Essay – Barriers to Empowerment of Women in India
Barriers to Empowerment of Women in India Essay: India was the first democratic nation post-independence on 15 August 1947 to grant its female citizens the right to participate in the Universal Adult Franchise by reserving voting rights. Ironically the democratic nation had managed to continue its patriarchal approach by not acknowledging the women’s individual and distinct identities. The names of female voters on the voter identity cards remained for instance; the Wife of Rajkumar Agarwal or the Daughter of Amar Singh. After 75 years of independence, women’s empowerment In India seems to be sluggish as compared to western countries.
Discussion
A survey conducted by the National Family Health Survey of India states that the sex ratio in India is 1020 women for every 1000 men. Despite the presence of more women than men in the nation, women’s participation in employment is a discouraging 21%.
The reasons for poor women empowerment rates can be attributed to historical and contemporary issues of women.
Gender Inequality is an anachronistic problem in India in every institution be it education or employment sectors. The dropout rates of female students at the primary level (classes 1-5) have escalated to 1.5% in the academic session of 2021-2022 as compared to 0.8% in the previous session. A 3% dropout rate has been observed at the upper primary level (classes 6-8) in 2021-2022, an increase of 1.1% from the past year. The dropout rates signify the lack of seriousness in women’s education especially in rural areas or amongst communities of industrial labourers and daily-waged workers.
Major hindrances to women’s empowerment in workplaces occur in the form of unequal opportunities for women as compared to men. The conventional perception that men are stronger and more effective than women, the stigma associated with menstruating women and associated negligence of sanitation, pregnancy and lack of childcare and harassment in the workplace are a few issues that pose obstacles to women’s empowerment.
According to the reports of the survey conducted by the World Inequality Report men earn 81% of labour as compared to 18% earned by women in India. The huge margin of unequal payments accounts for the domestic burden upon women which hinders them to make the most of the career opportunities that men are capable of utilising.
Ignorance of most corporates about menstruating women and their incapacities of taking proper initiatives of resolving the lack of efficiency for that cause women not to progress in their careers. Despite the implementation of laws for maternity leave like the Maternity Benefit act of 1961 almost around 13% of women employees resign either due to pregnancy or lack of childcare.
Political empowerment in India among women in India has been historically low. However, the 108th Constitutional Amendment brought the Reservation Bill Bill on 9 March 2010 reserving one-third of seats for women in LokSabha and Legislative assemblies.
Conclusion
To surmise, empowerment refers to the capacity of persons, of women contextually of mankind’s independent decisions, to lead a life of choice and receive the human dignity one deserves. Women’s empowerment has progressed considerably, however, age-old problems associated with women’s safety and unfair treatment in society need to change for a paradigm shift.
FAQs related to Barriers to Empowerment of Women in India
Q1. What is the sex ratio in India?
Ans: A survey conducted by the National Family Health Survey of India states that the sex ratio of India is 1020 women for every 1000 men. Despite the presence of more women than men in the nation, women’s participation in employment is a discouraging 21%.
Q2. What are the dropout rates of Indian female school students?
Ans: The dropout rates of female students at the primary level (classes 1-5) have escalated to 1.5% in the academic session of 2021-2022 as compared to 0.8% in the previous session. A 3% dropout rate has been observed at the upper primary level (classes 6-8) in 2021-2022, an increase of 1.1% from the past year.
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