Empowered Women are a Mark of a Progressive Society and Economic Prosperity.

1. Empowered Women are a Mark of a Progressive Society and Economic Prosperity Empowering women must be deemed as the desperate need of the hour. Empowering women brings about sustainable urban and rural development as it uplifts the social, economical, and political status of women in India. An ideal society can be converted into a sustainable society through women empowerment which can be achieved through political support, adequate education facilities, employment generation for women, and an effective legislation system. Our experience and various studies have proved that if we work towards women's empowerment, it benefits the entire society. But unfortunately, the state of Indian women is far from being empowered as most women are denied even basic rights like education, health, employment, and a respectable position in society. This article will take you through the history of women empowerment, the current state of affairs, how NGOs are helping in this mission of women empowerment, and why uplifting women is of utmost importance in any society and culture.

2. History of Women Empowerment in India In the Indian constitution, equal rights of men and women are enshrined in Articles 14 to 16. This constitutional law came into effect on 26th January 1950. The law strictly prohibits discrimination of any kind based on gender. ● During India's independence in 1947, Indian women were granted the universal right to vote much before many of the Western countries allowed women to vote. ● In modern history, India is the second country to have a woman leader who was Indira Gandhi in 1966. ● To increase female participation in politics, women were given 33% reservation in all levels of politics. Current State of Women in India As per UNDP Human Development's recent report, India's sex ratio is dangerously imbalanced where the chief reasons are sex-selective abortions and rampant female infanticide. ● Each census of India implicates the preference of sons over daughters. As per the latest census, the male to female ratio in 2020 was: males: females = 108.18:100. ● There are numerous cultural practices (a few very ancient ones) that are reasons for such sexual imbalance such as high maternal mortality rate due to unhygienic lying-in, female infanticide, postpartum conditions and practices, sati, murder, female feticide, dowry crimes, and suicide. Factors Leading to Demarcation in Males and Females in India One of the main factors of inequality between males and females is incomplete and late convergence of capabilities in aspects where men and women have to be on equal footings such as education, nutrition, and health domains. ● Some of the major factors for gender inequality in India are ○ Lack of gender-equity in economic well-being. ○ Women are not given opportunities to voice their opinions. ○ Little to no participation in any kind of decision-making. ○ Unequal investments of energy, resources, and time between education men and women. ○ Male dominance and patriarchal culture. ● Women are affected not just in India but even across the world they have to bear discrimination in many forms such as: ○ Uneven access to education - Women across the world have less access to education than men. Around 1/4th of women in the age group of 15 to 24 do not finish primary school. This means 58% of people do not complete basic

3. education and amongst all the illiterate people in the world, women account for 2/3rd of it. Inequality in employment - There are only six countries in the world that give the same legal work rights to women as men. Most economies of the world give women just 3/4th of their rights as compared to men. Job segregation - In most societies the belief that men are better equipped to perform certain types of jobs creates another level of gender inequality. Most of the time those jobs which are given only to men pay the best. Due to this, women's average incomes go down. Less autonomy over their own bodies - Most women around the world do not get to decide when they want to become a parent. As per a report by WHO (World Health Organization), there are 200 million women who do not want to get pregnant yet are not able to use contraception. Reasons for this are manifold like lack of options, cultural or religious oppositions, limited access, etc. Poor medical care - In general, the medical care received by women is of poorer quality than what is given to men. These are all interlinked reasons where lack of education and job opportunities make women poorer and poverty does not allow them to gain proper medical attention. ○ ○ ○ ○ How Women NGO India is Helping the Drive of Women Empowerment NGOs have always been at the forefront of generating new ideas and facilitating the government to implement them for the upliftment of women. The most important role that NGOs play in this endeavor is advocacy for women. The goals of NGOs are simple: ● Educate rural women and organize them. ● Supplement the government's effort. ● Ensure women participate in their own empowerment. ● Mobilize optimum resources for the cause. ● Represent rural women. ● Provide, monitor, and assess efficient and effective training to women. To achieve the goals, the following steps are being taken by NGOs for helping women reach their full potential: ● Skill development - Women make up for 90% of marginal workers in India. Women are often engaged in casual labor in agriculture. NGOs strive to train them and provide avenues for self-employment to enhance their economic and social status. ● Legal awareness and property rights - Only 13% of rural women enjoy rights of inheritance. Even the government schemes allot lands to male household heads. The NGOs’ objective is to spread awareness in rural women about their legal rights as well as help them buy lands through loans. ● Fairtrade - Fairtrade means cutting down on the middlemen so that consumers get a desirable price for products. Fairtrade also gives power to poor people. NGOs are

4. often the facilitators of this process where women get a fair price for their products and also gain knowledge and skills which can help them develop their business. NGO Women Empowerment Apanalya is an NGO for women in Mumbai which was established in 1972 and since then it has been working relentlessly for many causes including issues of women in India. Apnalaya believes that a country is judged by the state of its women and to enhance women’s status the NGO provides women awareness programs, counseling, aid to victims of domestic violence, and other rehabilitation programs through vocational training.