30 Diversity of Women as Agents of

INTRODUCTION:

 

Half of the total world population comprises of females. In spite of that, women, in almost all countries of the world are devoid of support and reinforcement for basic functions of human life. Women have always been discriminated from their male counterpart in all areas. They are not well nourished, they are less healthy than men and they are often subjected to physical and emotional violence and social ill-treatment. They don’t get ample opportunities for development of their education and career. They encounter plenty of hurdles in workplace and their participation in political life is not significant as well.

 

Traditionally in India, the status of women is that of a subordinate to her male counterpart and hence women encounter social disparities and inequity in their day to day lives. Due to the prevalence patriarchy, men are regarded to be superior to women. It is a system which denies women from decision making and ideology, and men have more command over resources. Due to existence of such gender disparity, special consideration is being paid for the development and empowerment of women in India. Hence, at the timeof designing policies and programmes, development and empowerment of women becomes a key area of concern aiming to raise the status of women in our society.

 

LEARNING OBJECTIVES:

 

At the end of the module you will be able to

  • Comprehend the status of women in India and policies and programs designed by government to uplift the status of women.
  • To know about various committees and department that work towards empowerment of women and children.
  • Understand the status of women as agents of change and decision making, their significance in civil society.

 DEVELOPMENT AND EMPOWERMENT STRATEGIES:

 

It is been rightly quoted by Swami Vivekananda that “There is no chance of welfare of world unless the condition of women is improved. It is not possible for bird to fly in only one wing”.

 

Empowerment of women is very much needed for the development and welfare of a family and in turn the welfare of communities and the nation. The sole purpose of women development is to amplify her capabilities and to initiate and shape up an environment that provide every child with an opportunity to be a perfect human being, who is capable of leading a creative and a decent life

 

For many generations, women have been overpowered in all spheres of life, in both developed and developing countries. Therefore, the term ‘Women empowerment’ is far easier said than done, as it involves a profound change in the socio cultural values of our society. Even today gender discrimination acts as a major obstacle for the growth and empowerment of women throughout the world. In India too, besides various laws that protect women’s rights, the gender disparities are one of the highest in the world.

 

The first and the foremost thing in this regard is to understand approaches for the development of women. Next is to know the different policies and schemes designed to uplift the status of women in the society and try to evaluate their appropriateness for women development and empowerment.

 

KEY STRATEGIES:

 

Some of the key strategies in the regard of women development include;

 

a.The first and the foremost idea is to provide access to basic education to every one without any gender discrimination by 2015, aiming to reduce the illiteracy among girls and women by 50 %.

b.Women should be well nourished and their health should be taken care of thereby aiming for an increase in the average life expectancy of women. Involvement of women in health care sector employment should also be ensured.

c.Providing women with equal employment opportunities aiming to reduce the rate of poor women and to raise their status in the society so that they can makeindependent decisions and be economically productive.

d.Encouraging participation of women in politics and in all power positions of the society and to promote more and more NGOs.

e.Promotion and expansion of women participation in the field of information technology and media. This helps in improving the social status of women and would change the biased perception and stereotype.

f.National legislations and international laws in specific have to be formulated and amended in ways that ensure elimination of all forms of discrimination, still enacted against women.

 

GOVERONMENTPOLICIES, PROGRAMS AND SCHEMES FOR EMPOWERMENT OF WOMEN:

 

The preamble of Indian constitution believes in providing equal rights to both men and women of the country. Indian constitution is one of the excellent equality documents in the world. It has laid down allocations to safeguard equality in general and gender equity inparticular. Women’s rights are safe guarded by placing them equivalent with men in social, political and economic terms. Our constitution treats women on par with men by providing equality of status and opportunity and honor to every individual.

 

Women empowerment policies are well anchored in the Fundamental Rights incorporated in our constitution. For example; the right to equality is ensured by Article 14 of Indian constitution. Similarly, Article 15(1) and 15(2), forbids discrimination on the basis of sex and authorize the state take affirmative actionsin favour of women respectively. Likewise Article 16 envisages for equality of opportunity to all the citizens circumstances relating to employment and appointment to any office.

 

The Government of India in the year 2001 launched a National Policy for Empowerment of women. The following are the objectives of the women empowerment policy.

  • The policy aims at enabling women to realize their full potential for their all-round development by creating an environment through positive economic and social policies,
  • Creating an environment where women can enjoy all the fundamental human rights and independence on par with their male counter parts in all spheres of society, be it economic, social, cultural and civil spheres.
  • Providing equal opportunities for women to take part in social, political and economic life of nation along with equal access to decision making.
  • Elimination of gender discrimination and providing equal opportunities to women with respect to health care, quality education at all grades, employment and vocational guidance, equivalent pay, social security, occupational health safety and public life etc.
  • Reinforcing legal systems aimed at abolishing of all forms of distinction against women.
  • To bring about change in attitude of society and community by active participation and involvement of both men and women.
  • Eradication of gender discrimination and all types of violence against girl child and women. It also aims at establishing and reinforcing partnerships with civil society specifically with women’s organizations.

 

The Constitution of India not only grants equality to women, but it also authorizes the state to adopt embrace growth. Every effort in this regard is made to equip women and foster children who make up for almost 70% of the total population. Diverseplans, policies and programs have been formulated and legislations passed towards creating definite outcomes that impact the lives of women in a positive manner.

 

Women empowerment can only be achieved, when there is advancement in the condition of women with regard to health, education, safety and security including financial security is attained.

 

For all matters regarding welfare, advancement and empowerment of women, the Ministry of Women and Child Development is the nodal agency. It has come up with various schemes and programs for their well-being. The schemes and programs usually pertain to wide spectrum which includes need for shelter, security, safety, legal assistance, justice, maternal health, food nutrition etc.

 

In this regard numerous schemes have been introduced. For instance Swashakti, Swayamsidha, STEP and Swawalamban etc enable economic empowerment of women. Short stay homes like swadhar provide rehabilitation and safety to women in difficult situations. Support services are also being provided by working women’s hostels and crèches.Autonomous bodies like National Commission, Central Social Welfare Board and Rashtriya Mahila Kosh are also supported by the ministry, which work for the development and empowerment of women. The ministry has laid special attention on sustenance of women via skill development program and education.

 

Swayamsidha Program:

 

Swayamsidha program is executed by ministry for women and child development at a total cost of Rs.116.30Crores. It is a federal scheme for the empowerment of women. The focal point of this program will be the installation of women’s self-help groups. This in turn will entitle women to have increased access to all kinds of resources that they are denied.In addition, it also increases their awareness and skills. This program aims at benefitting about 9,30,000 women with the establishment of 53,000 self-help groups across26,500 village societies and 650 block societies.

 

Rajiv Gandhi National Crèche Scheme:

 

This scheme aims at providing support to working women. While at work women need support in terms of quality, substitute and care for their young children. Rajiv Gandhi National Crèche Schemeimpartscrèche and day care facilities to such working women. This scheme is established under the central social welfare board.

 

Short Stay Home for Women and Girls (SSH)

 

Under this scheme temporary accommodation, maintenance and rehabilitation is offered to women and girls who are rendered homeless because of family conflict, crime, violence, mental stress, or are being forced into prostitution. It was introduced as a social defense mechanism by the Department of Social Welfare in 1969.

 

Rajiv Gandhi Scheme for Empowerment of Adolescent Girls (RGSEAG) or SABLA

 

SABLA is a centrally sponsored scheme which aims for all-round empowermentof adolescent girls. The scheme was introduced in the year 2010-11 on an experimental basis in 200 districts throughout India. Its primary goal is to make girls self- dependent by bringing improvement in their health and nutrition status. It also aims at promoting health awareness, hygiene, sexual health, complications involved in adolescent pregnancy and reproduction, care for family and child and also enable access to public services by means of guidance and counseling and vocational training. Mainstreaming out-of-school adolescent girls into formal/non-formal education is also part of the scheme. Over 1crore adolescent girls per year are expected to be assisted under this scheme.

 

Support to Training and Employment Program for Women (STEP):

 

STEP was launched by government of India in 1986-87 with the aim of producing self-sustained women. The scheme involves upgradation of skills in women for either self and wage employment. Marginalized asset less rural women and urban poor were the target group of the scheme. The duration of the project is for 5 years with beneficiaries’ ranging from 200-10000.

 

Social empowerment and education:

 

Many schemes have been launched with the sole purpose of providing educational facilities to the women. This is because education plays a very important role in empowerment of women and children. Some of them are; elementary education, secondary education, adult education, higher and technical education, nutrition education and extension,sarvashikshaabhiyan, Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan (RMSA), Udaan scholarship scheme, Rashtriya Uchchattar Shiksha Abhiyan (RUSA), Pradhan Mantri Vidya Lakshmi Karyakram, Beti Padhao Beti Bachao initiative etc.

 

Nutrition and Health:

 

Several interventions have been made by the government to bring down the rate maternal mortality. This includes Janani Suraksha Yojana which promotes institutional deliveries. The yojana provides for absolutely free and no expense delivery including caesarean section under the Janani Shishu Suraksha Karyakaram (JSSK) for all pregnant women delivering in government hospitals and health care institutions. Mother and child tracking system I for girls also monitored ensure prenatal, intra-natal and postnatal care. In addition to this immunization services are provided to the new born.

 

In addition to the above mentioned schemes, Integrated Child Development Scheme, Reproductive & Child Health Program, Ph.II (RCH II), National Rural Health Mission,Janani Suraksha Yojana, Integrated child protection scheme, Food security Mission, National Iodine Deficiency disorders Control Program (NIDDCP) and Indira Gandhi Matritva Sahyog Yojana (IGMSY) are also launched which primarily targets pregnant and lactating women of age 19 years or older who have had two children.

 

Financial Security:

 

In order to ensure that vulnerable and poor women groups are empowered, different flagship schemes have been initiated.For instance; Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme and National Rural Livelihoods Mission provides financial security to rural women. Similarly, Rashtriya Mahila Kosh (RMK) aims at mainstreaming poor women in the economy by empowering then with regular funds and facilitating market linkages. Mahila E-Haatis another such scheme which supports women entrepreneurs and Self Help Groups. Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana works towards financial inclusion of women.

 

National Skill Development Policy and Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY) is an initiative that takes pride in promoting skills and employability of women. This in turn helps poor women to find a decent job and move out of poverty. Likewise, Sukanya Samriddhi Yojana has been introduced with a purpose of securing the financial future of the girl child.

 

National committees and organizations for women:

 

Ministry for Women & Child Development:

 

The Ministry for Women & Child Development was set up as a department of the Ministry of Human Resource Development in the year 1985. It operates for holistic development of women and children in the country. Later in 2006, it became an independent ministry, holding powers to frame plans, policies and programs, to modify legislation. It also does thework of guiding and collaborating the attempts of both government and private organizations working towards women and child development.

 

National Commission for women:

 

The national commission for women was launched by government of India on International women’s day in 2010. The mission of the commission is to strengthen and empower women from all spheres. It also aims at co-ordinating all the women’s welfare and socio economic development schemes initiated by different departments and ministries. It serves as single window service for all the government run schemes and programs for women empowerment and development. This also named as Mission Poorna Shakti, which signifies for holistic empowerment of women and abides to promote and protect the interests of women.

 

Several other committees have been set up which collaborates with National commission for women and ministry for women and child development to ensure all round women development. Some of them are as discussed below.

 

Bharatiya Grameen Mahila Sangh or BGMS (National Association of Rural Women India) was launched in 1955. It is a non-political organization which has branches across India. It works by creating women self-help groups who work for the welfare of destitute and homeless women. They are provided with short stay home and vocational training and employment to support them. Betrayed old women are also given shelter here. In addition, they are provided with food and medical support by BGMS.

 

One Stop Crisis Centre or the Nirbhaya Centres:

 

The committee was set up in 2012, after the Nirbhaya gang-rape case. These centres cater for the immediate medical, legal and physiological needs for the victim. 36 such centres have been started on a pilot basis by union ministry of women and child development. These centres operate 24/7 to help the needy.

 

National Institute of Public Cooperation and Child Development, (NIPCCD) works for overall well-being of women and children across the nation.

 

Rashtriya Mahila Kosh was launched under the Ministry of Women and child development in 1993. Primary focus of this Kosh is to bring about economic empowerment among women. It works towards promoting entrepreneurship skills among women at the grassroot level.

 

National Repository of Information for Women, (NARI) launched under national commission for empowerment of women scheme, NARI aims for a holistic empowerment of women and children of our country.

 

She Box is an online complaint management system against sexual harassment at work place. It is being established with an initiative to create a safe and secure work environment for women which is free from sexual harassment.

 

WOMEN AND CIVIL SOCIETY:

 

In a democratic nation, the needs and interests of both men and women have to be represented. Gender equality is not just the responsibility of women’s organisations but a broad social agenda. Mainstream organisations should ensure to bring about gender equality providing equal opportunity to both thegenders and developing women leaders (along with men). Though women’s participation in civil society has risen marginally in recent years, it is yet to break the gender barrier and acquire an equal status.

 

DIVERSITY OF WOMEN AS AGENTS OF CHANGE; LEADERSHIP AND DECISION MAKING:

 

Participation of women in politics, significantly affect both policy issues and the nature of solutions that are proposed. Policy priorities are impacted by women legislator who often represent the problems faced by women and other poor citizens, thus bringing about greater responsiveness of policy making and governance. Issues that impact health, education and other quality of life issues are dealt with priority when women reach leadership positions. Women leadership more often reflects in policy making where families, women and children are priority. Thus participation of women in politics has intense positive and democratic impacts on communities, legislature, political parties to lives of citizens. Thus women, as agents of change, do bring about remarkable transformation in our society.

 

CONCLUSION:

 

One of the most important concerns of the 21st century is the empowerment of women at both national and international level. Women, particularly in India, are trying to be self-reliant amidst all odds with the support of government through various welfare schemes. There is an increase in the participation of women in public life day after day. They are seen taking part actively in social and political activities of the nation. Women in India have come a long way and their contribution as agents of change is very well witnessed. Their involvement in decision making is also evident.

 

Nevertheless India is still lagging behind in achieving the gender equality envisaged in our constitution. Both government and society should work hand in hand in order to create an environment free from gender discrimination. Women should be given equal opportunities to participate in social, political and economic life and decision making. Development of nation depends in empowering its women. Thus empowermentof women should begin from home and break the stereotype leading to a transformed nation.