Women Empowerment

Introduction:

Gender equality is a basic right of every human on the earth. It is essential for a country’s overall growth and prosperity. However, when we talk of equal rights and opportunities, females face many challenges. Every country understands the importance of gender equality. There is no denial that we have come a long way where woman are competing with men. But there are some segments in almost all countries where women are not given equal opportunities to men. Women in these segments are not paid equally as compared to their male counterparts. These women are not given ranks and positions according to their qualifications and calibre. Sometimes, they are not even allowed to step out of their homes to earn money and are forced to do household chores only. They are underrated and underrepresented in their workplace as well as at home. So, there is a strong need to empower them, as it is said that a country’s development is based on the development of women living in that country.

What is meant by women empowerment:

Women's empowerment refers to the activities undertaken to promote women in different sections of society. It means to develop a sense of self-worth and self-esteem in a woman. It is a self realisation that she can take important decisions on her own. Whether she wants to be a businesswoman or a working woman or a homemaker, that should be completely her choice and not the one decided for her by male head of a family.

Women's empowerment can be broadly highlighted in five categories:

1. Education: A key part of empowering a woman is through education. Education will empower a woman to not only take her own decisions but also open many doors for her bright career. There is much she can do after gaining an education. The government of India has also initiated many schemes such as "Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao". Many states have also announced free education for girls. And many states distribute scholarships to brilliant female students so that they can study without putting a financial burden on their families.
   
2. Social: It means engaging in all parts of society on the same basis as men. A woman has higher level of dedication than a man because, not every woman get same opportunities in this world. So, she should be encouraged to express herself and her ideas without hesitation. She should socialize so that she can gain the confidence to express herself with the right words and leave a convincing impact on everyone.
3. Economic: It refers to the involvement of a woman in important finance and economic decisions. Women can enormously contribute to the economies of their countries. We all know how perfectly a woman manages a home. She makes perfect choices when it comes to managing expenses. So, their decision-making abilities should not be confined to the home only; they should be involved in important financial decisions at the workplace too.
4. Political: A woman can understand other women better as compared to men. Therefore, women should be encouraged to enter the political world too. Women are very underrepresented in this field. So, they face a lot of problems that are particularly associated with women that remain unaddressed. However, today, seats are reserved for women in each party of the political system, and women's wings have also been established to empower them.
5. Psychological: It refers to the inner strengths and mental setup of a woman. She should be provided with an environment conducive to her career growth. So that she can feel free to express her opinion. Even if she lives in a patriarchal society, men should not let her feel that that she is lagging behind their counterparts in terms of opportunities.

Various measures of the Indian Government to empower women

Many measures have been taken by the government in order to empower them; some are as follows:

• "Nari Shakti Puruskar," which is given to women or organizations that have done extra-ordinary work to empower women.

• "Nirbhaya," which is a $10 billion corpus, was announced in 2013. It is a non-lapsable fund (meaning it is allocated for that fiscal year only and cannot be used in the following fiscal) used by the Ministry of Economic Affairs for women's safety.

• "Ujjawala" is a comprehensive scheme for prevention, trafficking, and rescue of victims of sexual exploitation.

Some private organizations are contributing a lot towards women's employment. For example, many sports organisations have announced equal pay for male and female players. Not only organizations or governments but also individuals can contribute to women's empowerment at the individual level.

What are the ways through which we can empower a woman?

• We can sponsor a girl child and her education.
• We can invest in small businesses where we can hire women and help them get employed.
• We can educate an illiterate segment of society about the role of women in the overall development of society through various camps.

Women are the agents of change. If they reach their full potential, they can raise the standards of their family and provide a good education to their children. And this, in turn, will result in a better society and a more proper country.