Women constitute about 50% share in India's population, but they contribute only 18% to the country’s GDP. India ranks 143rd out of 186 countries in terms of women MPs.
Empowerment
of women contributes to economic development and prosperity within communities.
When women have access to education, skill training and economic opportunities,
they can participate in the workforce, start business and contribute to the
local economy. Strong women promote innovation, productivity and
entrepreneurship, which boost economic growth and reduce poverty. Women empowerment
is the most effective means for development.
Women
constitute about 50% share in India's population, but they contribute only 18%
to the country’s GDP. India ranks 143rd out of 186 countries in
terms of women MPs. According to reports, till July 2023, the representation of
women in the Lok Sabha was 15.1 per cent, while it was 13.8 per cent in the
Rajya Sabha. Out of 1,044 members of the Indian National Science Academy- INSA,
only 89 are women, which is about 9%. The Ministry of Education recently
released the All India Survey on Higher Education for the year 2021-22, which
has seen a 32% increase in women enrollment for higher education since 2014.
Although this growth is commendable, it highlights slow pace. The states in the
northeastern region of India have been neglected in the education sector for a
long time. However, women (collectively) from these states have shown 6.07 lakh
enrollment in 2021-22, which is more than 5.95 lakh male enrollment. The total
enrollment from the region has increased from 9.36 lakh in 2014-15 to 12.02
lakh in 2021-22.
From
carers to daily wagers and leadership, women in India, like their global
counterparts, are breaking the glass ceiling to redefine the roles assigned to
them by the patriarchal society. One of the world's youngest population
countries, India's goal of becoming the third largest economy by 2030 will make
women's active participation necessary in the workforce, which is more than 48
per cent of the country's population. India's women workforce participation in
2022 was more than 27 percent. The gender-based difference in India's
workforce, which has been continuously reduced over the years, can be attributed
to conservative social norms in terms of demand (work opportunities) and supply
(availability of women).
As
per the NFHS-5 data, at least 16 out of 28 states and 6 out of 8 Union
territories have more than 90 per cent women participating in household
decision-making, which is more than 11 states and 2 union territories in the
NFHS-4 survey. Nagaland has the highest women participating at 99.2 per cent,
followed by Mizoram (98.8 per cent) and Puducherry (97.9 per cent). Meanwhile, Ladakh
(80.4 per cent), Jammu and Kashmir (81.6 per cent), Karnataka (82.7 per cent)
and Andhra Pradesh (84.1 per cent) are the worst performing states.
According
the available data, the percentage of women with savings/bank accounts, which
they themselves use, has seen a significant improvement with a 35.6 per cent
jump in just five years. This trend could be attributed to schemes like Pradhan
Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana and the increase in microfinance initiatives over the
years.
The
data also tells that 43.3% of women aged 15-49 own a house or land alone or
jointly with others in 2019-21, compared to 38.4% in 2015-16. Today, about 77.4%
of women have a bank or savings accounts which they themselves use, a marked
improvement of more than 25% over the previous survey. Yet, the data on jobs
continues to be far from encouraging. Amidst boom in the population of working
age, the female labour force participation rate has been under duress at 20%, as
per the Periodic Labour Force Survey, compared to 50.6% for men. (PLFS
2019-20).
Women
empowerment has become a requirement of time. Women must have freedom, trust
and self-esteem to choose their needs and demands. However, they are paid less
wage, while some families still think they should be confined to household
chores, thus hindering them from growing. This calls for the need to empower women
in India. Well, women empowerment is an essential right. They should have
proportional rights to contribute to society, economy, education and politics.
