Women Empowerment : Is it a Myth or a Reality ?

Women Empowerment : Is it a  Myth or a Reality ?

Women Empowerment as a concept was introduced at the International Women Conference in 1985, at Nairobi, which defined it as redistribution of social power and control of resources in favour of women.

Women’s Empowerment is viewed as the procedure and the consequence of the procedure of –

* Challenging the ideology of male domination and women’s subordination.

* Enabling women to gain equal access to and control over the resources (material, human and intellectual).

Dimensions of Women Empowerment:

*The cognitive dimension refers to women understanding the conditions and causes of their subordination at the micro and macro level.

* The psychological dimension includes the belief that women can act at personal and societal levels to improve their individual realities and the society in which they live.

* The economic component requires that women have access to, and control over productive resources, thus ensuring some degree of financial autonomy.

* The political element refers to women have the capability to analyse, organise and mobilise for social change and to participate in political process.

* There is a physical element of gaining control over one’s body and sexuality and the ability to protect oneself against sexual violence to the women empowerment process.

The principle of gender equality is enshrined in the Indian Constitution in its Preamble, Fundamental Rights, Fundamental Duties and Directive Principles of State Policy. The Constitution not only grants equality to women, but also empowers the State to adopt measures of positive discrimination in favour of women. Within the framework of a democratic polity, our laws, development policies, plans and programmes have aimed at women’s advancement in different spheres. From the Fifth Five Year Plan onwards there has been a marked shift in the approach to women’s issues from welfare to development and then from Eighth Five Year Plan emphasis was shifted from development to empowerment.

The accompanying enactments or acts contain certain rights and defends for Women

* Maternity Benefit Act (1961) regulates the employment of women in certain establishments for certain period before and after childbirth and provides for maternity benefit and certain other benefits.

·          Indecent Representation of Women (Prohibition) Act (1986) prohibits indecent representation of women through advertisements or in publications, writing, paintings, figures or in any other manner.

·          Commission of Sati (Prevention) Act (1987

·         Legal Services Authorities Act (1987) provides for free legal services to Indian women.

·         National Commission for Women Act (1990) provides for the establishment of a National Commission for women to study and monitor all matters relating to the constitutional and legal rights and safeguards of women

·         73rd and 74th Constitutional Amendment Acts (1992) provides for one-third seat reservation for women in the rural and urban local self-governmental institutions (Panchayats and Municipalities) in India.

·         Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act (2005) is a comprehensive legislation to protect women in India from all forms of domestic violence – physical, sexual, mental, verbal or emotional.

·          Sexual Harassment of Women at workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act (2013) provides protection to women from sexual harassment at all workplaces both in public and private sector, whether organized or unorganized

·         The Government of India declared 2001 as the Year of Women’s Empowerment. The goal of the National Policy for the Empowerment of Women (2001) is to bring about the advancement, development and empowerment of women

Social perspective:

 Still, to some extent, the women in India find themselves suppressed and subjugated in a patriarchal society. In the Indian society, the position of women is always perceived in relation to the men.

 Therefore, domestic violence against women within family and social insecurity of the women are two major forms of women exploitation in the present Indian society. The problems of dowry, excessive emphasis on reproduction of male baby – all these issues lead to domestic violence and crimes against women within family, as a result of which the women face various physical and mental torture.

 Social insecurity of women is a major issue of concern in India today. Various criminal cases like rape, kidnapping, abduction, molestation of women, sexual harassment, eve-teasing etc. have become the common headlines in everyday newspapers.

 Economic perspective:

 Lack of proper education and awareness of rights among the women are caused of unemployment which increases their economic dependency on the men. In so many cases, women are economically exploited and deprived because they are being compelled to give up their job under the pressure of their family, especially after marriage. On the other hand, the employed women are being forced to hand over their entire earnings to their head of the family, who is a male person in most of the cases.

 Political perspective: Although the 73rd and 74th Constitutional Amendment Acts (1992) have improved the political participation of women in local self-government institutions at the grassroots level in India by providing one-third seat reservation for women but political participation of women in Legislative Assemblies and Parliament is still quite low in India.

Of the 543 MPs elected to the 16thLokSabha (2014), 62 are women. This is the highest number of women MPs elected to the LokSabha in the history of the country, although by a small margin. 58 women were elected to the 15thLokSabha in the 2009 general election

Serious Issues and Difficulties to Women Strengthening in India

·         ignorance from childhood

·         patriarchal structure

·         problems of unemployment, poverty, socio-economic inequality, gender-discrimination, lack of properly well-planned educational, economic and social programmes from grass-root level etc. are also responsible for hindering the women empowerment in India.

·         criminal incidents against women

·         problems of child-labour, lack of proper education and awareness of rights among women are highly responsible for the under-development of the women in India.

·         The daily life of the women, the lack of respect towards them and their financial incapability are also responsible for exploitation of women in present Indian society, causing obstruction to women empowerment in India.

Women Empowerment Schemes in Central Government in India

·         Beti Bachao Beti Padhao Scheme

·         One Stop Centre Scheme

·         UJJAWALA

·         SWADHAR Greh ( A Scheme for Women in Difficult Circumstances)

·         Indira Gandhi MatritvaSahyogYojana (IGMSY) – A Conditional Maternity Benefit Scheme

·         Nari Shakti Puraskar

·         Mahila Police Volunteers

·          Inclusion of Women Pilots into Indian Air Force

Global intiatives

·         IMAGINE: A Global Initiative for the Empowerment of Women\

·          UN - Sustainable goals

·         World Economic Forum:  Global gender gap index

·         Around the world, Peace Corps Volunteers are working with communities to address gender equality and empower women and girls.

Is women empowerment in India a myth or a reality?

Women empowerment may be realised, only when the women will be able to control their lives, to protect, develop and empower themselves (without any help of others), they will have freedom to take the decisions of their lives and they will become truly self-reliant. But, women empowerment does not necessarily mean that the women will lose the qualities of forgiveness, self-sacrifice, physical and mental endurance, human feelings, compassion and sympathy to acquire certain special privileges for the realization of their empowerment.

 Instead of it, rather it may be said that, if the women are truly empowered, it will not be necessary to provide them special privileges or facilities. Specifically, in this context, with due respect, we may remember Helen Keller, who was a blind and deaf author, political activist and lecturer, who had been able to overcome her physical disabilities and challenges by her will power. Therefore, the women must develop their self-power by themselves. In fact, women empowerment can be achieved not only by improving the social, economic and political strength of women, but also by raising and developing their self-strength, self-confidence, self-dependence, self-consciousness, self-defence, self-determination, self-respect and self-reliance.