Women Empowerment: ‘A myth or reality’
INTRODUCTION
Empowerment of any section of a society is a myth until they are conferred equality before law. The
foundation of freedom, justice and fraternity is based on the recognition of the inherent
dignity and of equal and inalienable rights to all the members of the society. It has
traditionally been accepted that the thread of family weaves the fabric of Indian
society. Women are considered as the hub center of the family. Still, in the era of
political domination by foreigners, the women in India suffered most.
few social reform measures were taken towards the later 19th and early 20th century during the

British regime
The inception of Mahatma Gandhi in the National freedom movement ushered a new concept of

mass mobilization
Women constituted about 50% of the country’s total population, he, therefore, involved women

in the nation’s liberation movement
The mass participation of women directly in the freedom struggle was the great divide in the

history of (Feminist movement) empowerment of women
The freedom of India thus became synonymous with the empowerment of women

 In this context the date of India’s political freedom (August 15, 1947) is a landmark in the
history of women empowerment in India.
Women empowerment (it is not a myth )
CONSTITUTIONAL PROVISIONS REGARDING WOMEN
The makers of the Constitution of India tried to ensure liberty, equality and

dignity
of all the citizens of India
To ensure this equality, the Indian Constitution eliminated almost all

discrimination based on caste, creed, sex or religion
The Article 14 confers equal rights and opportunities on men and women in

the political, economic and social spheres.
Article 14 empowered the State to make affirmative discrimination in favor

of women
Similarly, Article 16 provides for equality of opportunities in the matter of

public appointments for all citizens;
Article 39 stipulates that the State shall direct its policy towards providing

men and women equally the right to means of livelihood and equal pay for
equal work.
Article 42 directs the State to make provisions for ensuring just and humane

condition of work and maternity relief;
Article 51 (A) (e) imposes a fundamental duty on every citizen to renounce practices

derogatory to the dignity of women.

Various legislative measures were designed to reinforce the provisions

enshrined in the constitution
The Government of India had enacted both women specific and women

related legislations to safeguard the rights and interests of women,
The Government has enacted 41 legislations having direct or indirect

bearing on women
 The women specific legislations are:
1. The Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act. 1956
2. The Dowry Prohibition Act 1961 (28 of 1961)
3. The Indecent Representation of Women (Prohibition) Act. 1986
4. The Commission of Sati (Prevention) Act. 1987 (3 of 1988)
 To check foeticide, Haryana to keep track of pregnancies
 The ministry of women and child development's recent announcement to
introduce a policy that shall make it mandatory for private and public
organisations to provide young working mothers with facilities of
creches and day-care centres is a welcome step.
 WOMEN now working AS PANCHAYAT HEADS
 Trust women, they make better representatives of the people than
men. They meet development goals and pay special attention to
children
 Tribal women adopting family planning.
 These days, when a development job opens up, the majority of viable
candidates are women
 \"There has definitely been a period in the past two or three years where
women who have been up at it a long time have been getting these top
positions,\" notes NBC
 \"we have to be incredibly aware of that. And part of it is about putting
more women in the room and in those decisionmaking roles.\"
 There are estimates that over 90 percent of workingwomen are involved
in the informal sector.
 Women have now not only found their place in work places but are also
party to governance
 Today we have women Chief Ministers in five large states of India
 The Women's reservation policy bill is slated to further strengthen
political participation
Women empowerment (it is a myth )
biological sex difference has caused wide discrimination between men and

women.
Though any discrimination on the basis of sexual differences in unjust, the

body differences do not warrant such discriminatory differentiation, they are
only socially produced.
Female foeticide ‘leading to morally, socially sick race’


 First jail term in female foeticide law TWELVE Years after the law was
enacted to check female foeticide and 4000 cases later, the first conviction
with a prison terms took place today under the Pre-natal
DiagnosticTechniques (Regulation and Prevention of Misuse ) Act.
 37% married women abused in India’
National Survey Reveals Urban And Illiterate Wives More Prone To Spousal
Violence
TOP OFFENDERS
STATE VICTIMS %
Bihar 59 Madhya Pradesh 45.8 Rajsthan 46.3
Manipur 43.9 Uttar Pradesh 42.4 Tamil Nadu 41.9
West Bengal 40.3
 Dr. Bedi refers to it as genocide: “More than 6 million killed in 20 years.
That’s the number of Jews killed in the Holcaust.”
 Most countries don’t want to give women power.
 Women hold 16 per cent of parliamentary seats globally
UN had set a target of 30 per cent seats for women by 1995
Only 19 countries have met this target
 Poor Health: Females receive less health care than males. Many women die
in childbirth of easily prevented complications. Working conditions and
environmental pollution further impairs women's health
 Lack of education: Families are far less likely to educate girls than boys, and
far more likely to pull them out of school, either to help out at home or from
fear of violence.
 Overwork: Women work longer hours and their work is more arduous than
men's, yet their work is unrecognized. Men report that \"women, like children,
eat and do nothing.\"
 Unskilled: In women's primary employment sector - agriculture - extension
services overlook women.
 Mistreatment: In recent years, there has been an alarming rise in atrocities
against women in India, in terms of rapes, assaults and dowry-related
murders. Fear of violence suppresses the aspirations of all women
 Powerlessness: While women are guaranteed equality under the constitution,
legal protection has little effect in the face of prevailing patriarchal traditions.
 Women lack power to decide who they will marry, and are often married off
as children.
India: An Overview
# India, with a population of 989 million, is the world’s second most populous countrynumber, 120 million are
women who live in poverty.
#over 70 percent of India’s population currently derive their livelihood from land
resources, which includes 84 percent of the economically-active women
##India is one of the few countries where males significantly outnumber females, and this imbalance has increased
over time

#India’s maternal mortality rates in rural areas are among the world’s highest. From a global perspective, Indian
accounts for 19 percent of all lives births and 27 percent of all maternal deaths. Of the 15 million baby girls born in
India each year, nearly 25 percent will not live to see their 15th birthday.
# Although India was the first country to announce an official family planning program in 1952, its population grew
from 361 million in 1951 to 844 million in 1991.