Associate Professor Kalpana J Modi

P V D T

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Voice of Research, Vol. 3 Iss. 2, September 2014, ISSN No. 2277-7733 ...18...
EDUCATION: TOOL FOR EMPOWERING WOMEN
Kalpana J. Modi
Associate Professor
P.V.D.T. College of  Education for Women,
S.N.D.T. Women’s university, Mumbai.
Abstract
Women have been given an inferior social status. Conservative social customs like sati, child marriage, dowry, social boycott of  widows have made
women’s life miserable. Thus, women experience several accumulated disadvantages. They face not only gender discrimination of  various degrees but also
suffer the most from sexual harassment, atrocities and crimes. All these factors, coupled with the low female literacy rate, make the role of  education very
challenging. At present, there is an increasing awareness of  the need to empower women in order to raise their status. It is strongly believed that
providing education to women who have been denied opportunities in this area until now would bring about the desired changes. Intense efforts are being
made to enhance the enrolment of  women at all levels of  education. In this paper the author has discussed why education is important for empowering
women. The author also discusses the teenaged Pakistani activist Malala Yousafzai who was shot by Taliban gunmen in her native Pakistan for daring
to attend school. Malala Yousafzai has given strong message to the world that all girls have right to attend school and realize their dreams.
Key words : women’s education, women’s empowerment
Women have been given an inferior social status. Conserva-
tive social customs like sati, child marriage, dowry, social boy-
cott of  widows have made women’s life miserable. Thus,
women experience several accumulated disadvantages. They
face not only gender discrimination of  various degrees but
also suffer the most from sexual harassment, atrocities and
crimes. All these factors, coupled with the low female literacy
rate, make the role of  education very challenging.
At present, there is an increasing awareness of  the need to
empower women in order to raise their status. It is strongly
believed that providing education to women who have been
denied opportunities in this area until now would bring about
the desired changes. Intense efforts are being made to enhance
the enrolment of  women at all levels of  education. In this
paper the author has discussed why education is important
for empowering women. The author also discusses the teen-
aged Pakistani activist Malala Yousafzai who was shot by
Taliban gunmen in her native Pakistan for daring to attend
school. Malala Yousafzai has given strong message to the world
that all girls have right to attend school and realize their dreams.
Need for empowerment
It is necessary to understand why we want to empower women.
One argument which is often advanced is that as women con-
stitute nearly half  of  the available human resources, it would
be advantageous to develop this resource, not only for indi-
vidual development but also for societal and national develop-
ment. Unless women’s status is improved, society would con-
tinue to be deprived of  the expertise of  half  of  its population.
Another major issue is the persistence of  large gender dispari-
ties, despite a struggle to equalize opportunities for men and
women. Women constitute 70% of  the world’s poor and two-
thirds of  the world’s illiterate. They occupy only 14% of  mana-
gerial and administrative jobs, 10% of  parliamentary seats and
6% of  cabinet positions. In other words, the number of  women
in leadership positions is very small all over the world.
Thus, empowering of  women presupposes a drastic, dynamic
and democratic change in the perception of  and expectation
from women in our society. To help women to attain eco-
nomic independence is the first priority for such a change.
When a woman attains economic independence, she naturally
becomes the mistress of  her own body and author of  her
own decisions.
Concept of  Empowerment
A lot has been said about the need for empowerment. It is
appropriate at this stage to clarify the concept of  empower-
ment. Empowerment is a process which helps people gain
control of  their lives through raising their awareness and help-
ing them to take action. In other words, empowerment facili-
tates change and enables a person to do what he or she wants.
Empowerment is the feeling that activates one’s psychological
energy to accomplish one’s goals.
Thus, Empowerment is a multi-dimensional process which
should enable individuals or a group of  individuals to realize
their full identity and power in all spheres of  life. It consist of
greater access to knowledge and resources, greater autonomy
in decision making to enable them to have greater ability to
plan their lives, or have greater control over the circumstances
that influence their lives and free them from restraints im-
posed on them by custom, belief  and practice.
There are four clear dimensions of  empowerment. They are
cognitive, psychological, economic and political. Cognitive
empowerment is knowledge and understanding of  the self, as
well as the need to make choices which may go against cul-
tural and social expectations. Psychological empowerment is
concerned with women’s feelings and the belief  that they can
change their situation themselves. Economic empowerment
involves the ability of  women to engage in income-generation
activities which will give them an independent income. Politi-
cal empowerment entails the ability to analyze situations po-
litically, and also, mobilization for social change. Soviet Presi-
dent, Mikhail Gorbachev, in his welcome address to the World
Congress of  Women at Moscow in June 1987 said, “The Sta-
tus of  Women is a barometer of  the democratism of  any state,
an indicator of  how human rights are respected in it.”
National Policy for empowerment of  women
National policy of education has recognized the role of edu-
cation for empowerment of  women. It says that education
Voice of Research
Volume 3 Issue 2
September 2014
ISSN No. 2277-7733
EDUCATION & WOMEN EMPOWERMENT
Voice of Research, Vol. 3 Iss. 2, September 2014, ISSN No. 2277-7733 ...19...
will be used as an agent of  basic change in the status of  women.
In order to neutralize the accumulated distortions of  the past,
there will be well-conceived edge in favor of  women. The na-
tional system will play a positive intervention role in the em-
powerment of  women.
The goal of  this Policy is to bring about the advancement,
development and empowerment of  women. This is to be
achieved by changing societal attitudes and elimination of  all
forms of  gender based discrimination, active participation of
women in all spheres of  life, incorporation of  gender per-
spectives, and translation of  equality of  women into affirma-
tive action. The policy recommended that a meaningful part-
nership should be established with all sections of  civil society
to achieve its goals. The objectives of  this Policy include :
Human rights and fundamental freedoms - Enjoyment of
all human rights and fundamental freedoms by women on an
equal basis with men shall be ensured and all factors which
obstruct the realization of  such rights and freedoms will be
eliminated.
Elimination of  violence against women - All forms of  vio-
lence against women, physical and mental, whether at domes-
tic or societal levels, particularly sexual abuse and violence,
including through the route of  customs, traditions or prac-
tices, shall be eliminated.
Ending discrimination against women - Recognizing the
equal entitlement of  women and men to human rights and
fundamental freedoms in all spheres, political, economic, so-
cial, cultural, civil etc. no discrimination shall be allowed in
law or practice against women.
Elimination of  discrimination against girl child and vio-
lation of  the rights of  the girl child - All Forms of  dis-
crimination against the girl child and violation of  her rights
shall be eliminated by undertaking strong measure including
disciplinary ones. These relate to strict enforcement of  laws
against pre-natal sex selection and foeticide, female infanti-
cide, child marriage, child abuse and child prostitution.
Empowerment of  Women - All combined efforts for devel-
opment measures will be effected and affirmative action will
be designed for the holistic empowerment of  women. Women
will be given complete and equal access to factors contribut-
ing to such empowerment, particularly, health, education, in-
formation, lifelong learning for self-development, vocational
skills, employment and income earning opportunities, techni-
cal services, land and other forms of  property.
Women in decision making - Women’s equality in power
sharing and active participation in decision making, including
political decision making at all levels and in all processes will
be ensured for the achievement of  the goal of  empowerment.
Women and the development process -  Policies,
programmes and systems will be established to ensure
mainstreaming of  women’s perspective in all developmental
processes, as catalysts, participants and recipients.
Sensitization to women’s issues - Specially planned and well
funded sensitization programmes will be conducted on a regu-
lar basis for all sections of  society.
Women and mass media - Media will be used to portray a
positive image of  girls and women. It will strive to remove
demeaning, degrading and negative, conventional stereotypi-
cal images of  women and violence against women.
Eradicating poverty and ensuring provision of  women’s
basic needs - Since women comprise the majority of  people
below the poverty line and are very often in situation of  ex-
treme poverty, given the harsh realities of  intra-household and
social discrimination, macroeconomic policies on poverty
eradication programmes will specifically address the needs and
problems of  such women.
Resources - Additional resources for expanding and strength-
ening the existing institutions/mechanisms for women’s de-
velopment and empowerment will be provided.
Governments may offer welfare schemes for women. They
may float anti-poverty programmes. They may launch projects
for their uplift. They may pass legislation to safeguard women’s
rights. The Government policies can only facilitate the pro-
cess, reduce the hurdles and create an atmosphere conducive
to transformation. But it is the women who have to empower
themselves. Unless they themselves become conscious of  their
oppression, show initiative and seize the opportunities, it would
not be possible to change their status.
Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru once said----“To awaken the people,
it is women who must be awakened; once she is on the move,
the family moves, the village moves and the nation moves.”
Women and Education
Educating women is educating the whole family. Underlining
the importance of  women’s education in national life, the re-
port of  the University Education Commission, 1948-49, says:
“There cannot be an educated people without educated
women. If  general education is to be limited to men or women,
that opportunity should be given to women, for then it would
most surely be passed on to the next generation.”
Although girls have benefited from the expanded opportuni-
ties for education, with participation rates rising more rapidly
than for boys, the perception of  equality are still illusory. Girls
are still under-represented, even at the primary level, in many
countries and illiteracy figures for women and girls are unac-
ceptably high, particularly in the rural areas of  developing
countries and amongst newly settled urban populations. Even
where girls attend school, their education may be prematurely
curtailed. Or, in developing and industrialized countries alike,
they may find themselves limited to traditional female sub-
jects which, in turn, lead them into traditional female profes-
sions.
Situational analysis of  literacy rate of  women since inde-
pendence
The literacy rate is the number of  educated people in a popu-
lation, over the age of  fifteen who can read and write. During
the present century, the country has made spectacular progress
EDUCATION & WOMEN EMPOWERMENT
Voice of Research, Vol. 3 Iss. 2, September 2014, ISSN No. 2277-7733 ...20...
in promoting the interests of  women. The literacy rate went
up from about 7.9% in 1951to 65.46%. in 2011. But there is
still a wide gap between male and female literacy. This is obvi-
ous form the following table:
Literacy Rate in India
1951 1961 1971 1981 1991 2011
Male 24.9% 34.4% 39.51% 46.74% 63.86% 82.14%
Female 7.9% 12.9% 18.44% 24.88% 39.43% 65.46%
Total 16.4% 24.0% 29.45% 36.00% 52.11% 74.04%
Girls’ position is worse in vocational, professional and other
special schools at the secondary levels. Girls go in only for
female sex-typed courses such as nursing, teacher training;
home science, music etc. and very few girls enroll in technical
courses leading to industry. The following graph shows lit-
eracy rate in India for Males and Females from 1951 to 2011.
 
Conclusion
As we can see until we educate our women, they will not be
empowered. These women want to come out of  barriers made
by the society in the name of  religion, customs etc. But now
women will have to wake up and demand their rights. Other-
wise still there will be many more decades when women will
continue to suffer in all the areas. It is worth mentioning the
courageous Pakistani teenage Malala Yousafzai who was shot
by gunman for daring to attend school. She was invited by
BBC in 2009 to write a blog highlighting her plight to obtain
an education in a regressive environment. She represents the
struggles of  the girl child in the developing world.
References
Indresan, J. (2002). Education for women’s empowerment. Delhi, Konark
publishers pvt. Ltd.
Kumar, A. (Ed.).(2006). Women empowerment and social change. New Delhi,
Anmol publications pvt. Ltd.,ISBN:81-261-2518-7.
Ramchandran,V.(Ed.).(2004). Gender and social equity in primary educa-
tion: hierarchies of  access. London: Sage publications Ltd. ISBN-
0-7619-3247-X.
Srivastava, G. (2000). Women’s higher education in the 19th century. New
Delhi, Concept publishing company, ISBN: 81-7022-823-9.
http://www.newsday.com/entertainment/books/malala-yousafzai-
pakistani-teen-shot-by-taliban-tells-story-in-i-am-malala-
memoir-1.6219019
EDUCATION & WOMEN EMPOWERMENT


EDUCATION: TOOL FOR EMPOWERING WOMEN

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