UPSC Express

The New India Initiative of the government has emphasized on women-led development as an approach for women empowerment. Ensuring a greater role for women to harness their potential in current developmental model is the main crux of women led development. It goes beyond the concept of development of women and ensures equity and justice in every sphere.  However, there are multiple impediments to this approach.

Various impediments:

• Perception – The first impediment is the way they are perceived. Women are often seen as less able than men.
• Role stereotyping – In many families, women are considered only for the role of caring for children and the aged, and the house work. Also, these activities are not recognized and monetized. They are deprived of the opportunities to go outside and earn wages, like their male counterparts.
• Invisible workers: Women often remain invisible and unrecognized as workers, both because they are women and because work in the informal economy is often hidden.
• Gender sensitive infrastructure at different places (including workplace) remain missing.
• Others – Sexual harassment at workplace, patriarchal mindset of society, and biased socialisation processes leading to self exclusion are few examples which are obstacles for women led development.

Although government has taken multiple steps, following innovative measures could be taken to hasten the process:

• All women day in Panchayats – Fixing one day in a week for women on which all the activities of Panchayat would be carried out by women of that village.
• e-platforms – Creating an e-platform exclusively for women so as to get their feedbacks on legislative matters.
• Mandatory use of audio- visual techniques (such as movies, documentaries etc. showing the importance of women empowerment) in every gram sabha meetings to create awareness.
• Revamping curriculum – Also, revamping the educational curriculum so as to sensitise the younger generation would be helpful in long term.

To ensure women led development, women should be included in planning for not only sectors like social development, but also sectors like infrastructure, use of common lands, natural resources and employments.