Essay on Women Empowerment in English – Before knowing about ‘Women’s Empowerment‘, we should understand what we understand by ‘Empowerment’. ‘Empowerment’ refers to the ability of a person in which he can take all the decisions related to his life. In this article of ‘Women Empowerment,’ we are also talking about the same ability where women are free from all the shackles of family and society and are the creators of their decisions. Hope that this article will be able to make you aware of the status and rights of women in society and will expand your knowledge about women empowerment more.
Introduction
In modern times, women empowerment is a special topic of discussion. Recognizing the importance of women in our Adi-texts, it is even told that “Yatra Narayastu Pujyante Ramante Tatra Devta”: That is, where the woman is worshipped, the deity resides there. But see the irony, despite having so much power in a woman, she is feeling the need of empowerment. Economic empowerment of women refers to the availability of their economic decisions, income, wealth and other things, only by getting these facilities can they raise their social status. In order to bring awareness in the society about the importance and rights of women in the development of the nation, many programs like Mother’s Day, International Women’s Day etc. are being run by the government. Women need development in many fields.
In India, in order to empower women, it is first necessary to kill all those demonic thoughts that kill their rights and values in society, such as dowry, illiteracy, sexual violence, inequality, feticide, domestic violence towards women, Prostitution, human trafficking and similar topics. There is a high level of gender inequality in our country. Where women are suffering from the bad behaviour of their family as well as external society. Women are number one in the number of illiterates in India. The real meaning of women empowerment will be understood when they are given a good education in India and they will be able to make independent decisions in every field.
Meaning of women empowerment
The woman is considered to be the power of creation, that is, the existence of mankind has been considered from woman itself. The empowerment of this creation is to empower women by empowering them with social, economic, political justice, freedom of thought, belief, religion and worship, equality of opportunity.
In other words – women empowerment means improving the social and economic status of women. So that he can get equal opportunities for employment, education, economic growth so that he can achieve social freedom and progress. This is the way by which women too can fulfil their aspirations like men.
In simple words, women empowerment can be defined in such a way that it flows the power of women through which they can take all the decisions related to their life and live well in family and society. Empowering women is their empowerment to achieve their real rights in society.
The need for women empowerment in India
There are many reasons for the need for women empowerment in India. In the medieval period, the honour level of Indian women decreased significantly compared to ancient times. The respect that was given to him in ancient times, in the medieval period, that respect began to decline.
(i). In the modern era, many Indian women hold many important political and administrative positions, yet ordinary rural women are still obliged to live in their homes and they do not have facilities like general health facilities and education.
(ii). In India too, women are far behind men in India. The education rate of men in India is 81.3 per cent, while the education rate of women is only 60.6 per cent.
(iii). Women in urban areas of India are more employable than women in rural areas, according to the data, about 30 per cent women work in the software industry in the cities of India, about 90 per cent women in rural areas mainly agriculture and allied Performs daily wages in areas.
(iv). Another major reason for the need for women empowerment in India is also inequality in payments. A study has revealed that despite equal experience and qualifications, women in India are paid 20 per cent less than men.
(v). Our country is moving forward with great speed and enthusiasm, but we can maintain it only when we are able to overcome gender inequality and ensure equal education, progress and payment for women as men. Could.
(vi). About 50 per cent of India’s population is women only, meaning half of this population is needed for the development of the whole country which is still not strong and is bound by many social restrictions. In such a situation we cannot say that in future our country will develop without strengthening half our population.
(vii). Women empowerment was necessitated because India had a gender inequality and a male-dominated society since ancient times. Women were pressurized by their own families and society for various reasons and they were subjected to various forms of violence and discrimination in family and society, which is not only seen in India but also in other countries.
(viii). In Indian society, there is a tradition of worshipping women goddesses as a mother, sister, daughter, wife to honour women, but today it is only hypocrisy.
(ix). Social political rights (freedom of work, right to education etc.) were completely banned by male family members.
(x). In the last few years, many constitutional and legal rights have been created and enforced by the government to remove gender inequality and evil practices against women. However, there is a need for the constant support of everyone including women to solve such a big topic.
(xi). Modern society is more aware of the rights of women, as a result of which many self-help groups and NGOs etc. are working in this direction.
(xii). Women are more open-minded and are breaking social bonds to get their rights in all dimensions. However, crime is going on simultaneously.
Obstacles in the path of women empowerment in India (hurdles in implementation of women empowerment in India)
Indian society is a society which includes many customs, beliefs and traditions. There are some of these old beliefs and traditions which prove to be a hindrance for women empowerment in India. Some of the same obstacles are the following –
(i) Due to old and orthodox ideologies, many areas of India are prohibited from leaving their homes. In such areas, women do not have the freedom to go out of the house for education or employment.
(ii) Due to living in an environment of old and orthodox ideologies, women find themselves inferior to men and fail to change their current social and economic condition.
(iii) Exploitation in the workplace is also a major obstacle in women empowerment. Private sectors such as service industries, software industries, educational institutions and hospitals are most affected by this problem.
(iv) Problems for women arise due to the dominance of male prominence in society. In the past few years, there has been a rapid increase in harassment of women in the field of work and there has been an increase of about 170 per cent in the last few decades.
(v) In India, women are still discriminated against at the gender level in workplaces. In many areas, women are not even allowed to go out for education and employment. At the same time, they do not have the freedom to work independently or take decisions related to family and they are always considered less than men in every task.
(vi) Women in India are paid less than their male counterparts and this problem is even more pathetic in the unorganized sector, especially in places with daily wages.
(vii) Women are paid less than men even when they do the same work for the same amount of time, and such work shows the power disparity between women and men. Women working in the organized sector are paid less than men, despite having the same experience and qualifications as their male counterparts.
(viii) Problems like illiteracy among women and dropping out of education are also very big obstacles in women empowerment. Although in urban areas, girls are equal to boys in education, but in rural areas they are far behind.
(ix) The female education rate in India is 64.6 percent, while the education rate of men is 80.9 percent. Many rural girls who go to school also miss their studies and they are not able to pass even the tenth standard.
(x) Although in the last few decades effective decisions taken by the government have reduced the practice of child marriages in India to a great extent but in 2018 a UNICEF report shows that there are still about 15 in India every year. Lakh girls are married before the age of 18, due to early marriage, the development of women stops and they are not physically and mentally adults.
(xi) Serious crimes like dowry, honor killing and trafficking are seen against Indian women with many domestic violence. However, it is quite strange that women in urban areas are more prone to criminal attacks than women in rural areas.
(xii) Working women also do not use public transport late in the night due to their safety. In the true sense, women empowerment can be achieved only when the safety of women can be ensured and like men, they can also come freely without fear.
(xiii) Female feticide or abortion on the basis of gender is one of the biggest obstacles in the way of women empowerment in India. Female feticide refers to feticide on the basis of gender, under which female feticide is aborted without the consent of the mother. Due to female feticide, there has been a huge difference in the sex ratio between women and men in states like Haryana and Jammu and Kashmir. These claims of our women empowerment will not be fulfilled until we can eradicate the problem of female feticide.
he role of the government for women empowerment in India – The role of the government in the implementation of women empowerment in India is a number of schemes run by the Government of India for women empowerment. Many of these schemes are related to things like employment, agriculture and health. These schemes have been formed keeping in view the situation of Indian women so as to increase their participation in society. Some of these main schemes are MNREGA, Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan, Janani Suraksha Yojana (a scheme to reduce maternal mortality) etc.
The following schemes are being run by the Ministry of Women and Child Development Welfare and Government of India for the empowerment of Indian women with the hope that one day women in Indian society will get the benefit of every opportunity like men.
1) Beti Bachao Beti Padhao Scheme – This scheme is designed keeping in mind female feticide and girl education. Under this, efforts are being made to change the thinking of the misconception that the girl is a burden in her family by planning for the betterment of girls and giving them financial assistance.
2) Women Helpline Scheme – Under this scheme, 24 hours emergency support service is provided to women, women can complain of any kind of violence or crime against them on the number prescribed under this scheme. Under this scheme, women can register their complaints by dialling 181 number across the country.
3) Ujjwala Scheme – This scheme has been launched to protect women from trafficking and sexual exploitation. Along with this, work is also done for their rehabilitation and welfare.
4) Support to Training and Employment Program for Women (Step) – Under the step scheme, the skills of women are enhanced to provide employment to them or they can start their own employment. Under this program, women are educated in many areas of work such as agriculture, horticulture, handloom, sewing and fisheries etc.
5) Mahila Shakti Kendra – This scheme focuses on empowering rural women through community participation. Under this, community volunteers such as students and professional individuals provide information about their rights and welfare schemes to rural women.
6) Reservation for Women in Panchayati Raj Schemes – In 2009, the Union Cabinet of India announced 50 per cent women reservation in Panchayati Raj Institutions, an attempt by the government to improve the social status of women in rural areas. Through which, Bihar, Jharkhand, Orissa and Andhra Pradesh as well as other states too, a large number of women were elected Gram Panchayat presidents.
Some Acts passed by Parliament for Women Empowerment (Laws made by the Parliament favouring women empowerment) Some Acts have also been passed by Parliament to empower women with legal rights. Following are those Acts –
(i) Unlawful Trade (Prevention) Act, 1956
(ii) Dowry Prohibition Act of 1961
(iii) the Equal Remuneration Act 1976
(iv) Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act 1987
(v) Gender Testing Techniques Act of 1994
(vi) Prevention of Child Marriage Act 2006
(vii) Sexual Exploitation of Women at Workplace Act 2013
Role of women in nation-building – With the changing times, the women of the modern age are free to study and write. She is conscious of her rights and makes her own decisions. Now she moves out of the boundary wall and performs special important work for the country. Women constitute about half of the population of our country. For this reason, the goal of nation-building can be achieved only by keeping the role and contribution of women in the great work of development of the nation completely and in the right perspective.
There is also no shortage of women in India who have not allowed their internal fears to dominate their society for change and respect for women. One such example was Atiya Sabri of Saharanpur. Atiya is the first Muslim woman to raise her voice against triple talaq. Varsha Jawalgekar, who fought the fight for justice against the acid victims, also tried unsuccessfully to stop the move but did not stop fighting justice. There are many examples in our country which are synonymous with women empowerment.
Today, efforts are being made to empower women power in the country from all angles. The result is also being seen. Today the women of the country have become aware. Today’s woman has changed the thinking that she can better take responsibility for home and family.
Today’s women are making a significant contribution to the biggest field of work by joining shoulder to shoulder with men. Then whether the work is for wages or to go to space. Women are proving their worth in every field.
Advantages of women empowerment – Without women empowerment, women cannot get the place in the country and society to which she has always been entitled. Without women’s empowerment, she cannot take on centuries-old traditions and evils. Freed from the bondage, she cannot make her own decisions. In the absence of women empowerment, she cannot be able to get her own personal freedom and authority over her decisions.
Women’s empowerment brought about a lot of changes in the lives of women.
(i) Women have started taking an active part in every task.
(ii) Women are making decisions related to their lives.
(iii) Women have started fighting for their rights and are slowly becoming self-sufficient.
(iv) Men are now beginning to understand women, they are also giving their rights to them.
(v) Men are now respecting the decisions of women. It is also said that you do not get the right to ask for rights and women have got their rights from their abilities and from the men by joining together.
Women empowerment can play an important role in getting the opportunity for women rights and equality. Because women empowerment not only prepares women for sustenance but also prepares them to awaken the female consciousness within themselves and get rid of social atrocities.
Conclusion
Given the way India today ranks among the world’s fastest achieving economies, India needs to focus on achieving the goal of women empowerment in the near future. To bring true women empowerment in Indian society one has to understand and remove the main causes of bad practices against women, which is the patriarchal and male-dominated system of society. It is very important that we change our old thinking against women and also change the constitutional and legal provisions.
