Directorate of Women Empowerment

Women Empowerment is the progression of women and, accepting and including them in the decision-making process. It also means providing them with equal opportunities for growth and development in society, and disapproving gender bias.

Article 15(3) mentions the welfare of women and children and can be stated as “Nothing in this article shall prevent the State from making any special provision for women and children.”

Ministry for women and child development has collaborated with Facebook on November 19, 2019, to enhance digital literacy and online safety for women and children in India. The campaign categorized under the Global Literacy Program is named “We Think Digital”.

Women and children are a vital part of Indian society. Also, these are the most vulnerable sections of India

What is Women Empowerment?

Women’s empowerment involves providing women with access to resources, education, healthcare, and employment opportunities, as well as encouraging their involvement in the decision-making procedures. The goal of women’s empowerment is to create a more equal and just society, where Women possess equivalent entitlements, prospects, and liberties as men.

Women empowerment refers to the process of granting women the ability and authority to control their lives and make decisions that affect their well-being and that of their communities. It entails granting women access to education, healthcare, employment opportunities, and resources, as well as promoting their participation in decision-making processes at all levels of society. The aim of women empowerment is to promote gender equality, eliminate gender discrimination, and make equitable society for both.

Why is Women Empowerment important?

Women’s empowerment is essential for several reasons. Firstly, it promotes gender equality, which is a fundamental human right. Women should have equal opportunities, freedoms, and protections as men, and empowering women is a step towards achieving this goal. Secondly, women’s empowerment is critical for economic development. When women got freedom for education, employment opportunities, and resources, they can contribute significantly to the growth of their communities and the country’s economy. Thirdly, women’s empowerment is essential for social development. Empowering women helps to promote social cohesion, reduce poverty, and improve health outcomes, among other benefits.

Ways to achieve Women Empowerment

Providing education: Education is a powerful tool for empowering women. When women have access to education, they can acquire knowledge and skills that enable them to participate in the workforce, become financially independent, and contribute to their communities’ development. Education also helps to promote gender equality by challenging cultural and social norms that discriminate against
Providing access to healthcare: Women’s health is essential for their well- being and their ability to contribute to society. Providing women with access to healthcare services, including reproductive health services, helps to improve their health outcomes and reduces their vulnerability to disease and illness.
Promoting women’s participation in decision-making processes: Women’s voices must be heard in decision-making processes at all levels of society. This includes political, economic, and social decision-making processes. Encouraging women to participate in these processes helps to ensure that their needs and interests are represented and promotes gender equality.
Providing access to economic resources: Women need access to economic resources, such as credit, land, and capital, to start and run businesses. Providing women with these resources helps to promote their economic empowerment, which in turn contributes to their communities’ development.
Challenging cultural and social norms that discriminate against women: Cultural and social norms that discriminate against women can hinder their progress and prevent them from realizing their full potential. Challenging these norms and promoting gender equality is essential for women’s empowerment.

List of Major Women Empowerment schemes

Women Empowerment scheme	Launch Year	Objectives
Beti Bachao Beti Padhao Scheme	2015	To prevent gender-biased sex selective elimination To ensure survival & protection of the girl child To ensure education and participation of the girl child
One-Stop Centre Scheme	2015	To provide support and assistance to women affected by violence, both in private and public spaces. To Facilitate/Assist in filing First Information Report (FIR/NCR) To provide psycho-social support and counselling to women/girl
Women Helpline Scheme	2016	To provide toll-free 24-hours telecom service to women affected by violence. To facilitate crisis and non-crisis intervention through referral to the appropriate agencies such as police/Hospitals/Ambulance services/District Legal Service Authority (DLSA)/Protection Officer (PO)/OSC. To provide information about the appropriate support services, government schemes, and programs available to the woman affected by violence, in her particular situation within the local area in which she resides or is employed.
UJJAWALA	2016	To prevent the trafficking of women and children for commercial sexual exploitation. To facilitate the rescue of victims from the place of their exploitation and place them in safe custody. To provide rehabilitation services with both immediate and long-term to the victims by providing basic amenities/needs such as shelter, food, clothing, medical treatment including counseling, legal aid and guidance, and vocational training.
Working Women Hostel	1972-73	To promote the availability of safe and conveniently located accommodation for working women. To provide accommodation to children of working women, up to the age of 18 years for girls and up to the age of 5 years for boys.
SWADHAR Greh	2018	To cater to the primary need for shelter, food, clothing, medical treatment, and care of women in distress. To provide women with legal aid and guidance.
Support to Training and Employment Programme for Women (STEP)	1986-87	To provide skills that give employability to women. To benefit women in the age group of 16 and above in the country.
Nari Shakti Puraskar	2016	To strengthen the place of women in society. To facilitate institutions that work towards the progress and development of women in society.
Mahila Shakti Kendras (MSK)	2017	To create an environment for women where they have access to healthcare, quality, education, guidance, employment, etc. To facilitate these opportunities at the block and district level in the country.
NIRBHAYA	2012	To facilitate safety and security for women at various levels. To ensure strict privacy and confidentiality of women’s identity and information. Provision for real-time intervention as far as possible
Mahila E-Haat	2016	To facilitate entrepreneurship opportunities online for women. To educate women on various aspects of online selling and helping them establish their venture.
Mahila Police Volunteers	2016	An MPV will serve as a public-police interface in order to fight crime against women. The broad mandate of MPVs is to report incidences of violence against women such as domestic violence, child marriage, dowry harassment and violence faced by women in public spaces.

Women Empowerment in India

Speaking on the 25th Anniversary of the Fourth World Conference on Women, Union Minister for Women and Child Development Smriti Irani said at the United Nations that India recognises the centrality of gender equality and women’s empowerment in all aspects of developmental agenda. The minister for Women and Child Development Smriti Irani highlighted that more than 200 million women have been brought into the formal banking system through the Government’s Financial Inclusion Initiative. Innovative use of digital technologies has provided equal opportunity for women to access insurance, loans, and social assistance.
Microsoft on Wednesday announced recently it has collaborated with the National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) to impart digital skills to more than one lakh underserved women in India. This initiative is an extension of Microsoft’s partnership with NSDC to provide digital skills to over 1 lakh youth in the country. The programme will curate a series of live training sessions and digital skilling drives to help create opportunities for young girls and women, particularly first time job seekers and those whose jobs may have been impacted by COVID-19, to join the future workforce
Women’s empowerment in India has received more attention in recent years, and one NGO is working to help disadvantaged Indian women achieve financial independence with one specific method: an all-women cab company. The Azad Foundation’s Women on Wheels program empowers impoverished women in India by providing them with a stable source of income and a safe environment where women can travel without fear of being harassed.

FAQs

What is meant by Women’s Empowerment?

Based on the assumptions that women differ from men in their social positions and that those differences consist of asymmetric, unequal power relations between the genders, “women’s empowerment” refers to the process of increasing women’s access to control over the strategic life choices that affect them and access to the opportunities that allow them fully to realize their capacities.

What are the 5 Types of Empowerment?

As per Keshab Chandra Mandal female empowerment could be defined in five separate categories: social, educational, economic, political, and psychological. Social empowerment might be one of the most prominent forms of empowerment shown in the mainstream media. It strengthens women’s social relations and their positions in social structures, giving them more of a purpose outside of the home.