essay on women empowerment
Answers
Explanation:
In our society, the women who break down barriers are those who ignore limits.”- Arnold Schwarzenegger
Empowerment can be defined as a “multi-dimensional social process that helps people gain control over their own lives. Women’s empowerment refers to “women’s ability to make strategic life choices where that ability had been previously denied them” (Malhotra et al., 2009) (Kabeer 1999).
Accordingly, empowerment is central to the processes of maintaining the benefits of women at an individual, household, community and broader levels (Malhotra et al., 2009). It involves the action of boosting the status of women through literacy, education, training and raising awareness (Alvarez and Lopez, 2013). Hence, women’s empowerment is all about allowing and equipping women to make life-determining choices across different issues in the country.
We all know the ratio of girls is less as compared to boys in our country, India. And it is due to the orthodox mentality of society who wants to have boys and not girls. In true sense, patriarchy has decided the course of women’s lives throughout ages.
The need for women empowerment arose because of the gender discrimination and male domination in the Indian society since ancient time. Women are being suppressed by their family members and society for many reasons. They have been targeted for many types of violence and discriminatory practices by the male members of the family and society in India and other countries as well. Wrong and old practices in the society from ancient times have taken the form of well-developed customs and traditions.
Women enjoyed a better position in the Rig-Vedic period which deteriorated in the Vedic civilization. Vedic civilization onwards, women were denied the right to education, right to widow remarriage, right to inheritance and ownership of property.
Social evils like child marriage and dowry system worsen the situations more for women. During the Gupta period, the status of women deteriorated extremely and institutions like dowry and Sati Pratha became more prominent.
During the British Raj, many social reformers such as Raja Ram Mohan Roy, Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar, and Jyotirao Phule started agitations for the empowerment of women and as a result of their efforts Sati was finally abolished and the Widow Remarriage Act was formulated.
Later, stalwarts like Mahatma Gandhi and Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru advocated women rights and as a result of their concentrated efforts that the status of women in social, economic and political life began to elevate in the Indian society.
Although women in India have made a considerable progress in the seven-decade of Independence still the battle is only half won.
They still have to fight against many social evils that are oppressing them and deteriorating their status. Still, there are people or groups that create hurdles and resists women progress in India.
Answer:
Women must be given equal opportunities in every field, irrespective of gender. Moreover, they must also be given equal pay. We can empower women by abolishing child marriage. Various programs must be held where they can be taught skills to fend for themselves in case they face financial crisis.