INTRODUCTION:
“Nature gives women too much power. The law gives them too little.” -William Henry
Introduction:
India is a democratic and political country with a well simplified administrative structure and an existing mixed economy, with rich experience in private sector operations. Also available in India is a large pool of skilled and business-class labor, reasonably good basic infrastructure, and a good track record of meeting past international obligations.
In this highly competitive world, the development of a society is greatly influenced by the productive contribution of each member. The contributions of women in different walks of life cannot be overlooked. But experiences show that the benefits of development are not shared equally by all sectors of the population.
The status of women in Indian society:
Since time immemorial, women have faced the challenges of coping with a macho society. Even after several years of planned development in India, the status of women in our country is low and their socio-economic conditions are much more depressing than those of men. The most important factor that has affected the non-participation of women in decision-making and governance is the public-private gap associated with men and women. The woman’s place is in the private domain and is associated with the home. While the public domain is associated with political authority, public decision-making, productive work, and masculinity, these assumptions have always prevented women from negotiating in the public domain and they find themselves either criticized for their shortcomings or patronized by the public domain. mens. The recent experience of structured adjustment reveals that women are the most marginalized sectors. They are earmarked for a disproportionately larger share of the burden, literacy and unemployment.
Challenges women face:
o Gender disparity in school enrollment and literacy rates
o Gender disparity in wage rates
o Employment and livelihood opportunities for women
o Causes of poverty based on gender
o Infant and maternal mortality rates
o Restrictive fertility control practices
o Violence against women
o Vulnerability of women in crisis situations
o Representation of women in the media
Big disappointment in some areas:
The marginalization of women as a particular species has put women on an equal footing with inherited disadvantages. It is now generally accepted that unless women constitute a ‘critical mass’ of at least a third of decision-makers, their presence makes little difference to governance outcomes. The experiences of different countries reveal that the struggle continues, but the incorporation of the gender perspective as an institution and process of cultural transformation must continue to eliminate gender bias in development and governance frameworks.
Impact of education and technology:
The challenge of development in the broadest sense is to improve the quality of life, which generally requires better education, better levels of health and nutrition, a cleaner environment, more equality of opportunity, greater individual freedom, and a richer cultural life. Development, being a human-centered process, is obvious, but until women reach the same level as men, special attention to empowerment is required. Empowerment is a multidimensional process that enables an individual to realize their potential. In light of the above background, it is clear that empowering women will change the destinies of nations.
Education is the most important instrument through which human resources can be developed. Education enables people to acquire basic skills and inculcate skills that are useful in raising the social and economic status of women. Education helps expand women’s economic opportunities. Higher female literacy is associated with better hygiene, lower infant mortality, better family nutrition, lower fertility, and lower population growth rates. Education has been included in successive five-year plans as a major program for women’s development.
Today women are an integral part of the new economic order and play an important role in the economy. In India, women from the lowest income groups were the first to enter the labor market to earn a living, followed by middle-class women. Due to the development of education and technology, middle-class women have a higher preference for white-collar jobs. The economic and social empowerment of women in any society is influenced by the degree of their participation in income-generating activities outside the home. Self-help groups play an important role in improving the economic and social status of women in society.
Self Help Group is a homogeneous group of rural poor voluntarily formed to save whatever amount they can conveniently save from their income and mutually agree to contribute to a common fund, to help members meet their productive and emergency needs. The basic principles on which self-help groups function are the group approach, mutual trust, the organization of small manageable poor groups, group cohesion, the spirit of economy, loans based on demand and the women-friendly loans. SHG has been rapidly emerging as a powerful and alternative banking structure to serve the needs of its members, who are mostly women.
Overall, women’s self-image as a respectable source of strength improves significantly inside and outside the family; they spend their improved income on their children’s education and nutrition, thus paving the way for human resource development in the villages.
*Impact of women’s participation in SHGs
(after two or three years)…..(Results of some independent studies)
o The median value of assets (livestock, consumer durables, etc.) per household increased by 72.3% from Rs 6,843 (before SHG) to Rs 11,793
o59 percent of households in the sample reported an increase in assets.
o Improved housing conditions
oAll members developed savings habits compared to just 23% of households before
oAverage annual savings per registered household more than tripled from Rs 460 to Rs 1444
Average loans per year per household increased from Rs 4,282 to Rs 8,341.
oThe share of consumer loans decreased from 50% to 25%.
o70% of loans taken in the post-SHG situation were for income-generating purposes.
The average net income per household increased by 33% from Rs 20,177 to Rs 26.88
Impact on empowerment
Related to Economic Affairs
% members
contributing to family income
Sixty-five
o % participation in the contribution to the family income
40
feeling of improved financial status
89
ofeel highest contribution to household income after joining the group
74
ofeeling consulted on decisions related to finances
60
Related to Personal Development
or (of those) before he couldn’t but now he can write
their names (after joining the group
100
or without formal education, now read forms in banks
42
read newspapers regularly or occasionally
41
o more confident in making decisions on their own
66
ofeel recognized in family
59
ofeel being increasingly consulted by other women
44
Feel more confident when dealing with people.
75
feel more confident when dealing with various
institutions with which they regularly interact
59
regularly attend village meetings
41
cast their vote in the last local elections and 96
Interactions with others and decision making at the local level
*Source: SHG – Bank Linkage Program Status as of March 31, 2004, NABARD.
Recommendations:
o Enable women to overcome barriers and limitations to their economic productivity.
oAddress gender gaps in governance
o Generate different institutions for good governance
o Form and strengthen women’s groups to play an active role in social change.
oEliminate illiteracy through the participation of women in education
o Allow women to use modern science and technology
o Flood rural areas with quality SHG
o Encourages NGOs
