Women Empowerment- Economic Political and Social- Explained Pointwise

8th march of each year is celebrated as International Women’s Day. This day is to celebrate women power and remind us the crucial role women play in every domain of human life. However, women have been marginalised as a community, and they have been engaged in a long-drawn battle for equal women’s rights. ‘Women empowerment‘ is the only way forward to improve the status of women in the society.

What is Women Empowerment? What are the different components?

Women Empowerment- Women empowerment is the promotion of women’s sense of self-worth, their ability to determine their own choices and their right to influence social change for themselves and others. It is rightly said that empowering a man leads to empowering an individual but empowering a woman empowers an entire generation.

Types of Women Empowerment

1. Economic Empowerment- Economic empowerment means having equal access to work opportunities and ensuring their participation in all kinds of markets. This will help women break down all the barriers of inequality and defy traditional roles.

2. Political Empowerment- Political empowerment means women having equal access to leadership role in the political sphere. It also gives increased strength to women’s right voices and issues in the political sphere.

3. Social Empowerment- Social empowerment aims to uplift the social status of women. Social empowerment aims to provide women equal say in the health, family decisions, marriage decisions, childbirth.

What are the advantages of Women Empowerment?

Economic Empowerment

1. When more women work, economies grow- Women’s economic empowerment increases economic diversification and income equality for shared prosperity. According to UN Women, it is estimated that closing the gender gap could give the global economy a USD 7 trillion boost.

2. Growth of businesses- Business companies greatly benefit from increasing employment and leadership opportunities for women, which is shown to increase organizational effectiveness and growth. For ex- According to estimates, Companies with three or more women in senior management functions score higher in all dimensions of organizational performance

Political Empowerment

1. Proper functioning of Democracy- Women’s political participation is a fundamental prerequisite for gender equality and genuine democracy. It facilitates women’s direct engagement in public decision-making and is a means of ensuring better accountability to women. For ex- Women led SHGs and women rights movement.

2. Gender-sensitive policies- Political empowerment leads to gender-sensitive governance reforms. It makes the elected officials more effective at promoting gender equality in public policy and ensuring their implementation. For ex- Law to protect Sexual harassment at workplace

Social Empowerment

1. Social Justice- Women’s Social empowerment is essential for achieving social justice. It helps in ending gender based discrimination, violence, and other forms of oppression. It also helps to create a more just and equitable society.

2. Sustainable Development Goals- Promotion of social empowerment of women will help in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals in accordance with 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

What are the Challenges with empowerment of Women?

Economic empowerment

1. Unequal employment opportunities- Globally, the gender gap in labour force participation has been around 30% since 1990, with men’s participation at around 80% and women’s at 50%. Women also experience ‘motherhood penalty‘ with reduction in employment opportunities for women having babies.

2. Employment in informal and vulnerable sectors- According to research by UN Women, nearly 60% of women’s employment globally is in the informal economy. In low income countries it is as high as 90%.

3. Lack of pay parity- Women are paid less than men. The gender wage gap is estimated to be 20%. Women face the challenges of motherhood wage penalty and unpaid care works.

Political Empowerment

1. Low Representation of Women in Legislature- The representation of women in different legislative bodies remains low across India. For ex- According to the report of Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) and UN Women, India ranks 148 out of 193 countries in the number of elected female representatives in parliament.

2. Lack of intra party democracy- The political parties lack intra party democracy, which prevents the development of top women leaders. The patriarchal nature of politics is a major challenge to women political empowerment.

Social Empowerment Challenges

1. Gaps in Male Female Literacy Rate- Lack of good girls schools with proper toilets, female infanticide, early child marriage and dowry have led to the educational disenfranchisement of women.

2. Health care Burden- Lack of access to sanitary products, menstrual hygiene and high incidence of cervical and breast cancers have increased the health burden on women in India.

3. Social Safety Concerns- Women are threatened by various acts such as feticides, domestic violence, rape, trafficking, forced prostitution, honour killings, sexual harassment at workplace. These have led to the marginalisation of women in the social sphere.

What have the achievements of Indian Women?

1. Avani Chaturvedi – Sky Warrior

Avani Chaturvedi became the first Indian proud woman to fly solo a fighter aircraft. She flew a MiG-21 ‘Bison’, an aircraft known for its highest landing and take-off speed in the world.

2. Mithali Raj – Lady Tendulkar of Indian Women’s cricket

During India’s series against New Zealand Women – Mithali Raj became the first Indian woman who made India proud by playing in 200 ODI match.

3. Mary Kom – Ms. Knock-out

Mary Kom is the woman who made india proud by becoming World Amateur Boxing champion for a record six times, and the first woman from the country to win a medal in boxing at the Olympics.

4. Gita Gopinath – The Fiscal Scholar

An Indian-American economist, Gita Gopinath became the First Woman Chief Economist at the IMF (International Monetary Fund).

5. Arunima Sinha – The Mount Everest Girl

Arunima Sinha became the world’s first woman amputee to climb Mount Everest in 2013.

6. Usha Kiran – Youngest Female CRPF Officer

Usha Kiran became CRPF’s first woman officer to be posted in the insurgency-affected Bastar region of Chhattisgarh.

7. Tessy Thomas – Missile Woman of India

Tessy Thomas is the first woman who made india proud to head an Indian missile project. Adding to it, with the successful launch of the Agni-V missile project, she also achieved a career milestone.

What are the government initiatives?

What should be the way Forward?

1. Better Education Opportunities- Better implementation of New Education Policy to ensure the protection of girls right to education and their right to be free from discrimination within educational institutions.

2. Skilling and Micro Financing- Training women in non-traditional skills in accordance with the market demand, like machine textiles. Also, we need to focus on creating more public and private sector jobs for women.

3. Women’s Safety- There must be strict implementation of Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013 to ensure safe working spaces for women. Also Panic Button, Nirbhaya Police Squad are some good steps in the direction of women’s safety.

5. Improvement in Basic Amenities at Rural Level- The improvement in the health and education standards of women in rural areas will lead to all round development of women and a productive women workforce.

5. From Women Development to Women Led Development- Women should be reimagined as architects of India’s progress and development, rather than being passive recipients of the fruits of development.