Women Empowerment Through Political Reforms

With growing globalization, India is advancing in technology but still lagging far behind in terms of women’s equality and rights. The adult illiteracy rate in India was 48% in 1995 Women had 62% illiteracy, whereas men had 34% (UNDP, 1997). The literacy rates are lower in rural areas then urban areas (fao.org). These statistics show that there is inequality in terms of education. Nobel Prize–winning economist Amartya Sen states that human capital is important for production potential. The empowerment of women is necessary because it is going to build the human capital of the nation. Women’s empowerment and equality will play a significant role in the process of sustainable development. The government has implemented some policies to improve women’s equality in the area of health, education, employment and politics. However, the patriarchal norms of Indian society tend to keep women’s status secondary. There are some policies that the government has not yet tried which could improve the situation.

Gender discrimination is highly prevalent in India. Rural regions suffer the most from it. The lives of women are controlled under the wills and demands of men. Their world doesn’t go beyond the limits of domestic works. Women cannot easily find ways to gain ground amid the dominant males. It is a traditions that girls get married when they are less than eighteen years of age, never having seen a school. In an article in The New York Times Jim Yardley states, “According to UNICEF, 82 percent of the girls in Rajasthan, where the practice is particularly widespread, are married by 18; 15 percent of girls in rural areas across the country are married before 13; and 52 percent of girls have their first pregnancy between 15 and 19” (A13 )....

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