Women empowerment in industries by Shunmuga Priya

M.Shunmuga PriyaMBA

Glass Seal Syndrome

Definition and components• Increasing authority and responsibility

• choices - actions and outcomes

• Increasing spiritual, political, social, educational, gender, or economic strength .

• sense of self-worth;

• right to determine choices;

• access to opportunities and resources;

• power to control their own lives.

History of status of women in India

• Maitreyi, Gargi • Philosophers &

women seers

•Freedom to choose partners for marriage•Daughters were not considered as liability or unwelcomed guest in the family•Widow marriages were permissible

•Women had Subjugated status• But gave the message that respectable wife is one who humbles herself vis-à-vis her husband

• Did not deserve the freedom at any point of time in her life

• Not marrying a girl before the age of 14 years was a sin

Stat

us

of w

omen

Vedic period(1500-1000 BC)

Period of epics(1000-500 BC)

Age of Manushastra(500 – 200 BC)

History of status of women in India

Statu

s of wom

en

•Purdah system was in place•Polygamy, strict laws for women were prevalent

Women lived life of total subjugation & virtually lost all hopes of emancipation

Increase in child marriages, sati, dowry, social out casting of widows

Social reform movements by Vidyasagar,

Ranade, Jyotiba Phule, Raja Ram

mohan Roy

Medieval period(5th to 11th century)

11th to 19th century

19th century

•Social status of women can be explained with the help of Maslow hierarchy theory of needs.

•There are five stages.

•Women now at the self esteem stage even though the other stages are not completely satisfied.

•In 2012, women occupied only eight out of 74 ministerial positions in the Union council of ministers. There were only two women judges out of 26 judges in the Supreme Court, and there were only 54 women judges out of 634 judges in various high courts.

PRESENT SITUATION OF WOMEN

Educational status of women

Census data 2001,2011, RGI, GOI

Literacy rate

Department of education, Ministry of Human Resource & Development

13/04/20236

Gender Disparity in Media Exposure

Not only are fewer women than men literate but fewer are also regularly exposed to media

• Percentage of men and women age 15-19 regularly

exposed to print media, TV, radio, or cinema

• Men 88%

• Women 71%

• Gender Disparity 19%

Employment: Another Area of Gender Disparity

• Among the population age 15-49

• Men are 2 times as likely to be employed

• Men are 2.7 times as likely to be employed for cash

• Among the employed, 64% of women vs. 91% of men earn cash

• Female share of population employed for cash in non-agricultural occupations is 22%

Percent

NFHS 3,India 2005-2006

Economic independence of women

Work participation of women–

25.63%

Urban: rural ratio of work

participation of women- 11.88: 30.79

Women working in unorganized

sectors – 80%

Women economically active at 15

years (2009) – 33%

13/04/2023

9

Do married women have access to any other financial resources?

68

45

15

5

Participate in decision on howhusband's earnings are used

Have money which they candecide how to use

Have a bank or savings accountthat they themselve use

Have taken loan frommicrocredit program

Percentage of women who:

Women at decision making level

• Participation of women in

elections increased over the

years

• Proportion of women turnout

for voting – 58.2%

Source: Election Commission of India

13/04/202311

58.2

48.0

Women at decision making level

• Proportion of women in

national parliament dipped till

year 2007

• “Women Reservation Bill” is

still pending in the parliament

13/04/2023

12

Pro

port

ion

of w

omen

in n

atio

nal p

arli

amen

t

WHY NEED OF WOMEN EMPOWERMENT?

• The main problems that were faced by women in past days(and still today up to some extent):

• Gender discrimination

• Woman education

• Female infanticide

• Dowry

• Marriage in same caste and child marriage(still existing)

• Atrocities on Women: Raped, kicked, killed, subdued & humiliated almost daily.

NEED FOR WOMEN EMPOWERMNENT:

WOMEN ARE DEPRIVED OF:

• Decision Making Power

• Freedom of Movement

• Access to Education

• Access to Employment

• Exposure to Media

• Domestic Violence

WAYS TO EMPOWER WOMEN:

• Changes in women's mobility and social interaction;

• Changes in women's labor patterns;

• Changes in women's access to and control over resources; and

• Changes in women's control over decision-making.

WAYS TO EMPOWER WOMEN:

• Providing education

• Self employment and Self help groups

• Providing minimum needs like nutrition, health, sanitation, housing

• Other than this, society should change the mentality towards the word “women”.

• Encouraging women to develop in their fields they are good at and make a career.

Women Empowerment Programmes • Swayamsidha

• Swa-Shakti Project

• Support to Training and employment programme for Women (STEP)

• Creches/ Day care Centers for the Children of working and Ailing Mothers

• Hostels for working women

• Swadhar

• Rashtriya Mahila kosh (RMK)

Swayamsidha: ( Indira Mahila yojna)

• It is an integrated project for the development and empowerment of women through Self Help Groups (SHGs) with emphasis on covering service, developing access to micro-enterprises.

• About 10 lakh women have taken membership.

• 2014 Theme: Inspiring Change

• Each year around the world, International Women's Day (IWD)

is celebrated on March 8.

• Thousands of events occur not just on this day but throughout

March to mark the economic, political and social achievements

of women.

CONCLUSION

• Women represent half the world’s population, and gender

inequality exists in every nation on the planet.

• Until women are given the same opportunities that men are,

entire societies will be destined to perform below their true

potentials .

• The greatest need of the hour is change of social attitude to

women.

Positive Stories…

The Lijjat Papad story

• Seven illiterate and poor women borrowed Rs 80 to start a papad

business in 1959

• Its turnover from Rs 6,196 in the first year went upto Rs 300 crore in

the next four decades

• 42,000 women on its revolutionary march

• Jaywantiben Popat, one of the women involved with this phenomenal

spirit, was honoured with Awards for her outstanding achievements

Mann Deshi Mahila Sahakari Bank

• Chetna’s foundation established in 1994 a co-operative bank that is completely operated by women and serves women customers.

• The bank was established with help of a group of illiterate women and has now grown into a $562,000 firm by the end of 2011.

• In collaboration with HSBC, Mann Deshi Bank established the Udyogini Business School in 2007.

SEWA (Self-Employed Women's Association)

• Started as a trade union, registered in 1972, founded by Ela

Bhat,

• Organisation of self-employed women workers who earn a

living through their own labour or small businesses.

• SEWA's membership, which is a nominal Rs. 5 a year, includes

women from a cross-section of society — from vegetable and

fruit hawkers to home-based weavers, potters and manual

labourers.

• Year Number of Members

• 1973 320

• 2002 17,50,000

Inspiring change