The document discusses women's empowerment in India. It defines women's empowerment as accepting women into the decision making process and raising their status through education, awareness, and training. Women's empowerment is important for a country's development by enhancing human resources. In India, women's empowerment depends on location, education, socioeconomic status, and age, though policies exist, implementation lags. Education is key to empowerment by enabling women to confront traditional roles. The status of women has improved in modern India through cultural and structural changes, and women now participate in all fields, though disparities remain between policy and reality.

1. WOMEN
EMPOWERMEN
T
BA ECONOMICS –
SEM-V; UNIT - I
Dr. M.Madhavan
Assistant Professor,
PG & Research Department of Economics
Arignar Anna Government Arts College,
Namakkal

2. What is Women
Empowerment?
◦ Women's empowerment is the process of empowering
women.
◦ Empowerment can be defined in many ways, however,
when talking about women's empowerment,
empowerment means accepting and allowing people
(women) who are on the outside of the decision-making
process into it.
◦ Women’s empowerment is the most crucial point to be
noted for the overall development of a country.
◦ Women Empowerment includes the action of raising the
status of women through education, raising awareness,
literacy, and training. Women's empowerment is all about
equipping and allowing women to make life-determining
decisions through the different problems in society.
Dr. M.Madhavan, Assistant Professor, PG & Research Department of Economics, AAGAC, Namakkal 2

3. Why Women
Empowerment?
◦ Empowerment of women is a necessity for the
very development of a society, since it enhances
both the quality and the quantity of human
resources available for development.
◦ Women's empowerment and
achieving gender equality is essential for the
society to ensure the sustainable development of
the country.
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Dr. M.Madhavan, Assistant Professor, PG & Research Department of Economics, AAGAC, Namakkal 3

4. PROCESS OF
WOMEN
EMPOWERMEN
T
Dr. M.Madhavan, Assistant Professor, PG & Research Department of Economics, AAGAC, Namakkal
4

5. DETERMINANT
S OF WOMEN
EMPOWERMEN
T
Dr. M.Madhavan, Assistant Professor, PG & Research Department of Economics, AAGAC, Namakkal 5

6. NEED FOR WOMEN
EMPOWERMENT IN INDIA
Dr. M.Madhavan, Assistant Professor, PG & Research Department of Economics, AAGAC, Namakkal 6

7. Need for Women
Empowerment in
India
◦ Women’s empowerment in India is heavily
dependent on many different variables that
include
◦ Geographical location (urban/rural),
◦ Educational status,
◦ Social status (caste and class), and
◦ Age.
◦ Policies on women’s empowerment exist at the
national, state, and local (Panchayat) levels in
many sectors, which includes
◦ Health,
◦ Education,
◦ Economic opportunities,
◦ Gender-based violence, and
◦ Political participation.
◦ However, there are significant gaps between
policy advancements and actual practice at the
community level.
Dr. M.Madhavan, Assistant Professor, PG & Research Department of Economics, AAGAC, Namakkal
7

8. Geographical
Location and
Women’s
empowerment in
India
◦ Worker Population Ratio for females is higher
in rural areas (24.8%) than urban areas
(14.7%). For males, the ratios in rural and
urban areas are 54.3% and 54.6%
respectively.
◦ Thus, considerable gender gap exists in both
rural and urban areas and the gap is higher in
urban areas.
◦ The average wage/ salary received per day by
regular wage/salaried employees of age 15-59
years for females is rural: Rs.201.56 and
urban: Rs.366.15 which is lower than that of
males (rural: Rs.322.28, urban: Rs.469.87) in
both rural and urban areas and the gap is
more in rural areas.
◦ Unemployment Rate (UR) is more for females
in both rural and urban areas with the gap very
wide for the urban
8
Dr. M.Madhavan, Assistant Professor, PG & Research Department of Economics, AAGAC,
Namakkal

9. Education and Women’s empowerment in India
◦ As per the 2011 censes the literacy rate of women is lesser than male literacy rate (82 : 65).
Inspire of being aware of her position, women can't transform the situation due to lack of
education. Therefore, women's empowerment can't be effected unless we persuade the
importance of women's education.
◦ Education as means of empowerment of women can bring about a positive attitudinal change.
It is therefore, crucial for the socioeconomic and political progress of India.
◦ Education is milestone of women empowerment because it enables them to responds to the
challenges, to confront their traditional role and change their life.
◦ Women who have attained secondary or higher education are more empowered as compared to
uneducated women. Educated women are more likely to marry later and also more likely to
have higher agency in their lives.
◦ Women who work for cash have high empowered as compared to those who have not
participate any kind of work .
◦ As a result of higher participation of women in literacy campaigns, the gender gap in literacy
levels is gradually getting reduced.
◦ The education of women is the most powerful tool to change the position of society.
Education also brings a reduction in inequalities and functions as a means of improving their
status within the family.
Dr. M.Madhavan, Assistant Professor, PG & Research Department of Economics, AAGAC, Namakkal 9
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10. Socio-Economic
Status and
Women’s
empowerment in
India
◦ Gender discrimination in India affects poor women’s socio-economic
development.
◦ Many attempts have been made in India to increase women’s socio-
economic status.
◦ Critics argue that income generation alone does not increase the
economic equality of women in India Amartya Sen (1999) argued that
economic discrimination is a much “broader concept” (p. 108) than
economic status and a complex relationship exists between culture and
economic status of poor women in India.
◦ Socio-economic forces combine to greatly influence the development of
poor women in India. Given that culture permeates all aspects of life in
India, a critical cultural and feminist perspective may enhance
understanding of the complex nature of economic development.
◦ A common perception about women in India is that their status has
always been low compared with women in advanced countries.
◦ Contemporary Indian culture reflects a strong connection to its ancient
history. India’s past provides insights to the current status of Indian
women in society (Masani, 1973). An ancient text from approximately
1,500-1,000 B.C. called the Rigveda, imparted written evidence of the
status of Indian women.
◦ In addition, archaeological, sculptural, and artistic findings revealed the
nature of Indian women’s lives in ancient India (Seth, 2001). The Vedic
culture believed that men and women were created as equals. 10
Dr. M.Madhavan, Assistant Professor, PG & Research Department of Economics, AAGAC,
Namakkal

11. Demographic Factors and
Women Empowerment in India
◦ Women get a position in household and family because older women have
more empowered as compared to younger women. So, Women’s age is an
important factor in India.
◦ Urban women and, in particular, urban educated women enjoy relatively
higher access to economic opportunities, health and education and experience
less domestic violence.
◦ Women (both urban and rural) with education have higher chance of decision
making in the household and the community.
◦ Women with more years of marital duration are much more likely to spend
their various efforts, workforce participation and income on their own needs,
age at marriage in India is better than other South Asian countries viz., Nepal
and Bangladesh.
◦ So, it has an impact on empowerment in Nepal and Bangladesh more as
compared to India.
Dr. M.Madhavan, Assistant Professor, PG & Research Department of Economics, AAGAC, Namakkal
11
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12. STATUS OF WOMEN IN MODERN INDIA
Dr. M.Madhavan, Assistant Professor, PG & Research Department of Economics, AAGAC,
Namakkal 12
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13. Status of Women in Modern India
◦ Revolutionary changes has taken place in the status of Indian
women after independence.
◦ Cultural and Structural changes reduce exploitation of
women to a great extent and provide equality of
opportunities to women in various fields.
◦ The women have left the secured domain of their home and
are now in the battle field of life, fully armored with their
talent.
◦ Now, there is no arena which remained unconquered by
Indian women. Female activists also united over issues as
female infanticide, gender bias, women’s health, women’s
safety and women’s literacy.
Dr. M.Madhavan, Assistant Professor, PG & Research Department of Economics, AAGAC, Namakkal 13

14. Status of Women in Modern
India (Contd …)
◦ In 1966, Indira Gandhi becomes the first- women Prime Minister of India
and served on that post for an aggregate period of fifteen years and becomes
the worlds’ longest serving women Prime Minister.
◦ Kiran Bedi, Bachendri Pal, Kiran Majumdar, Kalpana Chawala, Meira Kumar,
Pratibha Patil etc. are those names from different fields which set examples for
others.
◦ Along with being achievers, women of modern India are fulfilling their roles as
wives and mothers.
◦ Women are now regularly performing duties that are traditionally assigned to
males. The income of one man is no longer enough in the modern expensive
culture, so fluctuations in the economy have made it necessary for a woman to
obtain a career, in order to provide the essential funds to support and maintain
the family.
Dr. M.Madhavan, Assistant Professor, PG & Research Department of Economics, AAGAC, Namakkal 14

15. Status of Women in Modern
India (Contd …)
◦ In the 1990s, grants from foreign donor agencies enabled
the formation of new women oriented NGOS. Self help
groups and NGOS such as self Employed Women’s
Association (SEWA) have played a major role in the
advancement of women’s status in India.
◦ Many Women have emerged as leaders of local movements,
for example, Medha Patkar of the Narmada Bachan
Andolan. Indira Noye a very successful busines women in
the world. Jayalaitha the Iron lady of Tamil Nadu made a
notable contribution in the development of the state.
◦ Women are actively participating in the democratic process
and elections which is quite impressive in enhancing their
Status.
◦ Today modern women in India are entering into all kind of
professions like engineering, medicine, politics, teaching etc.
They are joining the universities and colleges in large
numbers. In fact, India has the largest population of
working women in the world, and has more numbers of
doctors, Surgeons, Professors than the United States.
Dr. M.Madhavan, Assistant Professor, PG & Research Department of Economics, AAGAC, Namakkal 15
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