What we Do: Economic Empowerment

Abstract :

Education is widely understood as an indicator of women status and even more importantly as a factor for the empowerment of women. Women have such unexplored potential which has never been tapped. For centuries women were not treated equal to men in many ways. Today we can see that women occupies respectable positions in all walks of life. Yet, they are not absolutely free, due to discriminations and harassments of the society. A few number of women have been able to establish their potentialities.

Education is milestone of women empowerment because it enables them to responds to the challenges, to confront their traditional role and change their life. So that we can’t neglect the importance of education in reference to women empowerment in India.

Introduction:

Education is considered as a basic requirement and a fundamental right for the citizens of any nation. It is a powerful tool for reducing inequality as it can give people the ability to become independent. Women, who come across discrimination in many spheres, have a particular need for this. Still large womenfolk of our country are illiterate, backward, weak, and exploited education also reduces inequalities and functions as a means of improving their status within the family. Empowerment and capacity building provides women an avenue to acquire practical information and learning for their improved livelihoods. India can become a developed nation only if women contribute to the best of her capacity and ability which is possible when she is educated and empowered.

Status of women

The women in India enjoy a unique status of equality with the men as per constitutional and legal provision. But the Indian women have come a long way to achieve these positions. Gender inequality is the main problem, a female was always dependent on male members of the family. Female was not allow to speak aloud in front of the elder members of her family. In the family, every faults had gone to her. In many social activities she is not permitted to mingle with others. She has very little share in political, social, and economic life of the society. Now the status of women changed alot. She has brought the property rights, Voting rights, an equality in civil rights, matters of marriage, employment etc. In this male dominating society, the education of women has been neglected for a long period of time. Insufficiency of education in women can adversely affect the health and living condition of children. For to achieve economic empowerment of women we should eradicate poverty, give chance for micro credit – Women's access to credit for consumption and production, women and economy, globalization, women and agriculture, women and industry support services etc., should be promoted.

Importance of women education in India

Women education in India plays a very important role in the overall development of the country. It not only helps in the development of half of the human resources, but in improving the quality of life at home and outside. Educated women not only tend to promote education of their girl children, but also can provide better guidance to all their children. Moreover educated women can also help in the reduction of infant mortality rate and growth of the population. Women empowerment is the importance part in any society, state or country. It is a woman who plays a dominant role in the basic life of a child. Women's are the important section of our society. Women's participation may be used both for the support by an agency and as a control device by law makers. Women plays an imperative role in making a nations progressive & guide it towards development at the social level male dominance in parliament, bureaucracy, judiciary all point focus towards gender inequality that is often argued that women political leadership would bring about a more cooperative and less conflict prone era. Higher education is important for everyone but it is especially important for girls and women. Higher education achievements help to have ripple effects within the family and across generations. Girl’s education helps to reduce poverty. Educated women can recognize the importance of health for themselves as well as other family members too. we should give chance to woman in every level then in all walks of life she can make her own foot prints. Providing proper counseling to parents in proper time will ensure the educational opportunity of a girl. Government also take initiative to give basic infrastructure and financial aid in the right time. Education has to provide girls with the capacity to analyze their situation, expose them to a new role, build up aspiration and see a different future.

Obstacles to women empowerment

• Violence: Violence is the prime factor which opposes women’s empowerment. Physical, emotional, mental torture and agony are deep rooted in the society from ancient times which are responsible for decline in female sex ratio.
• Gender inequality: Women empowerment is not only limited to economic independence of women; gender equality is the other side.
• Family restrictions: Illiterate guardians who are not willing to send their female children’s to educational institutions.
• Early marriages: Early marriages results in dropouts from school. Lack of awareness on female education is also one of its causes.

Women’s own perception of themselves and on their empowerment must be changed. They should also strive to change their image as weak, dependent, passive and try to become independent, active, strong and determined human beings

WOMEN EMPOWERMENT THROUGH EDUCATION

Women Empowerment is a global issue and discussion on women political right are at the fore front of many formal and informal campaigns worldwide. The concept of women empowerment was introduced at the international women conference at NAROIBI in 1985. Education is milestone of women empowerment because it enables them to responds to the challenges, to confront their traditional role and change their life. So that we can’t neglect the importance of education in reference to women empowerment India is poised to becoming superpower, a developed country by 2020. The year 2020 is fast approaching; it is just 13 year away. This can became reality only when the women of this nation became empowerment. India presently account for the largest number no of illiterates in the world. 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%. Despite the importance of women education unfortunately only 39% of women are literate among 64% of the man. Within the framework of a democratic polity, our laws, development policies, plan and programmes have aimed at women’s advancement in difference spheres. 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 issue in determining the status of women. The National Commission of Women was set up by an Act of Parliament in 1990 to safeguard the right and legal entitlements of women. The 73rd and 74th Amendments (1993) to the constitution of India have provided for reservation of seats in the local bodies of panchayats and Municipalities for women, laying a strong foundation for their participation in decision making at the local level.

This paper examined the trends in women education, the investments on education and infrastructural supports in India. The study revealed that there had been significant progress in the performance of women education revealed from female literacy levels and its change over time. It was also observed that the gaps between rural and urban female literacy rates are narrowing down. To explore the influence of certain variables of interest such as rural poverty, urbanization and drop-out rate on the educational attainment of women, a multiple regression equation was estimated. It was observed that rural poverty acts as a push factors for women’s education rather than as an obstacle to women’s education. The significant influence of urbanization on women’s education implied that urbanization had been playing a beneficial role in the attainment of women’s education in India. At the same time, the drop-out rate had a negative effect on women’s education. It revealed that that reduction of girl’s drop-out rates is necessary for achieving women’s education. The initiatives of the government through investment and infrastructure in developing education in India were examined. With regard to facilities in schools, it had improved significantly, but a lot more need to be done. In sum, the study revealed that there have been concerted efforts to encourage girls to attend schools, which would lead to higher literacy in future. The study also revealed that there are several infrastructural barriers to women education in India. The study calls for focused approach towards increasing women centre educational infrastructure so as to reduce the women drop-out rates and to improve female literacy levels in India.

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