women empowerment: challenges and remedies

Education as a Powerful Tool in Women Empowerment:

Challenges and Remedies

The way a society treatsIts women and childrenSpeaks volumes about it.

DR. ROMA SMART JOSEPHTeaher Educator Lucknow Mobile-9889588971 [email protected]

Status of Indian women" Dhol, ganwar, shudra, pashu, naari- Ye sab tadan ke adhikari," GENDER DISPARITIES DECLINING SEX RATIO

SOCIAL SREREOTYPING

VIOLENCE

EARLY MARRIAGE

DOWARY

FOETICIDE

WIDOW’S PLIGHT TRAFFICING

SEXUAL HARRASMENT

EVETEASING

LOW INVOLVEMENT INDECISION MAKING LOW LIFE EXPECTENCY

Why Empower Women

• To get expertise of 50% of its population.

• To promote gender equality.

Education and Empowerment: Programmes and policies

• National Policy on Education (1986) by the Government of India promoted education as the agency for empowerment.

• The National Literacy Mission’s step towards eradication of illiteracy in the age group of 15-35 years.

• Five-year plans as the major programme for the development of women in regard to education.


• Universalization of elementary education.

• Enrolment and retention of girls in the schools.

• promotion of balwadies and crutches.

• Arts , science, and professional schools and colleges for girls , polytechniques, girls hostels, multipurpose institutions and adult education programmes.


• Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the Programme of Action of the 1994 International Conference on Population and Development.

• The Fourth World Conference on Women, held in

Beijing in 1995, recognized that women's literacy is key to empowering women's participation in decision making in society and to improve family well-being.

• United Nations Millennium Development Goals

(MDGs), for improved education, gender equality, and women's empowerment.

WOMEN’S EDUCATION: PROSPECTS AND CHALLENGES

• Low literacy rate of Indian women.

• Two out of every ten girls in the age group of 6-11 are still not enrolled in schools.

• High rate of drop-out and stagnation amongst girls (nearly twice that of boys) all over India.

• The persistence of the cultural values and the attitudes of patriarchal, agrarian societies as a major source of this discrimination.


• Girl’s education delayed or interrupted by the need to help the family in economic activities.

• Social evil of bonded labor, and child labor also acts as a barrier for girl’s education in rural areas.

• The practice of early marriage in the societies also hampers women’s education.


• Dowry system prevalent in India also acts as one of the main causes of the negligence of girl child education.


• Poor School Environment for girls also influence their education.

To sum up, lack of awareness about the various educational programmes, weak planning, lack of trained and committed staff, family responsibilities of women and poor socio-economic background has proved to be major obstacles in woman’s progress and place in the society

REMEDIES FOR IMPROVING THE LITERACY LEVEL OF WOMEN IN INDIA

The following measures can be taken to bring up

phenomenal changes in women education and her empowerment in the true sense.

• Serious efforts must be initiated jointly by the government, parents and civil society to insure girls enrolement in schools.

STRATEGIES FOR IMPROVING THE LITERACY LEVEL OF WOMEN IN INDIA

• District wise plans should be made keeping in view literacy requirement of the learner.

• The Ministry of Education both at Centre and State level should develop strategies to stop the ongoing high drop–outs.

• Change in the attitude of society and in the traditional values.


• Use of media for portraying positive image of women.

• Financial assistance to poverty stricken families.

• Abolishment of child labour, dowry, early marriage, and caste system.

• Promotion of self-respect and self dignity in girls.

STRATEGIES FOR IMPROVING THE LITERACY LEVEL OF WOMEN IN INDIA

• The Midday meal scheme and free educational supportive services.

• Counselling of Parents of children belonging to poor, and underprivileged families.

• emphasis should be given to empower women through awareness building on social issues, bringing attitudinal change, promotion of skill training for employment, providing information on health care, nutrition, hygiene, and legal rights.


• Government officials, policy makers, political parties and others should have adequate political will and conviction to empower women in India without double standard mind.

• Above all women themselves should show to the rest of the world that they are not only able to be on their own but they are capable of kick starting progress and development from homemaking to nation building

for, men and women together constitute a civilized humanity.

DR. ROMA SMART JOSEPHTeacher Educator Lucknow Mobile-9889588971 [email protected]