally received higher education than the women of their Women Empowerment is also advantageous in case of
preceding generation. There have been far reaching corruption. Women empowerment helps women to get
consequences in the economic status of their families. educated and know their rights and duties and hence can stop
corruption.
Women’s role in politics
Education of women has not only helped them to become Reduce Poverty
aware of the political problems, but they are gradually Women Empowerment also reduces poverty. Sometimes, the
becoming active participants in the political life. Some are money earned by the male member of the family is not
enrolling themselves as members of political parties, sufficient to meet the demands of the family. The added
attending party meetings, conventions, and carrying out earnings of women helps the family to come out
political programs. Some women are attaining influential of poverty trap.
political stature of their own and have become instrumental in
shaping the public opinion for the betterment of women’s National Development
conditions in society. Women are increasingly participating in the national
development process. They are making the nation proud by
Participation of Women in Socio-economic activities their outstanding performances almost every spheres
The woman in modern times is entering into certain new including medical science, social service, engineering, etc.
fields that were unknown to the woman’s sphere of role-sets.
These are the woman’s participation in economic, political, 3. Suggestions
and social life. The modern woman keenly desires to enter  Women should be allowed to work and should be
into a work career because of the pressing economic needs of provided enough safety and support to work.
the family. In middle class families, much emphasis is given  Women should have access to resources, rights and
to the maintenance of high standard of living. To fulfill the entitlements. They should be given decision-making
economic needs of the family and to achieve higher standard powers and due position in governance. Thus, the Women
of living the woman participates in economic activities. Reservation Bill should be passed as soon as possible to
increase the effective participation of women in the
Rural women politics of India.
Gandhiji’s vision that women must play an equal and  Government or community-based `bodies must be set up
important role in national development. However, the to monitor the programmes devised for the welfare of the
movement for raising the socio-economic status of women society. Due importance should be given for their proper
had involved generally the middle-class educated women in implementation and their monitoring and evaluation
major urban centers while the great mass of rural women are through social audits.
yet to enjoy the rights and privileges as enshrined in the  Justice delayed is justice denied. Efforts should be made
Constitution. to restructure the legal process to deliver fair and in- time

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justice to the victims of heinous crimes like rapes, acid

attacks, sexual harassment, trafficking and domestic
violence. The idea of fast-track courts, devised to impart
speedy justice to the victims of rapes and other crimes
against women, is a good initiative taken by the judiciary
and the Government of India.
 Empowerment of women could only be achieved if their
economic and social status is improved by adopting
definite social and economic policies with a view for
bringing phenomenal change in the plight women's
education and empowerment in India -
 Steps should be taken to improve the health status of
women, reduce maternal mortality especially in the areas
which do not have good medical facilities.
 Awareness programmes need to be organized for creating
awareness among women especially belonging to weaker
sections about their rights.
 Strict implementation of programs and acts should be
there to curb the mal-practices prevalent in the society.
 The Ministry of Education both at Centre and State level
should work out strategic steps to stop firmly the ongoing
high drop outs among girls especially in rural areas to
realize zero drop-out among girls.

4. Conclusion
Empowering women socially, economically, educationally
politically and legally is going to be a Herculean task. It is not
going to be easy to change the culture of disregard for women
which are so deep-rooted in Indian society. But it does not
mean that it is implausible. Only revolutions bring changes in
a day, but reforms take their time. This one, in particular, will
take its time as well. The idea of women empowerment might
sound hard by the yard, but by the inch, it is just a cinch. All
we need is a concentrated effort focused in the right direction
that would rest only with the liberation of women from all
forms of evil. The vision behind the Government declaration
2001 as the year of women empowerment is to provide
women equal partnership with men and to enable them to
exercise their full control over their own actions. The efforts
of the Government are still inadequate and the process of
empowering women in India has a long way go. We have to
keep in mind that the whole sky will never show the ‘glitter’
till the gloom and darkness of ‘half of the sky’ is disengaged
There is need for complete abolition of social practices such
as dowry, sati, female infanticide, permanent widowhood,
child marriage and many more. There are many people and
organizations working including the Government that are
working for improving the social and economic position of
women.

5. References
1. Goswami L. Education for Women Empowerment’
Abhibyakti Annual Journal, 2013, 1.
2. Suguna M. Education and Women Empowerment in
India, 2011.
3. Bhuyan Dasarathi. Emp owerment of Indian Women: A
Challenge of 21st Century, Orissa Review. January 2011,
60-63.
4. Deshpande S, Sethi S. Role and Position of Women
Empowerment in Indian Society, 2010.
https.//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/women empowerment

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