What is women’s empowerment?
Women empowerment basically means accepting and conceding women who are not given equal rights or opportunities and are not incorporated into the decision-making process.
Women empowerment usually includes all those measures that are been taken for the purpose of elevating the status of women through various means like education, raising awareness, literacy, and training.
There are several major problems faced by women in society.
Hence their empowerment is all about adorning and allowing women to have the freedom of making life-determining decisions by overcoming all the hurdles of the cruel society.
There are several issues that exist in society leading to the need for empowerment of women and today, the empowerment of women and the refinement of their political, social, health status, and economic independence is becoming very crucial.
Everywhere around the world, women usually face threats to their lives, health, and well- being.
As a result, they end up being overburdened with their work and responsibilities, which leads to a lack of power and influence. Moreover, they don’t get equal rights and benefits, like men.
Now, let’s discuss some of the significant issues faced by women around the world.
Importance of Women Empowerment:
Women must possess the self-worth, confidence and freedom to choose what they may with regard to their private and professional choices alike.
Gender bias is unreasonable and wrong on so many levels, yet is common in society and perhaps manages to manipulate several minds on the basis of gender discrimination.
It curbs potent individuals from not only striving, thriving, and working hard towards their goals but from living an independent life which is indeed free of domination and fear.
Women empowerment becomes necessary to stimulate the confidence in women by providing them with all the opportunities within their capacity so that they can see the skills they contain and are dormant within them.
Women Empowerment plays a crucial role in fighting this backwardness in the ways mentioned below:
- Recognizing that women are equally intelligent:
It is essential to realize and understand that women in the modern era are not only equally competent but often times even ahead of men in several socio-economic fields, thus making their presence in the work front extremely important.
- To grant women economic independence:
Women Empowerment is hence also crucial in fostering economic independence among women who depend on their husbands for their daily bread, subjecting themselves to the possibility of mistreatment.
This is unfair to them, as they have the ability and capacity to perform in a way that can add to the financial benefits of the society apart from exhibiting economic independence themselves.
- Realize the advantageous prospect of women over men:
Certain jobs, in fact, can’t reach up to their best capacities without the participation of women.
It is the very sentiment of nurturing, softness, and warmth in some women that is necessary for fields like Non-Governmental Organizations, Nursing, teaching, and other similar sorts of jobs where along with the participation of men.
Female involvement is vital for the smooth functioning of the system in order to achieve the ideals they seek to achieve.
- To eradicate corruption:
Corruption addressed to women or to the society in general terms, shall be reduced, if a woman is permitted to receive an education equal to that of a man.
So in order to eradicate corruption, women empowerment is also necessary.
For the purpose of bringing peace and justice to society, it is essential that women become equally equipped like that of men to fight against the evils and wrongs of society like corruption, etc.
By perhaps participating in movements, raising their voices single-handed or joining groups and civil service jobs to serve their fellow country mates in the same manner as men.
Issues Leading to Women Empowerment:
- In most of the regions around the world, women usually receive less formal education as compared to men. As a result, women’s own knowledge, abilities, and subsisting mechanisms often go unrecognized. Additionally, education is tremendously necessary for the progress of an individual and also for society. Hence, the lack of education is one of the crucial issues leading to the need for women empowerment.
- Many of the women also encounter cruel behavior and exploitation by the men of their family, which is also referred to as domestic violence and women suffer a lot due to this.
- Women also lack various opportunities in life because of the restrictions from home along with the responsibilities. It is believed that in different parts of the world, women are just limited to practicing household works and taking care of the family; because of which women often end up with several limitations and in the end they have to forfeit their dreams for their family and are not able to practice professionalism.
- Furthermore, women also face discrimination in numerous fields in the view of the fact that many organizations prefer male workers more than female workers and also discriminate female workers by paying less and not giving equal opportunities in several assignments.
- Moreover, women also feel insecure when moving out lonely at night and also at the isolated places in most of the countries around the globe because of the nasty behavior and several other crimes of discourteous people which is a vital barrier between the progress of women and limits them to stay at home.
The above-listed points are the various issues faced by women all over the world and to overcome that the Indian Government has taken numerous steps for the empowerment and overall development of women in India.
In an overwhelming interview, Prime Minister Narendra Modi reiterated the Government’s efforts for the security of women and their empowerment:
When we talk about the legislative actions that the Government has taken, which have considerably revamped the economic outlook. Then there are various laws such as:
- The forgotten Benami Act
- Fugitive Economic Offenders Act
- Insurance Laws Amendment Act
- Real Estate Act which has brought in considerable changes in the overall economic scenario of women in the country.
Prime Minister also said that the Government is focusing on incentivizing job creation for women across the manufacturing and service sector.
Moreover, the Government has launched various programs and schemes to ensure security and the overall development of women.
Schemes and Programs Launched by the Government for Women Empowerment:
- Beti Bachao Beti Padhao Yojana:
This is one of the significant and most essential programs launched by the Government of India on January 22, 2015, in Panipat, Haryana.
The main objective of this scheme is to give rise to the awareness as well as improving the efficiency of the services for the welfare of girl child.
This campaign also aims to elevate the declining Child Sex Ratio (CSR). Still, the scheme has also included the gender inequalities and eliminations and focuses upon propagating education, survival, and protection of the girl child.
- Mahila-E-Haat:
The Indian Government launched the Mahila-E-Haat program in 2016 under the Ministry of Women and Child Development.
Mahila-E-Haat is a bilingual online marketing platform that aims to help the aspiring women entrepreneurs, self-help groups, and NGOs by leveraging technology to facilitate the platforms to showcase their products and services and help them reach a wider audience.
The Indian Government launched the Mahila Shakti Kendra program in 2017 for the purpose of empowering rural women by providing opportunities for the development of skills, employment, digital literacy, health, and nutrition.
This program is working through community engagement through student volunteers in the 115 most backward districts of India.
- Support to Training and Employment Program for Women(STEP):
The primary objective behind bringing this scheme is to provide various skills to women from different parts of the nation.
So that they can determine their capabilities and take up gainful employment which will help in sustaining a good life and also to become independent.
This program also includes providing accurate competencies and training for women. This is done in order to make them entrepreneurs and help them in achieving success on their own. This scheme is open for every woman above the age of 16.
- Working Women Hostel:
In order to ensure the safety of working women who live away from home, Working Women Hostels were launched by the Government of India.
These hostels provide convenient accommodation for working families, along with daycare facilities for their children and these hostels are set up everywhere possible, whether it is urban, semi-urban, or rural areas.
Conclusion:
The empowerment of women can’t be noticed in a day or two. It’s a process where various minute changes will lead to a huge change in society.
However, women empowerment is now considered as the growth strategies along with the overall economic and development prosperity in most of the countries around the world.
Most of the states of India are now strictly implementing several programs and schemes for women empowerment-including, education, domestic violence, child marriage and equal participation in institutes, working places and also in politics.
These initiatives are helping to reach out to the targeted group effectively and efficiently; and in turn, to achieve the desired objective of the overall development of women.
Furthermore, Women of today’s era have enormous capabilities and skills which can contribute to a vital change in the society and can contribute to the overall growth of the society in all the fields; they just need equal platforms and opportunities to exhibit their abilities.
In the end, the aftereffect of any woman being empowered can be seen in her upcoming life, society, and in the community.
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