Measure For Women Empowerment

Gender Equalityand Women Empowerment
Anjali Agarwal | Kshitij Jain | Tushar Walwadikar

Salient Features
Women Empowerment
Important Issue in NFHS-3 2006-07
Millennium Development Goal 4
Four specific indicators
Ratio of girls to boys in primary, secondary, and tertiary education
Ratio of literate women to men 15-24 years old
Share of women in wage employment in the non-agricultural sector
Proportion of seats held by women in national parliaments
Eliminate gender disparity in primary and secondary education preferably by 2005, and at all levels by 2015
“It is a process through which women gain power over men or as a process that enables women to gain access to decision-making processes and instances of power”
- Oxaal & Baden - 1997
Public Health Consequence
Strategic Theme of NPP 2000
MDG 3 & 4

Focus of Presentation
Selected indicators of gender disparity
Access and control over resources
Women’s decision making role
Freedom of movement
Acceptance of gender unequal norms

Gender Disparity in Literacy

Gender Disparity - Media Exposure
Not only are fewer women than men literate but fewer are also regularly exposed to media
Media exposure leads increases awareness and generates curiosity
Percentage of men and women age 15-19 regularly exposed to print media, TV, radio, or cinema
Men 88%
Women 71%
Gender Disparity 19%

Employment
Among the population age 15-49
Men are 2 times as likely to be employed
Men are 2.7 times as likely to be employed for cash
Among the employed,
64% of women vs. 91% of men earn cash
Female share of population employed for cash in non-agricultural occupations is 22%

Occupation Disparity
59% women are occupied in agriculture as opposed to 33% men

Financial Empowerment
NFHS-3 asked married employed women and men who controlled their own earnings and who controlled the spouse’s earnings
Does employment empower women financially?
20% of employed married women said they earned at least as much as their husband
24% of men with an employed wife said that their wife earned at least as much as them

Control over Women’s Earnings
Women’s report about their own earnings
Men’s report about their wife’s earnings
Mainly husband
Husband & wife jointly
Mainly wife

Reluctance to Participate in Spending

Access to any other financial resources

Household Decision Making
63% of the women are not empowered to run their own households.

Other hurdles to Gender Equality
Limited Freedom of Movement
Gender norms that promote men’s control over women
Survey results
The majority of women have little freedom of movement. Only one-third go alone to all three destinations: the market, health facility and outside the village or community.
Wife beating
A husband’s right to have sex with his wife irrespective of his wife’s wishes

“I feel wife beating is justified”
54% of the women feel that wife beating is justified!
20% of the men feel that they have the right to reprimand their wives.

Measure for Women Empowerment
Stopping Female Foeticide– Rampant in Metros
Stop by penalizing the Medical clinics and Couples -
Under Indian Penal code equivalent to Murder
Regulatory bodies to ensure private and government clinics adhere to the rules and restrictions

Improving Female Literacy
Increase Literacy among women
Will increase the awareness towards their benefits & rights
Increase Literacy through special campaign for promoting Girl child and women education
A scheme in Uttar Pradesh gives a prize amount to parents for every girl who complete higher secondary education

Effective Political Participation
Effective political participation –
increasing political awareness and participation in active politics
Constitutional amendments to ensure participation in municipalities and panchayats
Political parties should promote women

Self Help Groups & Microfinance
Self Help Groups - A vital organ
Banks and NGO can give also loans at very nominal interest rate
It will empower women at macro level
Microfinance and Microcredit's will lead to a healthier, happier and prosperous India
Promoting about 20-25 women to form Self Help Group and start a business.

Free Industrial & Vocational Training
Free Industrial and Vocational Training to make women employable.
Exclusive ITIs for women.
Short term training sessions should be organized by the government to develop work related skills.

Dilution of strict pro-women laws
The Logic is more the tougher law is ,more difficult to implement, lesser the conviction rate
Highly impracticable law of women harassment in workforce areas which may deter the companies to employ women in order to avoid lawsuits
Therefore the dilution is necessary in order to avoid misuse

Tax Benefits
As Government is already giving tax
benefits to women employees.
Government should give tax benefits to service sector which employ large amount of women employees
Sector Specific Tax benefits

Regulation of film and fashion industry
Regulation of film and fashion industry which are promoting women as products
Cosmetic and beauty industry to be kept under check
Consumerism– Detrimental to women at times

Decriminalizing Prostitution and stopping sexual abuse
Curb exploitation of sex workers by
police & media
Incorporate living rights and subsistence for sex workers and legalize the business to ensure non-exploitation

Additional Role of Government
Government should formulate the policy which should motivate women entrepreneurs, women self help groups, women bureaucrats
Increase the number of women officers in armed forces and in police. It will help in breaking the social taboo.

Finally…
Change the attitude that men are
superior to women
Respect women as you would respect your parents
Compete with women, don’t exploit!

Questions?

Measure For Women Empowerment

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