Women's economic empowerment in day-to-day life

Women empowerment

Women empowerment broadly means giving women equal opportunities and also accept them into decision making process . Since the old times , the postulate has been fixed in the minds  that women are caretakers and men are decision makers . Women by nature prioritize other’s needs more than their own . A woman takes care of the whole family , makes sure that her home is in order , cooks nutritious food for all family members , leaving her own choices behind .

Empowerment is a multidimensional topic . It includes social , political , emotional and economic empowerment .

Women’s economic empowerment  refers to the ability for women to enjoy their right to control and benefit from the resources, assets , income  and their own time. (This definition  is as per Wikipedia )

“When we liberate the economic potential of women , we elevate the economic performance of communities , nations and the world” – Hillary Clinton 

 

Status of women economic empowerment in India in day-to-day life

• Many women are restricted to earning same as men because of marriage , pregnancy or other family responsibilities .
• Whenever there is a family problem , a man never leaves his job to be a caretaker .
• If a woman is working and the home is neglected for a day because of too much pressure at workplace , she is made to listen – humko nahi chahiye tumhari kamayi
• Family hardly recognizes the unpaid work a woman is doing all the day . She is never on a holiday . Rather she has to over work on holidays .
• A woman has to take permissions before spending .
• Very less number of women  invest in themselves .
• The rural or labour class women face violence at home even after earning and handing over all the money to their husbands .
• In India ,a woman after marriage is expected  not to show any right on her parent’s property . The laws may say anything but this is the social demand that parent’s property or money , all belongs just to the son of the family . The daughter has been married that’s all .
• Women are very less aware of their rights .

Raising the standard of women economic empowerment in day-to-day life in India

1.  Education

Good education is a very important part of women empowerment . But many  women who are well educated , don’t work . They just get married as if good education was just for finding a high profile matrimonial . The groom’s end also is more worried about the dowry she would bring rather than her qualifications .

The conventional norm of good education of girl for the sole purpose of marriage has to be broken. Parents should invest in their daughter’s dreams first .

        2.  Share unpaid work

Keeping the home clean , cooking , laundry , be a caretaker for the family , looking after children’s studies , a woman does a lot of work which is taken for granted . All this work done with love ,goes  unpaid .

The man should share the load of the unpaid work every woman does . If she can cook after a tiresome day at work , why can’t a man do the dishes after his office ?

             3.  Access to property                                            inheritance

Strengthening women’s access to property inheritance and land rights should be on the top of the list to economically  empower women.  This addresses gender inequality too .

And women themselves should also be firm about showing their rights on their parent’s property or other assets . No need to  get carried along with the  emotional pressure of the family . And also not burden themselves with the societal pressure, kind of  Log kya kahenge 

 

          4  Involve a woman in Decision                     making

From small decisions like what to eat at a restaurant to big decisions like where to invest , a woman should be made an equal decision maker as a man . She has  rather more managerial skills if given an opportunity .

Women make sure that their family is happy and healthy , their home is neat and clean , children are studying well and what not . Women can do all this even when they are working full time on a job . What does it show ? It shows that they are multitasking ,  have high management skills and are never short of energy .

Every woman should recognize  these traits of her , also help the girls of next generation to recognize and develop their potential .

             5      Employment

Employment can help create empowerment for women. When we discuss women’s empowerment, we should keep in mind the  different barriers that women face . A woman avoids going to a job most of the times because of the motherhood concerns . If the mother is lactating or her child is not well  , this affects a  woman’s   duty at her workplace.

In India there’s a provision of child care leave up to one year for a woman till her child attains 18 years of age . Ideally , this is a great relief for women but practically , the various departments just don’t sanction such leaves .

One of my friends at workplace had to go through much harassment in a similar situation . Her child was under lactation but  she couldn’t get  any kind of leave . She  forcefully came for duty and thus  couldn’t concentrate on her work.

Such an employment would not be empowering a woman in any case . A woman needs  a workplace environment which is safe , takes care of her motherly concerns , and if need it offers flexible timings.

               6   Training for                                                      entrepreneurship

The centre or the state governments should conduct some special trainings for women to emerge as entrepreneurs . They are born with managerial skills  and multi tasking skills , they just need a push to emerge as a new being who are much more than just the care takers of the family . If this entrepreneurship happens , the result would be a boost in  confidence and self morale of women along with economic empowerment .

              7.   Family and Society support

Many women want to work , go outside homes and earn , set up their own business, support their family . But they fear opening their hearts out for the fear of negative  comments from family or even violence.

If a woman is a single parent , the society gives strange looks  . A divorcee is presumed to be always at fault . Society makes  her life complicated to live  .   The constant push of re-marriage may shake her up. Due to lack of support from society , her self worth remains at risk . The society demands a compulsory inclusion of a man in her life .

Having a man doesn’t guarantee a woman empowerment . The family and society should respect her and her decisions . She’s born with the DNA of caring for others but people should also help empower her .

I know many women who work , earn and have given their ATM cards to their men. They say it’s love but I don’t understand such foolish women economic empowerment .

             8 Understand self-worth

A woman should understand her self-worth , find ways to inspire herself – physically , emotionally and financially . My dear friend ! Nobody would serve you a platter . Be confident, work on your health , love yourself , earn , save for yourself , invest in yourself and always have your Me-time .

Find your own ways of  economic empowerment .