WOMEN'S EMPOWERMENT 

A woman’s quest for equality with man is a universal phenomenon. What exists for men is demanded by women. Almost 50% of the world’s population is women, so treating them equally gives an impetus to the development of the society as a whole. The man of the house is traditionally considered to be the breadwinner of the family and the woman is considered to be the homemaker. Tradition and culture are considered to be the two big impediments for women empowerment.

Women Empowerment is understood as a very narrow term in today’s world. It may be understood as enabling people, especially women to acquire and possess power resources in order to make decisions on their own or resist decisions made by others that affect them. The National Policy on Education (1986) suggested certain strategies to empower women. Accordingly, women became empowered through collective reflections and decision making.

Women empowerment in its actuality is synonymous with complete development of the society. An educated woman, with knowledge about health, hygiene, cleanliness is capable of creating a better, disease-free environment for her family. A self-employed woman is capable of contributing not only to her family’s finances but also contributes towards increment of the country’s overall Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

This new phenomenon has also given economic power in the hands of women for which they were earlier totally dependent on males. Economically independent women feel more confident about their personal lives. Hence, they are taking more personal decisions, for instance, about their further education, marriage, etc. More and more women want freedom of work and control their own reproduction, freedom of mobility and freedom to define their own lifestyle.

 Therefore, our efforts should be directed towards the all-around development of each and every section of Indian women, not confining the benefit to a particular section of women in society, by giving them their due share. It is a must to protect their chastity, modesty and dignity and ensure their dignified position in society. Without removing social stigma, enduring progress and development could not be achieved. For this, the governmental and non-governmental organisations including media should come forward and play an active role in creating awareness in society. The task is not too difficult to achieve. The honesty and sincerity on the part of those involved is a must. If lots of women change, definitely it will have a positive impact on society. Hence, women’s empowerment is the need of the hour.