Abstract
This paper addresses the conceptual and methodological issues related to women’s empowerment, the trends in women’s empowerment over the years in key areas such as education, health, economic participation, and finally the best practices of state and non-state actors in empowering women. The economic empowerment approach has relied on improving women 's control over economic resources and strengthening women 's economic security. Following a brief critique of human development, it begins with a discussion of the growing conceptual consensus around empowerment, i.e., empowerment being control over resources, women’s agency, a process and outcomes, to the methodological issues involved in its measurement, specifically focusing on the Gender Empowerment Measure and arguing that minimally the measure needs to move away from its urban, elite, and formal employment bias. Finally, it highlights some government best practices such as quotas, cash transfer programs, gender budgeting, and community based micro enterprises, local women run community based programs. Our goal is to cause policy, institutional and individual change that will improve the lives of women and girls everywhere. When you train a woman, you help the entire family, the village and the nation.
Key Words: Empowerment, Health, Literacy, Environment
Introduction:
The real implementation of women’s empowerment was more prominent from the 1990’s. The world conferences during those times on human rights and social development provided several opportunities and helped to build a consensus for women empowerment. A comprehensive document on the world’s commitment to women’s rights was drafted in Beijing Platform for Action in 1995. The 1990s brought international attention to issues of sexual and reproductive rights, violence against women, and gender inequality.
Various Roles of Rural Women:
The rural women play a
References: 1. http://www.idrf.org/empowering-women-through-self-help-groups-in-rural-haryana/ 2. http://www.unesco.org/uil/litbase/?menu=9&programme=82 3. http://www.onecountry.org/e143/e14304as_Barli_Solar_story.htm