This document discusses women empowerment in the Indian context through a case study. It defines empowerment and discusses the status of women in pre-independence and current era in India. It highlights the educational and economic status of women based on census data and discusses several successful women who have proved themselves in different fields like business, social work, literature etc. It also discusses some organizations that have worked for women empowerment like SEWA, Mann Deshi bank etc. The document emphasizes that economic empowerment is possible through initiatives like these and quotes by leaders are provided on the importance of women empowerment.

1. Women Empowerment
- Indian Context -
-A Case Study-

3. What is Empowerment
• According to Oxford Dictionary
• Give (someone) the authority or
power to do something:
members are empowered to
audit the accounts of limited
companies
• According to Wikipedia
• Empowerment refers to
increasing the spiritual, political,
social, educational, gender, or
economic strength of individuals
and communities.

4. Paper Cutting

5. Woman empowerment in Pre –
independence era(1921-47)
• Under the leadership of Gandhi ji ,
women participated in social
movement against dowry and child
marriages
“If by strength is meant moral power,
then woman is immeasurably man's
superior”.
Q u o t e s

6. Nehruji at eve of independence
“You can tell
condition of nation
by looking at the
status of its
women” Q u o t e s

7. Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar
“I measure the
progress of a
community by the
degree of progress
which women have
achieved” Q u o t e s

8. What is Women Empowerment?
Women's empowerment has five components:
oSense of self-worth
oRight to have and to determine choices
oRight to have access to opportunities and resources
oRight to have the power to control their own lives, both within and
outside the home
oAbility to influence the direction of social change to create a more
just social and economic order, nationally and internationally
Guidelines on women's empowerment, united nations population information network (POPIN) un population
division, department of economic and social affairs 1995

9. “The origin of a child is a mother, a woman. ….she shows a
man what sharing, caring, and loving is all about. That is
the essence of a woman."
Sushmita Sen, Miss Universe 1994
The real worth of a woman

10. Current status of women
empowerment in India

11. Women in the population
oTotal population - 1210.2 million (2011)
{Almost equal to the combined population of U.S.A., Indonesia, Brazil,
Pakistan, Bangladesh and Japan put together}
oWomen population - 586.5 million (48.5%)
oSex ratio (0 – 6 years) – 914 (women/1000 men)
{Lowest since independence}

12. Educational status of women
Census data 2001,2011, RGI, GOI
Department of education, Ministry of Human Resource & Development
2006-07

13. Economic independence of women
o Work participation of women(2001) –
25.63%
o Urban: rural ratio of work
participation of women - 11.88: 30.79
o Women working in unorganized
sectors – 80%
o Women economically active at 15
years (2009) – 33%

14. Women who proved themselves

15. Mallika Srinivasan
oEconomic Times Businesswoman of
the year 2006.
oDirector of the Rs 2500 crore
Amalgamations Group Tafe.
oIn 1986, she joined the family
business as the General Manager of
Tafe.
oWhen she took over the turnover of
the Company was Rs 85 cr.
oAt present, the Company is earning a
business over Rs 1,200 cr.
oOn 26th January, 2014, on the eve of
the 65th Republic Day she has been
awarded ‘Padmashri’ the coveted
award of the Indian Government.
A c h i e v e r

16. Premalatha Pandiarajan the women behind
'Mafoi' Pandia Rajan
• K Pandia Rajan started it in 1992 with a capital of
just Rs 60,000.
• Today it is the largest HR services provider and
staffing company in India, with a turnover of Rs 435
crore (Rs 4.35 billion).
• Ma Foi has so far helped generate career
opportunities for more than 169,000 people in 35
countries.
• Pandia Rajan was born in Vilampatti village in
Sivakasi district. His father who was a worker at a
match factory died when Pandia Rajan was just
three months old. He was brought up by his
grandparents in a joint family of about 40 to 50
people .
A c h i e v e r

17. Ms. Chanda D. Kochhar, Managing Director and
Chief Executive Officer - ICICI
• Mrs. Kochhar joined Jaihind College for a Bachelors Degree in
Arts and after graduating in 1982
• Completed her MBA and Cost Accountancy.
• She did her Masters in Management Studies (Finance) from the
Jamnalal Bajaj Institute of Management Studies, Mumbai and
topped her batch and received the Wockhardt Gold Medal for
Excellence in Management Studies.
• In Cost Accountancy, she received the J. N. Bose Gold Medal
for highest marks in that year.
A c h i e v e r

18. Awards & Recognitions
• Under the leadership of Ms. Kochhar ICICI Bank had won
The Asian Banker - “Best Retail Bank in India“award for five
consecutive years
• Ranked 20th in the Forbe's list of Most Powerful Women in the
World, 2009.
• Ranked 25th in the Fortune’s List of Most Powerful Women in
Business, 2008.
• Featured in the list of 25 most powerful women leaders in
Business Today, 2008.
• Selected as ‘Rising Star Award’ for Global Awards 2006 by
Retail Banker International.
• Awarded Business Woman of the Year 2005 by The Economic
Times of India.
• Selected as Retail Banker of the Year 2004
A c h i e v e r

19. The Lijjat Papad story
• Are you aware of the story of seven illiterate and poor women
who borrowed Rs 80 to start a papad business?
• Its turnover from Rs 6,196 in the first year went upto Rs 300
crore in the next four decades
• 40,000 women on its revolutionary march.
• The story which reads almost like a fairy-tale chronicles the
growth of an exclusive women's organisation
• Jaywantiben Popat, one of the women involved with this
phenomenal spirit, was honoured last year at the ET Awards
for her outstanding achievements
• The Lijjat Papad story is an inspirational one,
A c h i e v e r s

20. Mann Deshi Mahila Sahakari Bank
• Chetna’s foundation established in 1994 a co-operative bank that
is completely operated by women and serves women customers.
• The bank was established with help of a group of illiterate
women and has now grown into a $562,000 firm by the end of
2011.
• In collaboration with HSBC, Mann Deshi Bank established the
Udyogini Business School in 2007.
• There are thousands of girls who drop out of school in
Maharashtra every year, and Mann Deshi Udyogini aims at
providing vocational training and financial training to these
young women to enable them to become entrepreneurs,”
A c h i e v e r

21. SEWA (Self-Employed Women's Association)
• Started as a trade union, registered in 1972, founded by Ela Bhat, it is an organisation of self-
employed women workers who earn a living through their own labour or small businesses.
• SEWA sought a two-pronged strategy of full-employment and self-reliance.
• SEWA's membership, which is a nominal Rs. 5 a year, includes women from a cross-section
of society — from vegetable and fruit hawkers to home-based weavers, potters and manual
labourers.
• It is SEWA's belief that once women achieve employment and
economic independence, they will improve the quality of not
only their lives but also that of their families.
• Ela Bhatt has been awarded the Padmashri, the Padmabhushan
as well as the Ramon Magsaysay Award.
A c h i e v e r
Year Number of Members
1973 320
2002 6,89,551

22. The real Shakthi of Sakthi Masala
• The success story of an Young Couple – committed for
Quality and Social Responsibility
• Grown up from a small Flour mill to a Market Leader
• Employing the highest number of Physically challenged
people
• Rs.3000/- to Rs.600 Crores in Three decades
A c h i e v e r

23. Sudha Murthy
• Sudha Murthy began her professional career as a
computer scientist and engineer.
• She is the chairperson of the Infosys Foundation and a
member of public health care initiatives of the Gates
Foundation.
• Sudha completed a B.E. in Electrical Engineering from
the B.V.B. College of Engineering & Technology,
standing first in her class and receiving a gold medal
from the Chief Minister of Karnataka.
• She completed an M.E. in Computer Science from
the Indian Institute of Science, standing first and
receiving a gold medal
• After graduation, Sudha became the first female engineer
hired at India's largest auto manufacturer TATA
Engineering and Locomotive Company or TELCO.
A c h i e v e r

24. Sudha Murthy
• Sudha had written a postcard to the company's Chairman
complaining of the "men only" gender bias at TELCO.
• As a result, she was granted a special interview and hired
immediately.
• A prolific writer in English and Kannada, she has written
nine novels, four technical books, three travelogues, one
collection of short stories, three collections of non-fiction
pieces and two books for children.
• Her books have been translated into all the major Indian
languages and have sold over three lakh copies around the
country. She was the recipient of the R.K. Narayan Award
for Literature and the Padma Shri in 2006.

25. Chinna Pillai
• Chinnapillai comes from a small village called Pulliseri near
Madurai
• She is one of the five recipients of the Streeshakti award
• Though most of her compatriots would not recognize her, she
has, over the last many years, been quietly organizing poor and
illiterate agricultural laborers of Tamil Nadu.
• Chinnapillai, had taken the trouble to wear her best sari and her
only pair of rubber Hawaii slippers – worn out as they were -- in
honor of the occasion.
• This was why she had, for the first time, travelled so far from
home. It was the first time she was to see Atal Bihari Vajpayee
face-to-face.
• Which could be why she was overwhelmed when she saw him on
the dais. She bent down to touch his feet.
• What happened next came as a complete shock to her.
• The prime minister of India, moved by her simplicity, touched
A c h i e v e r

26. Economic Empowerment …is it possible?
“Its always seems
impossible until its
done”
Nelson Mandela
( Social Activist and 1st President of South Africa)

27. Knowing is not
enough,
we must apply;
Willing is not enough,
we must do.”….
JOHANN WOLFGANG VON GOETHE (1749 – 1832)
German Writer (Poetry, Drama, Prose,
Philosophy & Sciences)
Pictorial artist, Biologist, Theoretical
Physicist, Polymath

29. Any Questions?
I will be glad to answer
Thank You