Women Empowerment in India

The aim of the present study is to determine the factors which affect women empowerment and the issues being faced by the women. This study reveals the status of women empowerment in India and explained the factors affecting their current situation. It has been found during study that females in India are not authorized to do some acts and have lower status as equated to men. Several efforts have been taken by government to endow women at national and global level by introducing and employing numerous schemes and initiatives. This study tries to hypothesize prospects of women in numerous areas and initiatives commenced by the Union of India.

SOCIAL VALUE CREATION THROUGH SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP - A QUALITATIVE APPROACH

The objective of this paper is to contribute to better understanding of the concept behind social entrepreneurship. A qualitative approach was carried out to better know the perception behind social entrepreneurs. A sample of 10 social entrepreneurs engaged in MSME sector were interviewed pertaining to the questions behind the success of social entrepreneurial activities. The questions were raised based on their success, market orientation, image and value creation and enterprise organization. The paper nally concludes that social entrepreneurs apart from their concepts, the activities are towards the welfare of the society and it improves the economic development of the country which is a boon for the society as well as country.

Growth-of-shgs-and-empowerment-of-women

Micro finance through Self Help Group (SHG) has been recognized internationally as the modern tool to combat poverty and for rural development. Micro finance and SHGs are effective in reducing poverty, empowering women and creating awareness which finally results in sustainable development of the nation. Micro finance define as efforts to improve poor people's access to loans and saving services may be the fastest growing and most widely recognized anti-poverty too. Micro finance includes basic financial services including small loans, savings accounts, funds transfers and insurance. A long side non-financial service such as business training Micro finance assists people living in poverty who wouldn't usually qualify for regular banking services because they have no form of collateral or formal identification. An attempt is made here to examine the impact of the microfinance on the development of the Self-Help Groups in India. The total number of self-help groups which have maintained savings with banks is 100 lakhs during 2018-19 but only 26.98 lakhs i.e 26.95 percent of the SHGs have obtained credit from the financial institutions. Out of 74.62 lakh SHGs, only 11.96 lakhs i.e. 16.03 percent of the SHGs have got micro-credit from the institutional credit agencies during 2010-11. The above analysis indicates that the number of SHGs which got micro credit has increased from 16 percent to 27 percent i.e only 11 percentage points increased in 2018-19 over 2010-11. About 73 percent of the SHGs are out of the purview of the public financial institutions. Majority of the women members of SHGs are away from the institutional credit agencies. These marginalized women have to depend on informal financial services for their credit needs. So that the financial informal sector (mostly moneylenders)has continued to rule in the rural economy. There is a need to break the monopoly of door step availability of credit to these marginalized sections by the informal sources of credit. The credit needs of the women members have enormously increasing for the last two decades. The average loan disbursement per SHG has increased from Rs.1.22 lakhs during 2010-11 to Rs.2.16 lakhs during 2018-19. This is inadequate to meet the credit requirements of the members in the SHGs. Hence it should be made four to five times of the micro credit per SHGs. The bank loans are not regularly paid by the members of the SHGs. Hence, the amount of loan outstanding has continuously increased since 2010-11. It is evident from the fact that the average outstanding bank loans against SHGs shows higher level. The average outstanding per SHG has increased from Rs.65, 224 during 2010-11 to Rs.171543 during 2018-19, shows two and half-fold increase. As a result of it the overall NPA rate in bank loan to SHGs is steadily increasing since 1910-11. However, the overall NPA rate in bank loan to SHG is 5.19 percent as on 31-03-2019 registering a fall of 93 basis points from the previous level of 6.12 percent. The above analysis reveals that the steady declining the rate of NPA is indicating the recovery of loans made of SHGs is improving during the last few years.

Sexual autonomy and the use of modern contraceptives in Nigeria evidence from the 2018 demographic and health survey

Objective: The objective of the study was to determine the prevalence and relationship between sexual autonomy and modern contraceptive use among Nigerian women. Methods: Secondary data analysis of the 2018 Nigerian Demographic and Health Survey was conducted among Nigerian women aged 15-49 years who were married or had a partner. Analysis was conducted using descriptive analysis and univariate and multivariate logistic regression. P < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: Participants that had never heard or seen a family planning awareness message were 59.6%, whereas 55.9% were capable of deciding whether to refuse their husband/partner's sex or not. The prevalence of modern contraceptive use was 12%, and the likelihood of using modern contraceptives increased with the level of education, wealth status, and the number of living children. Sexual autonomy was also a significant predictor of modern contraceptive use (odds ratio = 1.35, 95% confidence interval: 1.25-1.46). Conclusion: There is a very low prevalence of modern contraceptive use among women in Nigeria. Sexual autonomy, poverty, education, and the number of living children play a major role. Thus, women empowerment and girl-child education are critical interventions needed for the best outcomes on contraceptive use in Africa. Male involvement in sexual autonomy is also key since they are major decisionmakers regarding women's issues.

Women's Empowerment: Bringing Women’s Rights and Health into Focus- A Comparative Analysis of State Fact Sheets of National Family Health Survey (NFHS)-4 & 5

Introduction: Women’s empowerment is a crucial factor for economic and social growth. India being committed to making women contribute equally to the growth of the country by 2030 (SDG-5), this study highlighted the major shortcomings in the domain of Women’s health, social and economic growth parameters. Methods: For this study, data related to health and non-health parameters were used from National Family Health Survey factsheets. In reference to “the Global Gender Gap measure by the World Economic Forum”, the indicators have been classified into 4 broad themes, for each of which, indicators were se-lected from NFHS factsheet for analysis, interpretation, and reporting. Results: A2.9% increase in the child sex ratio from 991 to 1022 females per 1000 males over the last two NFHS rounds, indicates a significant societal shift in the country. Out of 21 selected indicators, 4 pa-rameters namely Screening test for cervical and breast cancer, Marriage of women before 18 years of age and Anaemia amongst women have shown a negative change over the past 5 years. Conclusion: The study found that, India has made significant progress around the health, education, economic and social empowerment parameters. But to get an adequate assessment of developments, we need to expand the basket of indicators to holistically analyze change.

WOMEN EMPOWERMENT THROUGH EDUCATION AND GOVERNMENT'S INITIATIVES

If you educate a man you educate an individual, but if you educate a woman you educate a family (nation)” Dr. James Emmanuel Kwegyir-Aggrey (1875-1927, Ghana). Education is the most effective tool for empowering women and safeguarding their fundamental rights. Investing in the education of women may change and even save lives of women, as well as their families and communities. It is one of the most effective ways for everyone to bring about constructive, long-term change in the world

SWAMI VIVEKANANDA'S THOUGHTS ON WOMEN'S EMPOWERMENT

Women have always been the life force of the Indian civilization, and therefore, like many ancient civilizations, are properly regarded as expressions of Indian values, culture, and traditions. In this article, through an examination of Swami Vivekananda’s views on women, I have discussed the need to emphasize the need for emphasis on the above-mentioned values and attempt to drive home the point that by upholding these values we shall be able to remain culturally rooted and prosper as an eternal civilization. My sole aim in this piece is to focus light on the views of Swami Vivekananda on women empowerment that are worth discussing and cherishing, so far as they contribute positively to our argument for a need for emphasis on certain Indic values and comprehensive development

Dimensões do empoderamento feminino no Brasil: índices e caracterização por atributos locacionais e individuais e participação no Programa Bolsa Família / Dimensions of Women's Empowerment in Brazil: Indexes and Characterization by Locational and Individual Attributes and Participation in the Bolsa Família Program / Dimensiones del empoderamiento femenino en Brasil: índices y caracterización por atributos locales e individuales y participación en el Programa Bolsa Família

A superação de desigualdades de gênero em uma sociedade com fortes bases patriarcais, como a brasileira, tem como um de seus elementos centrais o empoderamento feminino. Diante da sua importância para a transformação do papel social da mulher, é fundamental que se discutam ações de promoção, fortalecimento e mensuração. Para subsidiar tal debate, vem ganhando destaque na literatura a construção de índices sintéticos de empoderamento, o que ainda é pouco explorado no Brasil. Este estudo contribui para o preenchimento desta lacuna. Utilizando dados da Pesquisa Nacional de Demografia e Saúde da Criança e da Mulher de 2006, os objetivos foram: propor e calcular dois índices sintéticos de empoderamento feminino, que refletem dimensões econômicas, domésticas e psicológicas; e, com estes índices, caracterizar a situação no Brasil segundo atributos locacionais e individuais e participação no Programa Bolsa Família (PBF). As evidências sugerem um caráter multidimensional do empoderamento, a importância do trabalho e de outros atributos individuais e locacionais e possíveis efeitos do PBF em dimensões econômicas e domésticas do empoderamento de suas beneficiárias.

Overcoming gender inequalities in a society with strong patriarchal bases, such as the Brazilian one, has women's empowerment as one of its central elements. Given its importance for the transformation of the social role of women, it is essential to discuss promotion, strengthening and measurement actions. To support this debate, the construction of synthetic indexes of empowerment has been gaining prominence in the literature, which is still underexplored in Brazil. This study contributes to fill this gap. Using data from the 2006 National Survey of Demography and Health of Children and Women (PNDS), the objectives were: to propose and calculate two synthetic indexes of women's empowerment, which reflect economic, domestic and psychological dimensions; and with these indexes, to characterize the situation in Brazil according to locational and individuals attributes and participation in the Bolsa Família Program (PBF). The evidence suggests empowerment as a multidimensional character, the importance of work and other personal and locational attributes and possible effects of the PBF on the economic and domestic dimensions of its beneficiaries's empowerment.

La superación de las desigualdades de género en una sociedad con fuertes bases patriarcales, como la brasileña, tiene como uno de sus elementos centrales el empoderamiento femenino. Dada su importancia para la transformación del papel social de la mujer, es fundamental discutir acciones de promoción, fortalecimiento y medición. Para sustentar este debate, la construcción de índices sintéticos de empoderamiento ha ido ganando protagonismo en la literatura, aún poco explorada en Brasil. Este estudio contribuye a llenar el vacío. Utilizando información de la Encuesta Nacional de Demografía y Salud de la Infancia y la Mujer (PNDS) de 2006, los objetivos del presente estudio fueron: proponer y calcular dos índices sintéticos de empoderamiento femenino que reflejen dimensiones económicas, domésticas y psicológicas; y con estos índices, caracterizar la situación en Brasil de acuerdo con los atributos de ubicación y individual y participación en el Programa Bolsa Família (PBF). La evidencia sugiere un carácter multidimensional del empoderamiento, la importancia del trabajo y otros atributos individuales y de ubicación y los posibles efectos del PBF en las dimensiones económicas y domésticas del empoderamiento de sus beneficiarias.

A comparative study on women empowerment in urban and rural setting in Tamil Nadu

Background: Women empowerment is vital for decision making on nutrition, health-seeking, family planning and economic issues for the family as a whole. In reality, there is prevalence of unequal gender norms among the women in India in urban and rural area. The objective of the study was to compare the empowerment of women in urban and rural setting in Tamil Nadu.Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in Nandivaram (RHTC) and Shenoy Nagar (UHTC) attached to Government Kilpauk Medical College among 200 married women of age 15-49 years with a semi-structured questionnaire during June 2018. Data was entered and analyzed in SPSS 16. Chi Square test and logistic regression was used for statistical analysis.Results: Mean age in rural group was 26.74±6.45 years and 30.4±7.35 in urban. Illiterates were 27% in rural and 14% in urban. About 67% were homemakers in rural vs. 43% in urban. About 33% were BPL in rural vs. 21% in urban. Decision making regarding household decisions, about73% in rural vs. 87% urban had participated. In health seeking behavior, 77 % in rural had no say while only 45% in urban. For Family planning, 33% in rural vs. 74% in urban had decision making which were statistically significant. Only 33% contributed to family income in rural vs. 47% in urban.Conclusions: Women empowerment is better in urban setting than rural setting. There is a strong need to create awareness and training in rural setting for better productive life.

Environmental Justice and Women Empowerment in Nyungwe National Park (Rwanda): Case Study of Kitabi Women Handcrafts Cooperative

In the framework of the community participation in conservation in Rwanda, a women handcraft cooperative was established in 2011 in the surrounding of Nyungwe National Park in Kitabi sector and Nyamagabe District. It aimed to empower economically and socially wives of former hunters who were themselves relying on natural resources and involved in harvesting different resources in park for making handcraft products. The empowerment was intended to reduce the reliance to natural resources and to contribute to the protection of the park. The objective of the study was to investigate and examine women’s experiences about their empowerment through environmental justice, in terms of distributive and procedural justice and challenges faced by women. In doing so, participants were purposively selected in women handicraft cooperative and in administration bodies. With regards to data collection and analysis, semi-structured interviews and content analysis were used. The findings showed that women are socially and economically empowered. In terms of economic empowerment, access to financial loans, savings, employment and income generating projects are the major indicators of the empowerment. Improved capacity building and family relations are major concerns of social handcraft cooperative members. Regarding the participation of women in decision-making process, the findings are controversial. However, it is still limited because of the dominance of top-down approach that does not consider enough women’s voices and suggestions in decision making. Cooperative women members perceive and consider the process of communication and decision-making as passive because they are almost absent in the monitoring and evaluation processes. The participation of the community members including women only appears through meetings with or without elected representatives. The process of women empowerment is still limited by some challenges such as crop raiding, complicated and slow compensation process, high interest rate and slow process of loan and inadequate communication. The partnership approach is then recommended so as to consider women’s needs and voices in the implementation of natural resources conservation policies.

Reforçando a contribuição social de gênero: a servidora pública qualificada versus a executiva / Fortalecemiento de la contribución social del género: la servidora pública cualificada frente a la ejecutiva / Enforcing the social contribution of gender: the qualified female public servant versus the female executive

Resumo Este estudo constitui uma abordagem quantitativa com base na análise de um modelo hipotético sobre o serviço público e sua relação com a construção social em torno do gênero. O universo da pesquisa consiste em mulheres altamente qualificadas que trabalham no serviço público e em empresas privadas de médio e grande portes no Brasil. A amostra final foi composta por 1.464 questionários válidos; destes, 18,6% de servidoras públicas. Foram testadas hipóteses para verificar a relação de dependência entre as variáveis: rendimento da mulher em relação ao seu par amoroso e o tipo de carreira; responsabilidade da mulher pelas atividades do lar e o tipo de carreira; rendimento em relação ao seu par amoroso e responsabilidade pelas atividades do lar; tempo de cuidado das mulheres com seus filhos e o tipo de carreira; motivadores do interesse em permanecer na carreira.

Resumen Este estudio proporciona un enfoque cuantitativo basado en el análisis de un modelo hipotético del servicio público y su relación con la construcción social en torno al género. El universo de la investigación se limita a las mujeres altamente calificadas que trabajan en el servicio público y en las empresas privadas medianas y grandes en Brasil. Son 1.464 cuestionarios válidos, el 18,6 % de estos respondidos por servidoras públicas. Se probaron hipótesis para determinar la relación de dependencia entre las siguientes variables: rendimiento de la mujer con relación a su compañero y el tipo de carrera; responsabilidad de la mujer para con las actividades del hogar y el tipo de carrera; rendimiento con relación a su pareja y responsabilidad con las actividades del hogar; tiempo dedicado por las mujeres al cuidado de sus hijos y el tipo de carrera; factores motivadores de su interés en permanecer en la carrera.

Abstract This quantitative approach study analyzes a hypothetical model for the public service and its relationship with the social construction around gender. The research universe was limited to highly qualified women working in the public service and medium and large private companies in Brazil. From 1,464 valid questionnaires, 18.6% were completed by public servants. Hypotheses were tested to verify the relationship of dependence between the variables: women's income in relation to their husbands' and the type of career; women's responsibility for household chores and the type of career; women's and their husbands' income in relation to mutual responsibility for household chores; time spent by women and their husbands with their children and the type of career; and motivators of interest in remaining in the career.

Women Empowerment for Cancer Prevention and Control – lessons from Kerala State

Background: Common cancers occurring in India are either preventable or curable, if detected early. Women’s organisation in Kerala working for poverty eradication was utilized to disseminate the message of cancer prevention in a southern district of Kerala state. Objectives: To create awareness among the community on cancer prevention and motivate them for early detection utilizing trained volunteers. Material and methods: Based on the three-tier system of functioning, master trainers at the top level of the organization were trained initially on primary prevention and early detection of common cancers viz. oral and breast. The trained resource persons further conducted awareness programmes in the second level and later at the grass root level also called the Neighborhood groups. Results: 174 master trainers were trained initially and further utilized to sensitize 920 members at the second level. At the NHG level, 1,00,257 volunteers were sensitized. 39169 house visits were conducted by trained volunteers to create cancer awareness in the community. Conclusion: Cancer literacy mission could effectively be implemented by empowered women in the community. Their acceptance in the community reinforces the fact that they can act both as a messenger for cancer prevention and a source of motivation for early detection.

Effect of Women Empowerment on Reproductive Health Care Practices among Northern and Southern Regions of India

Introduction: It is believed that empowered women can contribute to the health, productivity and benefit of the whole family and community and improved prospects for the next generation. The empowerment of women is a fundamental prerequisite for their health. With better reproductive health practices, women can go safely through pregnancy, child birth and fertility regulations. Objective: The main objective of this study is to investigate whether women empowerment in two study groups i.e., Northern states and Southern states of India is linked with their reproductive health practices. Data and Methodology: The data from the 2015-16 National Family Health Survey (NFHS-4) was used in the study. Women who were currently married or living with a partner were included in the analysis. Logistic regression analyses were conducted to examine the association between the reproductive health outcomes with the domains of women empowerment and other socio-economic and demographic variables. Results: Women‘s participation in household decision making having slightly higher percentage for a visit to family/ relatives in northern region under study, whereas the decision making in own health care as well as major and small household purchases were found higher in southern region. It can be surprisingly seen that women who justified refusing sexual intercourse to husband were significantly less likely to be assisted by a skilled person in delivery if overall Indian data is concerned, but no effect has been seen in northern and southern regions after the adjustment with socio-economic and demographic characteristics. The women who didn‘t support wife beating were more likely to use modern method of contraception in northern region.

Desplazamiento forzado y empoderamiento femenino: el caso de la presa Picachos en el sur de Sinaloa, México / Forced Displacement and Women's Empowerment: The Case of Picachos Dam in the Southern Region of Sinaloa, Mexico

Resumen A través de la resistencia es posible dar un nuevo sentido a las representaciones sociales de género, creando relatos alternos a la victimización de comunidades desplazadas. El objetivo es exponer un caso de empoderamiento femenino, como respuesta a la experiencia del desplazamiento forzado. Es la historia de San Marcos en el municipio de Mazatlán, al sur del estado de Sinaloa, México. Uno de los seis pueblos inundados por la presa Picachos, cuya construcción a partir de 2006 detonó un largo conflicto entre comuneros y gobierno estatal.

Abstract Through resistance it is possible to give a new sense to social gender representations, creating alternative accounts to the victimization of displaced communities. The objective is to present a Women's Empowerment case, as a response to the forced displacement experience. This is the history of San Marcos in the Municipality of Mazatlan, in the south of the State of Sinaloa, Mexico. One of the six flooded towns by Picachos Dam, whose building as of 2006, triggered a long conflict between commoners and the state government.

Reaching the Poorest:Role of Microfinance in Poverty Reduction of Self Help Groups in Rangjuli Revenue Circle of Goalpara District of Assam,India.

Microfinance is essentially a financial service, routed to the poor generally through Self Help Groups (SHGs), in sheer belief that it will enhance their available choices, opportunities and empower them both socially and economically. With more than 387.38 million Indian people living below poverty line (World Bank, 2011), it becomes imperative to provide them a stimulus to overcome the quagmire of poverty and ignorance prevalent among them. The study area comprises of the selected villages of Rangjuli revenue circle of Goalpara district of Assam, where the Self Help Groups have been surveyed, regarding the microcredit and its role-both positive and negative, in their economic and social lives including their satisfaction level regarding microfinance. The study also bears significance as most of the SHGs surveyed (45 out of 57) are women groups, who are seen as most reliable in terms of repayment and utilization of loans (Joy Deshmukh-Ranadive, 2005). The result suggests that the formation of SHGs and expansion of credit facilities has led to livelihood promotion and poverty alleviation of about 86 per cent surveyed SHGs of the study area. Moreover, notably it is basically the women-run enterprises which have rather benefitted themselves and their families both economically and socially, vis-à-vis empowering themselves.