Women’s Economic Empowerment in India

Source-This post on Women’s Economic Empowerment in India has been created based on the article “Seven decades after Independence, the unfulfilled dreams of India’s women leaders” published in “The Indian Express” on 17 August 2024.

UPSC Syllabus – GS Paper 1 – Role of Women and Women’s Organization

Context– Over a century ago, Indian women activists began campaigning for female social, political, and economic empowerment. They recognized that women’s agency was constrained by financial dependency on male family members.

What are some of the Early Women’s Organizations and Their Contributions?

1) The Women’s Indian Association- In 1917, the Women’s Indian Association was founded as the first national group focused on women’s issues. Their publication, Stri Dharma, highlighted the struggles of women, including factory workers. Their activism led to laws banning night work for women and the 1929 Bombay Maternity Benefit Act, which provided eight weeks’ wages around childbirth.

2) The All-India Women’s Conference (AIWC)– In 1946, the AIWC approved the Indian Women’s Charter, which called for better housing, separate kitchens and bathrooms, equal job opportunities, maternity benefits, and women’s rights to consent on property matters and a share of their husband’s income.

3) National Planning Committee’s – The sub-committee on women, part of the National Planning Committee set up by Subhas Chandra Bose in 1939, supported the AIWC’s ideas by calling for equal job opportunities, a common civil code, and gender-neutral inheritance laws.

What are the challenges faced by the women?

1)  Unpaid Domestic Work -A major focus for these activists was advancing the rights of women in informal employment and acknowledging the value of unpaid domestic work. However, progress in these areas has been gradual.

2) Low Economic Participation– The World Economic Forum’s 2024 Global Gender Gap Index ranks India 142nd out of 146 countries in economic participation. This low position highlights the ongoing struggle for women’s economic freedom, as patriarchal barriers still restrict their independence.

A detailed article on Female Labour Force Participation Rate can be read here.

3)  Inheritance Rights and Social Attitudes-While inheritance laws have been updated to give women more rights, social attitudes can still undermine these changes. Women who receive equal benefits legally face societal backlash.

What should be the way forward?

1) Recognizing unpaid domestic work should go beyond just acknowledging women’s resilience. It’s important to provide economic support to homemakers through financial assistance.

2)  Some states offer monthly financial support for women, like Gruha Lakshmi in Karnataka and Lakshmi Bhandar in West Bengal. These programs should be extended nationwide and updated for inflation.

3) Slow progress on gender equality is largely due to outdated attitudes. There is a need to address these issues now and work towards the goals set by past women leaders.

Question for practice

What were some of the early women’s organizations and their contributions? What challenges did women face, and what steps should be taken moving forward?