67 WOMEN EMPOWERMENT AND HUMAN DEVELOPMENT IN INDIA
Dr.Vishal Purohit
Dr. B. R. Ambedkar University of Social Sciences
Abstract- Empowerment is defined as the enhancement assets and capabilities of diverse individuals and groups to engage, influences and hold accountable the institution which affect them Empowerment of women in the pre requisite to transform a developing country in a developed country.
Women Empowerment is a global issue and discussion on women political right are it he fore front of many formal and informal complains worldwide. The concept of women empowerment was introduced at the international women conference at NAROIBI in 1985.
Education in the basic requirement for human development and right to education is a fundamental human right. Women education in India has also a major preoccupation of both the Government and curl society as educated women can play a very important role in the development of the country. Educating a woman creates a vibal opportunity for the social and economic development of the country and society. Education is milestone of women empowerment because it enables them to responds to the challenges.
Human Dev encompasses elements that contribute critical issues of gender and development in recent years, there has been a growing realization that development goals cannot be realize unless gender inqaulities are removed women‟s empowerment is very essentials for the development of society and nation. India is passed to emerge as are of the most developed nation by 2020, more literate, knowledgeable and economically at the forefront no, doubt women will play a vital role in contributing to the country‟s development.
This paper addresses the issued related to women‟s empowerment. A brief critique of human development, it begins with a discussion of the growing conceptual consensus around empowerment.
Keywords: Women Empowerment, Education, Human Development.
1 INTRODUCTION
“If you educate a man you educate an individual however, if you educate a woman you educate a whole family.
Women empowered means mother India empowered”.
Pt. JAWAHARLAL NEHRU Women Empowerment in most vital system o strengthen the future of women in India. It is a systematic approach which needs to developed more seriously in India. The Government of India came up in the new millennium by declaring the year 2001 as “Women Empowerment Year” to focus on a vision where women are equal partners like men. Empowerment literally means becoming powerful. In that perspective the empowerment of women and the implements of their status, particularly in respect of education, health and economic opportunities is highly important. Infect women empowerment is a process, which helps women to change other women‟s consciousness through creating awareness.
Globalization has presented new challenges in the realization of the goal of empowering women and now women empowerment has become the slogan and motto of many social informs, government agencies and voluntary organization.
Empowerment of women a necessary for the very development of a society, since its enhances both the quality and the quantity of human resources available for development.
Jawahar Nehru had said “You can till the condition of the nation by looking at the states of women. An the following phrase of manuimrite, “Na stree Sawathantryan Arhati.” In fact an empowered women is a nation‟s strength.
The United Nation‟s organizations had declared the year 1975 as women‟s decade on an international level.
Therefore empowerment of women in the prerequisite to transform a developing country into a developed country.
Empowerment of women and to women groups but also to the families and
68 community as a whole through collective
action for development.
Human Development is about pulling people at the centre of Development. It is about people realizing their potential, increasing their choices and enjoying the freedom to lead lives they value first articulated in 1990 by UNOP, human developments was seen as an inspiring start to what practitioners, academics and policymakers hoped would be a challenge to the dominant perspective of developments as economic growth coming on the helps of the decade of structural adjustments programs, which most developments analysts agree had resulted in increasing inequalities around the world particularly between women and men, it was seen as a sign of change in development thinking. Women‟s empowerments is a significant part of contemporary developments policies, it faces many problems women constrictive about half of the population and there in a shift in thinking about women‟s role in development. The new ideas suggested that developments was only made possible by the involvements of women in developments projects. Human developments encompasses elements that contribute critical issues of gender and development.
According to the International Encyclopedia on women (1999) in the programmed of action of the International Conference on population and Development, education is considered as on of the most important means to empower women with the knowledge skill and self confidence necessary to participate fully in developments process Education play a catalytic role in a country‟s socio economic development and is one of one principal means await able for a deeper and harmonies form of human development reducing poverty, ignorance and exclusion.
“To educate your women first and leave them to themselves. They will tell you what reforms are necessary” – Swami Viveknanda
Education of women in India has been a major issues for both the government and civil society as the educated women play a very important role in the development of the country.
Education has been recognized as an essential agent of social change and developments in any society of any country. Education for women play an important role in women empowerment No doubt, women will play a vital role contributing to the country‟s development women power is crucial to one economic growth of any country.
According to government of India, Empowerment means moving from a weak position to escalate a power”. It is a process in which work gain control over their even lives of knowing and claiming their right at all levels of society at the international, local and household level.
The Indian National policy of education recognizes this when if it states. „Wider women‟s access to vocation at all levels breaking gender stereotypes, will ensure letter. Education as means of empowerment of women can bring about a positive attitudinal changes. The constitution of India empowers the state to adopt affirmative measures for promoting ways and means to empower women. The United Nations has shown concern for women empowerment evident in “Millennium Development Goals” to trace the progress of women empower across the world.
The world Bank has indentified empowerment as one of key constituent elements of poverty education and as a primary development assistance goal. The promotion of women‟s empowerment as a development goal in based on the dual argument that social justice is an important aspect of human welfare. The policy research report of the World Bank has also identified gender equality both as a development objective and as a mean to promote growth, reduce poverty and promote letter governance Beijing Declaration (1995) presented women‟s empowerment as a key strategy for development and stated that women‟s full participation on basis of equality in all spheres of society including participation in the decision making process and access to power and fundamentals for the achievement of equality development and peace.
However, even though many studies have been conducted on women empowerment, there has been very little
69 research done on the topic that
empowering women leads to the economic development. The purpose of the present study is to know whether women empowerment leads to the development of economy.
1.1 Objective of the Study The study has following objective:
1. To study the impact of Women Empowerment in Human Development
2. To study the role of education in Women Empowerment.
2 METHODOLOGY
For the preparation of this paper secondary data in used.
2.1 Empowerment
The concept of empowerment flows from the power. Empowerment as a concept was introduced at the International women‟s conference at Naroibe in 1985.
The conference defined empowerment as
“A redistribution of social power and control of resources in favour of women.”
It is the “process of challenging existing power relations and of gaming greater control over the sources of power.”
Empowerment means individuals acquiring the power to think and act freely, escercases choice and fulfill their potential as full and equal members of society. The empowerment is an aid to help women to achieve equality with men, or at, least, to reduce gender gap. The empowerment is an support to help women be accomplish equal opportunity with men or to reduce the gap between men and women empowerment is a multi demonsunal process what should enable women or group of women to realize their full identify and power in all spheres of life. Empowerment would become more relevant if women are educated, better informed and can take rational decision.
A women needs to be physically health so that she is able take challenges of equality.
2.2 Elements of Empowerment
Empowerment has many elements which depend upon and relate to each other economics, social, political and personal.
Economics empowerment means to give woman her rights in the economy.
Social empowerment means status of woman in the society should be equal to man by eliminating injustice and equality.
Political empowerment means women should have seats in provincial and national assemblies and going one woman right of one vote.
Personal empowerment means women should have freedom in their personal matters. This all brings development in the economy.
3 WOMEN EMPOWERMENT IN INDIA Women empowerment in most vial system to strengthen the future of women in India. It is a systematic approach which needs to develop of more seriously in India Women Empowerment in one of the most important issues in the present day of the world. Through women have a great contribution in the development process, they have low status as compared to men specifically in the development world situation is almost same in India.
The Government of India came up in new millennium by declaring the year 2001 as “Women Empowerment is very essential for the development of society, Empowerment of women would mean equipping women to be economically independent, self-reliant have positive esteem to enable them to face any difficult situation and they should be able to participate in development activities.
Empowerment would become more relevant and can take rational decisions.
In the history of human development, woman has been as important as man.
Women‟s empowerment and development are closely related in one direction development alone can play a major role in driving down inequality between men and women, in the other direction, empowering women may benefit development.
In recent years there has been a growing realization that development goals cannot be realized unless gender inequalities are removed and women are
70 empowered to choose and decide about
their over welfare, he welfare of their families and the communities in which they live. Empowerment of women would mean equipping women to be economically independent, self reliant, have positive esteem to enable them to face any difficult situation and they should be able to participate in development activities. Empowerment means to inspire women with the coverage to break free from the claim of limiting beliefs, patterns and societal on religions condition that have traditionally kept women suppressed and unable to realize their true beauty and power. They should have political, legal, economics and health awareness. Women play a very strategic role in the development of society in particular and development of economy in general. Women contribute directly or indirectly for economic development. Woman if is educated and empowered her potential power can be utilized for the economic development.
Mahatma Gandhi Says, “You educate a man, you educated an individual. You educate a woman, you educate an entire family. Women play an important role in all the fields of development.
Women empowerment generally has five components: firstly, women‟s sense of self worth: secondly, their right to have the power of control their own lives, both …. And outside home; and lastly, their ability to influence the direction of social change to create a just social and economic order nationally, internationally and universally. The empowerment of women has been widely acknowledged as an important goals in development.
In India, the ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD-1985) and the National Commission for Women (NCW) have been worked to safeguard the rights and legal instilment of women. The importance of women‟s empowerment on the international development agenda is amply clear from the policy statements made at such high level International Conferences as Beijing Platform for Action, the Beijing and Declaration and Resolution, the (avioprogramme of action, the Millennium of all form of
discrimination again women. All these forums have identified gender equality both as a development objective in it self as well as a means to promote growth reduce poverty and promote better governance. Women‟s empowerment is central to human development.
Empowerment of women could only be achieved if their economic and social status is improved.
Women‟s empowerment is very essential for the development of society.
Empowerment means in under duals acquiring the power to think and act freely, exercises choice and fulfill their potential as full and equal members of society.
As per the United National Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM), the term women‟s empowerment means :
Acquiring knowledge and understanding of gender relations and the way which there relations may be changed.
Developing a sense of self worth, a belief in one‟s ability to secure desired changes and the right to control one‟s life.
Gaining the ability to generate choice exercise bar arming power.
Developing the ability to organize and influence the direction of social change to create a more first social and economic order, nationally and internationally) This could be possible only by adopting definite social and economic policies with a view of total development of women. The claims for women‟s empowerment to be the goals ultimate objective of many development policies and programmes leads a demand for indication of empowerment both to reveal the esclint to which women are already empowered and also to evaluate if such policies and programmes have been effective towards their stated aims.
4 GOVERNMENT SCHEMES FOR WOMEN EMPOWERMENT IN INDIA
A. According to Census – 2011, India has reached the population of 1210 million, as again 301 million in 1951, of which 58,64,69,174 (48.5%) were females. The females literacy also increased from 18.3%
71 in 1961 in to 74.0% in 2011 and a
decrease in male-female literacy gap from 26.6% in 1981 and 16.7% in 2011.
B. The government of India has been trying to empowerment the women through various schemes. Some of schemes related to women empowerment in India are for all round development of women. The National Mission for empowerment of women (NMEW) was launched by the government of India on International women‟s Day in 2010 with the aim to strengthen overall processes that promote all round development of women.
C. Policies on women empowerment exist at National, State and local levels in many sectors including health, educational economics opportunities gender based violence and political participation. The scope and coverage of the schemes launched has been expanding that include initiatives for economic and social empowerment.
D. Some Schemes of Government impacting women development :-
Rajiv Gandhi Scheme for Empowerment of Adolescent Girls (SABLA) (2010)
Support to Training and Empowerment Programme Women (STEP)
Streeshakti
Swayamsidh
Swashakti Project
Swawalamban
Swadhar
Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA)
Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Schemes (MGNREGS)
Integrated Child Development Services Schemes (ICDSS), 1975
National Rural Health Mission (NRHM)
National Rural Livelapood Mission (NRHM)
National Literacy Mission (NLM)
Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojna (RSBY)
Rashtriya Mahila Kosh (RMK) (1993)
Scheme for Leadership Development for Minority Women
Indira Gandhi National Widow Pension Scheme
India Gandhi National Old Age Pension Scheme
BalikaSamrudhiYojna
Self Help Groups
Schemes for economic of March 6, 2013 : The Ministry of Women and Child Development is implementing various schemes for women's economic empowerment namely, Rashtriya Mahila Kosh (RMK), Support to Training &
Employment Programme for Women (STEP), Priyadarshini besides National Mission for Empowerment of Women (NMEW) and Indira Gandhi Matritva Sahyog Yojana (IGMSY).
Rashtriya Mahila Kosh (RMK) was set up in 1993 to meet the credit needs of poor women in the informal sector for income generation and household activities. Since its inception upto 31.1.2013, RMK has sanctioned Rs.
342.90 crore microfinance loans and released Rs. 278.89 crore benefiting over 7.19 lakh poor women beneficiaries.
The Ministry has been administering the Support to Training and Employment Programme for Women (STEP) as a Central Sector Scheme since 1986-87, to provide sustainable employment and income generation for marginalized and asset-less rural and urban poor women across the country. During last ten years, 3.90 lakh women beneficiaries have been benefitted under the STEP Scheme.
Priyadarshini, is a Self Help Group (SHG) based project implemented by the Ministry for holistic empowerment of women and adolescent girls. The actual implementation of the scheme was started in April, 2011. The scheme is being implemented in 7 districts of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. Since inception, 56738 beneficiaries have been covered under Priyadarshini scheme.
Indira Gandhi MatritvaSahyogYojana (IGMSY) is a Conditional Cash Transfer scheme for pregnant and lactating (P&L) women introduced in the October 2010 to contribute to better enabling environment by providing cash incentives for improved health and nutrition to pregnant and nursing mothers. 6.74 lakh women
72 beneficiaries have been covered under the
IGMSY scheme since inception.
National Mission for Empowerment of Women (NMEW) is an initiative of the Government of India for empowering women holistically, with a mandate to strengthen inter-sectoral convergence.
Further, the Government is also implementing other schemes like Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme, National Rural Livelihood Mission, etc for economic empowerment.
This was stated by Smt. Krishna Tirath, Minister for Women and Child Development, in a written reply to the Rajya Sabha today.
(en.wikipedia.org/wiki/welfare_schemes_f or_women_in India)
5 EDUCATION AND WOMEN EMPOWERMENT IN INDIA
Education and Empowerment are two sides of coin. We can‟t think both without each other. Educating a woman creates vital opportunity for the social and economic development of the country and society. Women Education in India plays a very important role in the overall development of the country. Women educations in India play a very important role in overall development of the country.
Education is the key factor for women empowerment, prosperity, development and welfare women constitute almost half of the human race education has been recognized as an essential agency of social change and development in any society of any country. Empowerment through educated methods training, functional education, disseminating the information about women‟s right, personal development and many more. It is a tool by which women can realize their potentialities and can achieve upon and social and economics mobility and achieve power and status in the society. In order
to empower women to enable them go play their rightful roles in develop, sists importance factors are very vital they are : education, micro credit financing companying, networking, media, research and development. Any national development strategy that emphasizes human development essentially human development essentially human development essentially begins with the women education. Professor Amartya Sen recently emphasized education as an important parameter.
In, India the growth of women‟s education in rural areas in very slow. In Asia, India has the lowest rates of female literacy. Literacy rate in India have risen sharply from 18.3% in 1951 to 64.8% in 2001 in which enrolment of women in education have also risen sharply 7% to 54.16%.
As per population Census of India 2011, the Literacy rate of India has shown as improvement of almost 9%. It has gone up to 74.04% in 2011 from 65.38% in 2001, thus showing an increase of 9% in the last 10 years Government of India has taken several measures to improve the literacy rate in villages and towns in India. State Government has been directed to ensure and improve literacy rate in disputes and villages where people are very poor. There has been a good improvement in literacy rate of India in last 10 years. Kerala with 93.9% literacy rate is the top state in India. Lakshadveep and Mizoram are at second and third position with 92.3% and 91.06% literacy rate respectively. Bihar with 63.08% rate in the last in term of literacy rate in India.
From the fifth five year plan (1974-78) onwards has been a marked shift in the approach to women‟s issues from welfare to development. In recent years the empowerment of women has been recognized as the Central issued in determining the states of women.
73 Ranking of States in India by Literacy Rate
S.No State Literacy Rate
(2011 Census) Male Literacy Rate
(2011 Census) Female Literacy Rate (2011 Census)
1 Andaman & Nicobar Islands 86.3% 90.1% 81.8%
2 Andhra Pradesh 67.7% 75.6% 59.7%
3 Arunachal Pradesh 67.0% 73.7% 59.6%
4 Assam 73.2% 78.8% 67.3%
5 Bihar 63.8% 73.5% 53.3%
6 Chandigarh 86.4% 90.5% 81.4%
7 Chattisgarh 71.0% 81.5% 60.6%
8 Dadra & Nagar Haveli 77.7% 86.5% 65.9%
9 Daman & Diu 87.1% 91.5% 79.6%
10 Delhi 86.3% 91.0% 80.9%
11 Goa 87.4% 92.8% 81.8%
12 Gujarat 79.3% 87.2% 70.7%
13 Haryana 76.6% 85.4% 66.8%
14 Himachal Pradesh 83.8% 90.8% 76.6%
15 Jammu and Kashmir 68.7% 78.3% 58.0%
16 Jharkhand 67.6% 78.5% 56.2%
17 Karnataka 75.6% 82.8% 68.1%
18 Kerala 93.9% 96.0% 92.0%
19 Lakshadweep 92.3% 96.1% 88.2%
20 Madhya Pradesh 70.6% 80.5% 60.0%
21 Maharashtra 82.9% 89.8% 75.5%
22 Manipur 79.8% 86.5% 73.2%
23 Meghalaya 75.5% 77.2% 73.8%
24 Mizoram 91.6% 93.7% 89.4%
25 Nagaland 80.1% 83.3% 76.7%
26 Orissa 73.5% 82.4% 64.4%
27 Puducherry 86.5% 92.1% 81.2%
28 Punjab 76.7% 81.5% 71.3%
29 Rajasthan 67.1% 80.5% 52.7%
30 Sikkim 82.2% 87.3% 76.4%
31 Tamil Nadu 80.3% 86.8% 73.9%
32 Tripura 87.8% 92.2% 83.1%
33 Uttar Pradesh 69.7% 79.2% 59.3%
34 Uttarakhand 79.6% 88.3% 70.7%
35 West Bengal 77.1% 82.7% 71.2%
- INDIA 74.04% 82.14% 65.46%
{Sources: Census of India (2011)}
74 Literacy rate in India has shown major
sign of empowerment in last 10 years.
Current literacy rate in India stand at 74.04% in 2014
(www.indiaonlinepages.com/population/li teracyrateininda_html). A higher women literacy rate improve the quality of life both at home and outside home, by encouraging and promoting education of children, especially female education and helps in reducing the infant mortality rate. It is true that empowerment can be gained with the help of education because it given the knowledge of right and wrong, truth and lie. Education is considered as a potential instrument through which processes of modernization and social change come in existence. Education has been recognized as an essential agent of social change and development in any society of any country. Government of India has been taken various steps and plans for women in every moment.
6 CONCLUSION
“Women Empowerment – A Strategy for Development” will be focusing on how women‟s empowerment can help improve overall development process in India.
Education is the key factor for women empowerment. Education of women in the education of omen is the most powerful tool of change of position in society.
Education is a basic requirement and a fundamental right for the citizen of a free nation. Education plays a catalytic role in country‟s socio economic development is in one of the principal means available for a deepen and harmonious form of human
development. According to the country report of the Government of India,
“Empowerment means moving from a weak position to execute a power”.
Education is milestone of women improvement because it enables them to responds to the challenges. Women empowerment is the most vital system to strengthen the future of women India. So, we can‟t neglect the importance of education in reference to women empowerment India, a developed country by 2020.
REFERENCE
1. “Women in History”National Resources Center
for Women
nrcw.nic.in/index2.asp?sublinkid=450.
Retrieved 2006-12-24
2. “Women in India : How to free? How Equal?.
United Nations www.un.org.in/wii.htm.
Retrieved 2006-12-24 *Mishra, R.C.
3. (2006) Towards Gender Equality.
Authorspress. ISBN 81-7273-306-2.
No43902.htm *National Policy for the Empowerment.
4. Of Women (2001)”, Retrieved 2006-12-24
*Table and graph study in India. *The Dowry Prohibition Act, 1961” Retrieved
5. 2006-12-24. *The perfect wife:
strldharmapaddhati (guide to the duties of women) by Tryambakayajvan (trans.Julia Leslie), Penguin 1995 ISBN 0140435980.*
6. www.newscoals.com/India_National_news/sh ames_for_Economic_Empowerment_of_poor_w omen
7. Government of India, Census of India 2011 8. R.K. Rao (2001) Women and Education, Delhi 9. Women‟s Education India (1995-98) Present
status perspective plan, statistical indicators with global view, Vol 111 Concept Publication Co., New Delhi
10. N.L. Gupta (2003) Women‟s Education through Age, concept, population Co, New Delhi.
