Women Empowerment Introduction The topic on Women Empowerment

Women Empowerment Introduction: The topic on “Women Empowerment” is a burning issue all over the world. “Women empowerment” and “women equality with men” is a universal issue. What is the meaning of Women Empowerment? Women Empowerment refers to the creation of an environment for women where they can make decisions of their own for their personal benefits as well as for the society. Women Empowerment refers to increasing and improving the social, economic, political and legal strength of the women, to ensure equalright to women, and to make them confident enough to claim their rights, such as: freely live their life with a sense of self-worth, respect and dignity, have complete control of their life, both within and outside of their home and workplace, to make their own choices and decisions, have equal rights to participate in social, religious and public activities, have equal social status in the society, have equal rights for social and economic justice, determine financial and economic choices, get equal opportunity for education, get equal employment opportunity without any gender bias, get safe and comfortable working environment, Women have the rights to get their voices heard. Why Women Empowerment is Important? 1. Under-employed and unemployed: Women population constitutes around 50% of the world population. A large number of women around the world are unemployed. The world economy suffers a lot because of the unequal opportunity for women at workplaces.

2. Equally competent and intelligent: Women are equally competent. Nowadays, women are even ahead of men in many socio-economic activities. 3. Talented: Women are as talented as men. Previously, women were not allowed higher education like men and hence their talents were wasted. But nowadays, they are also allowed to go for higher studies and it encourages women to show their talents which will not only benefit her individually but to the whole world at large. 4. Overall development of society: The main advantage of Women Empowerment is that there will be an overall development of the society. The money that women earn does not only help them and or their family, but it also help develop the society. 5. Economic Benefits: Women Empowerment also leads to more economic benefits not to the individuals but to the society as well. Unlike earlier days when they stayed at home only and do only kitchen stuffs, nowadays, they roam outside and also earns money like the male members of the society. Women empowerment helps women to stand on their own legs, become independent and also to earn for their family which grows country’s economy. 6. Reduction in domestic violence: Women Empowerment leads to decrease in domestic violence. Uneducated women are at higher risk for domestic violence than an educated women. 7. Reduction in corruption: Women Empowerment is also advantageous in case of corruption. Women empowerment helps women to get educated and know their rights and duties and hence can stop corruption. 8. Reduce Poverty: Women Empowerment also reduces poverty. Sometimes, the money earned by the male member of the family is not sufficient to meet the demands of the family. The added earnings of women helps the family to come out of property trap. 9. National Development: Women are increasingly participating in the national development process. They are making the nation proud by their outstanding

performances almost every spheres including medical science, social service, engineering, etc. 10. Irreplaceable in some sectors: Women are considered irreplaceable for certain jobs. There is no denying the fact that women in India have made a considerable progress in almost seven decades of Independence, but they still have to struggle against many handicaps and social evils in the male-dominated society. Many evil and masculine forces still prevail in the modern Indian society that resists the forward march of its women folk. It is ironical that a country, which has recently acclaimed the status of the first Asian country to accomplish its Mars mission in the maiden attempt, is positioned at the 29 th rank among 146 countries across the globe on the basis of Gender Inequality Index. There has been amelioration in the position of women, but their true empowerment is still awaited. Swami Vivekananda, one of the greatest sons of India, quoted that, “There is no chance for the welfare of the world unless the condition of women is improved, It is not possible for a bird to fly on only one wing. ” Therefore, the inclusion of “Women Empowerment’ as one of the prime goals in the eight Millennium Development Goals underscores the relevance of this fact. Thus, in order to achieve the status of a developed country, India needs to transform its colossal women force into an effective human resource and this is possible only through the empowerment of women. What is women empowerment? Women empowerment means emancipation of women from the vicious grips of social, economical, political, caste and gender-based discrimination. It means granting women the freedom to make life choices. Women empowerment does not mean ‘deifying women’ rather it means replacing patriarchy with parity. In this regard, there are various facets of women empowerment, such as given hereunder: — Human Rights or Individual Rights: A woman is a being with senses, imagination and thoughts; she should be able to express them freely. Individual empowerment means to have the selfconfidence to articulate and assert the power to negotiate and decide. Social Women Empowerment A critical aspect of social empowerment of women is the promotion of gender equality. Gender equality implies a society in which women and men enjoy the same opportunities, outcomes, rights and obligations in all spheres of life. Educational Women Empowerment It means empowering women with the knowledge, skills and self-confidence necessary to participate fully in the development process. It means making women aware of their rights and developing a confidence to claim them.

The 1994 International Conference on Population and Development focused sharp attention on accounting for gender roles, needs, and relations when designing policies and programs that address population, health and nutrition issues. The HIV/AIDS epidemic has also highlighted the need to understand how gender inequalities in power, access, and resources affect the spread of infection. WHICH DHS DATA ARE RELATED TO WOMEN'S STATUS AND EMPOWERMENT? The DHS Program data and analysis provide an in-depth look at: the life courses of women and men, including � � � when they first have sex, marry, and have their first child whether they work whether they control income and household decisions gender differentials in education and in children's health and health care women's experience of various forms of gender-based violence. DHS INDICATORS ABOUT WOMEN'S STATUS AND EMPOWERMENT All Demographic and Health Surveys include the following women's status and empowerment indicators: Literacy and educational attainment Employment and occupation Control over own earnings (most surveys) Age at first marriage Age at first birth Contraceptive use Spousal age and education differences Demographic and Health Surveys implemented since 1999 -2000 contain information on the following additional women's status and empowerment indicators: Women's participation in household decisions Women's attitudes toward wife-beating by husbands Women's opinions on whether a woman can refuse sex to her husband Hurdles faced by women in accessing health care for themselves Demographic and Health Surveys for some countries include a module of additional questions on women's status and empowerment the DHS Women's Status Module. Indicators available from the module include: Choice of spouse Natal family support Asset ownership Control over money for different purposes

25 20 15 Series 1 Series 2 10 Series 3 5 0 education lack of job lack of right violence

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