The role of women is most important in giving an inclusive cover to development.
Arvind Kumar Mishra
Unfortunately, for the last several decades, the Women’s Reservation Bill is not becoming a topic of discussion in the political scenario of the country. Obviously, for this concrete exercise of gender equality, not only all political parties, but also the public will have to be aware.
The role of women is most important in giving an inclusive cover to development. Social and economic empowerment is directly inter-related with gender equality. Women here have been considered as the source of power since Vedic times. Women have proved their worth in social, economic and military fields to science.
Human resource is a symbol of empowerment of any nation. Keeping this in mind, importance is being given to the role of women in formulating future policies and giving impetus to plans. One of its objectives is also to give a sustainable form to the economy. This will be possible only by increasing the participation of women in the economy.
Increased participation of women in the workforce is directly related to the productivity of the economy. Any effort for social justice is strengthened only by the self-reliance of women. India is ranked one hundred and twelfth in the Gender Gap Index (GGI-2020) released by the World Economic Forum, compared to one hundred and eighth in 2018. According to the National Sample Survey Organization (NSSO), the female labor force participation rate (FLFPR) in the country is 23.3%.
A World Bank report cautions us about the effects of low female workforce participation in the labor sector. According to the World Bank, the proportion of women in India’s labor sector in 2019 was 20.3%. This is much less than neighboring Bangladesh’s 30.5 percent and Sri Lanka’s 33.7 percent. Whether it is an economic recession or a disaster like Corona, they had the biggest impact on women.
Significantly, in March-April 2020, about 1.5 crore women had to lose their jobs, which was thirty-seven percent of the total female workforce. In such a situation, we have to make the efforts of women empowerment effective again. Only then can we bring women forward by ending gender inequality.
There should be no doubt that any effort to increase the social, economic and political participation of half the population will be accomplished through education. Gender sensitivity will have to be given priority at the time of budgetary allocation for this. With this the objectives of National Education Policy-2020 will also be achieved. Absolute lack of transparency in the facts of re-enrolment, attendance etc. is a big challenge in our schools.
According to the Ministry of Women and Child Development, the dropout rate of girl students at the higher secondary level in 2018-19 was 17.3 percent. At the primary level, it was 4.74 percent. Karnataka, Assam, Bihar, Arunachal Pradesh and Tripura have the highest dropout rates among girls. The corona pandemic further increased the distance between girl students and schools.
Education and practical training should be given to women according to the needs of the labor market. In the name of skill development, we are still not able to come out of sewing, embroidery and weaving. A large proportion of women are employed in the unorganized sector. About sixty three percent of the total working women are engaged in agriculture. The scenario of challenges faced by women in employment opportunities in the organized sector is different.
According to the 2011 population data, most girls get married when it comes time to pursue a career. According to the estimates of the World Bank, the leaving rate of women in India is very high. It has been found that once a woman has left a job, it is difficult to be a part of the labor force again due to family responsibilities and other reasons.
From the primary level of education to employment-oriented policies, it is important to keep in mind the needs of the industry. One solution to this is also seen in the encouragement of women to study technology, engineering and mathematics (scientific) subjects. The proportion of women pursuing higher education in the country is increasing. But in the subjects related to science and innovation, the representation of half the population is very low. Innovative attitude towards research and problem solving will have to be developed among the students by promoting hackathon programs at the school level.
Today, most of the employment opportunities are in the information and technology sectors. The participation of women in this field cannot be increased without entrepreneurship. According to the All India Survey on Higher Education (AISHE) 2019-20, India’s Gross Enrollment Ratio (GER) stood at 27.1 percent. It was 26.3% in 2018-19. To become a $5 trillion economy by the end of this decade, we have to take the GER to the level of 50 percent.
Availability of health facilities and nutrition to women is considered an essential factor in their empowerment. According to a report by the World Health Organization, Indian women have the lowest healthy life expectancy among South Asian countries. In fact, measures for women empowerment cannot be carried forward in a one-sided manner. According to the WHO report, the expenditure on health in India is 3.4 percent of the total budget, while Bhutan is spending 7.7, Nepal 4.6 percent on health. Its direct relation comes out in the form of poverty.
In order to achieve the goals of gender equality, the presence of women in the policy making process has to be increased. The apathy of the political parties on the demand of thirty-three percent reservation for women in the Lok Sabha and state assemblies is not hidden from anyone. According to the World Gender Gender Report-2021, India’s performance in the Political Empowerment Index is deteriorating steadily.
According to a data released by the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) on women’s representation in Parliament, India ranks one hundred and forty-eight out of one hundred and ninety-three countries. Seventy-eight women MPs were elected in the Seventeenth Lok Sabha. Sixty-two women had won the 2014 Lok Sabha elections. The representation of women in the Lok Sabha is increasing, but the proportion is still very low. In the first Lok Sabha held in 1951, five percent women candidates had won, while in the seventeenth Lok Sabha of the year 2019 it increased to fourteen percent.
Unfortunately, for the last several decades, the Women’s Reservation Bill is not becoming a topic of discussion in the political scenario of the country. Obviously, for this concrete exercise of gender equality, not only all the political parties but also the public will have to be aware. Whereas about twenty states in the country have given 50 percent reservation to women in the Panchayati Raj system. Its impact can be seen in the implementation of government schemes at the village level.
For the first time in the National Family Health Survey-5, the finding of more women than men in the country is encouraging. The credit for this goes to financial inclusion for women’s empowerment and measures to tackle gender bias and inequalities. Social campaigns like Beti Bachao-Beti Padhao have brought down the drop out rate of girl students. Raising the age of marriage for girls from 18 to 21 is an important decision in the pursuit of gender equality. Gender budgeting is also an effective undertaking of gender sensitivity in policies.
Under this, budgetary allocation to women empowerment programs, promotion of women sensitized programs and policy commitment are prominent. The biggest obstacle to gender equality in the country is also the malevolent tendencies to monopolize the thinking of women. Government and administrative policies can be made sensitive for women only when the common thinking of the society will be sensitive about half the population.