WOMEN EMPOWERMENT.docx

8/18/2019 WOMEN EMPOWERMENT.docx

1/46

CHAPTER-IINTRODUCTION

In the history of human race, women have contributed to

development as much as man. In fact, work performed by womenin society is in a way is more important than men. Without theparticipation of women in national activities, the social,economical or political progress of a country bound to stagnate. Often the status of women in a society is the indicator of anation’s overall progress. However, in present times the economicand social status of women in most of the nations is in patheticcondition. Women constitute half of the humanity, evencontributing two-thirds of world’s work hours. ut she earns only

one-third of the total income and owns less than one-tenth of theworld’s resources. !"orts have been made on a regular basisacross nations to address this issue and enhance the socio-economic status of women .#his as an agenda has been on top of the lists of most government plans and programs as well. #husWomen’s !mpowerment has been an issue of immensediscussions and contemplation over the last few decades world-wide. It got impetus from the current wave of globali$ation whichhas left women disadvantaged in many areas of life, including

education, employment, health, and civil rights. #o help remedythe situation steady steps were taken on the international level. #he empowerment of women is located within the discourse andagenda of gender e%uality and is increasingly being taken in theagendas of international development organi$ations, perhapsmore as a means to achieve gender e%uality than as an end initself. #he &airobi 'orward-(ooking )trategies for the*dvancement of Women in+ started the process.*t the )ocial)ummit in /openhagen in + 0 and the International /onferenceon 1opulation and 2evelopment in /airo + 3 4overnmentscommitted themselves to the empowerment of women.#he'ourthWorld /onference on Women, held in ei5ing in + , issued the

ei5ing 1latform for *ction. It aimed to invigorate the world’scommitment to women6s empowerment. #he 7&8illennium2evelopment 4oals prioriti$e gender e%uality and empowermentof women. In particular, 8illennium 2evelopment 4oal #hreepurports to 9promote gender ine%uality and empowerwomen:.#he women's empowerment has become the “catchwordtoday .: In India the concept of the empowerment of women as agoal of development pro5ects and programmes has been gainingwider acceptance in the + ;s.#he Indian !ighth 'ive


2/46

=+ >- ?@ makes a shift from 6development6 to 6empowerment6 of womenA Bhan =>;;+@ and )inha =>;;>@C.

1age - >


3/46

Concept of Empowerment #he origins of the concept of empowerment go back to the civilrights movement in the 7)* in the + D;. It has since then beeninterpreted di"erently and used in such di"erent sectors as

business, social work, development discourse and advocacies. Itis Elled with new meanings by advocates of very di"erentpolitical agendas. #he di"erent deEnitions of empowermentrange between deEning it as a largely individual process of takingcontrol of and responsibility for one’s life and situation, anddeEning it as a political process of granting human rights andsocial 5ustice to disadvantaged groups of people. In line with mosttheorists on empowerment the one has to view empowerment astaking place on three di"erent levels -- individual level, the group

and societal level. #he di"erent levels are seen as interconnectedand mutually reinforcing. !mpowerment on individual level willhave e"ect on the group and societal levelF and similarly thegroup and societal empowerment.

!mpowerment is generally treated as a multi-dimensional processwhich helps people to gain control of their lives through raisingawareness, taking action and working in order to eGercise greatercontrol. !mpowerment is the feeling that activates the

psychological energy to accomplish one’s goals =Indiresan, + @.It enables a powerless group, as of women, to reali$e their fullidentity and power in all spheres of life =)urekharao and

a5amanamma, + @. It consists of greater access to knowledgeand resources, greater autonomy in decision making to enablethem to have greater ability to plan their lives, or to have greatercontrol over the circumstances that in uence their lives and freefrom shocks imposed on them by custom, belief and practice.!mpowerment is multidimensionalJ there are three dimensions of empowerment, namely social, economic and political.

WOMEN’S EMPOWERMENT:In conteGt of women, the concept has been dynamic. #he conceptof women6s empowerment appears to be the outcome of severalimportant criti%ues and debates generated by the women6smovement throughout the world, and particularly by #hird Worldfeminists. Its source can be traced to the interaction betweenfeminism and the concept of Kpopular educationK developed in(atin *merica in the + ?;s. !mpowerment demands come fromWomen’s groups who seek to empower themselves throughgreater self-reliance. #hey demand right to determine their own

1age - 0


4/46

choices in life. #hey also seek to gain control and access toresources. !mpowerment is treated as a process of developing asense of self respect, self conEdence and self eLcacy. #husempowerment essentially refers to a feeling of awareness of one’s

own situation backed up with the knowledge, skills andinformation which could enable women to gain higher self esteemand facilitate their role as decision makers in the currentpatriarchal society of general subordination of women.!mpowerment is considered as a multi-dimensional process,which is to enable women to realise their full potential in allspheres of life. #he focus is on power which essentially meanscontrol over material assets, intellectual resources and ideology.In the last three decades women-empowerment praGis world over,

according to 4utierre$, has stressed developing criticalawareness, increasing feelings of collective and self-eLcacy, anddeveloping skills for personal, interpersonal and social change.9In short, =women@ empowerment is a process of awareness andcapacity building leading to greater participation, to greaterdecision making power and control, and to transformativeaction:=)ahay,+ ,p.>> @

Di erent e!e"# of Empowerment

*s one has to view empowerment as taking place on di"erentlevels, change on all levels is necessary if the empowerment of women is really to occur. We have to relate empowerment atthree levelsJ empowerment on the individual, group, and societalMcommunity- level and the interaction between these. #heindividual level deals with individual women’s abilities to takecontrol over their lives, their perceptions about their own valueand abilities, their abilities to identify a goal and work towards thisgoal. #he group level deals with the collective action and sense of agency that woman eGperience together, in a group. #he societallevel deals with the permissiveness of the political and socialclimate, the societal norms and the public discourse on what ispossible and impossible for women to do, how women shouldbehave etc.

#he di"erent levels being interconnected and mutuallyreinforcing, women who are empowered on an individual level willmost likely go on and a"ect the other levels. !mpowerment on agroup level like women organi$ing around a particular need islikely to have e"ect on the individual empowerment of the womenin the form of increased self esteem and sense of agency.

1age - 3


5/46

T$ree Dimen#ion# of Women’# empowerment J #here are three dimensions of women’s empowerment, namelysocial, economic and political.

Soci%" Empowerment*ccording to )ahay, social empowerment envisages access toknowledge, information and a feeling of knowing from self-en%uiry, strengthening her skills and capacities to mediate withthe eGternal world on the part of a woman. It occurs at bothindividual as well as collective levels. 8ediation occurs relatingwith the outside world, with the markets, with Enancialinstitutions, with competitors, with suppliers, with policy-makers

like politicians, bureaucrats and oLcials, etc. #his would enhancetheir self-respect and self-esteem. 'rom the social point of view itlooks at it from individual, group and community levels. *t thegroup level, social empowerment is assessed from opportunity toparticipate in decision making at various forums and participationin discussions and decision making within them. *nd at thecommunity level it refers to their involvement and participation incommon programmes organised by the local community and itssocial action initiatives.

Economic Empowerment!conomic empowerment of women generally refers to economicindependence and freedom from poverty. It entails capacity toovercome economic hardship.

Po"itic%" EmpowermentWomen’s political empowerment is indicated in activeparticipation in formal discussions, democratic decision-making

process, and con ict management on various levels of politicalprocess. )ome of the indicators for the political empowermentlooked into were their membership in other organi$ations,participation in 4ram )abha, contesting elections to (ocal )elf 4overnments and holding responsible positions in variouscommittees at the three-tier 1anchayat system etc. *ctiveparticipation in formal discussions, democratic decision-makingprocess and con ict management within the )H4 level, and the

eLcient management of )H4s, etc also enhance their politicalempowerment.

1age -


6/46

SH %# Too"# for Women Empowerment: #hree eGperimental approaches to empowering women have beenundertaken in )outh *sia. #hey are 9integrated development,economic empowerment and consciousness- raising:=)ahay,+ , p. ;@.With economic empowerment stressed as the keystrategyof women’sempowerment in poor countries,)elf Help4roups have emerged as one of the ma5or tools for women’sempowerment. Organising )elf Help 4roups =)H4s@ for womenhas been popular with the &on 4overnmental Organisations since+ ;. *s aptly deEned by Bat$ and ender =+ ?D@,K)elf-Help4roups are voluntary, small group structures for mutual aid andaccomplishment of a special purpose. #hey are usually formed bypeers, who have come together for mutual assistance in satisfyinga common need, overcoming a common handicap or life-disrupting problem, and bringing about desired social, andMorpersonal change:.)H4s are small voluntary associations mainlywomen who come together to solve their problems baseduponmutual help and self help. #hey have emerged as a vital tool toalleviate poverty and bring about empowerment of women.#akinga look at the working and impact of )H4s across various countriesit can be held that )H4 approach towards poverty alleviation andwomen empowerment has been reasonably successful. #hegrameengroups of angladesh have emerged as burning eGamplesof the success story of )H4s. #hey often provide materialassistance as well as emotional support. #hey have also in5ectedself conEdence and security, economic development, groupsolidarity and attitudinal change among the poor women = )ahay,+ , p. >@.

IMPORTANCE O' THE TOPIC #he Indian eGploration of )H4s in assisting women Enancially andempowering them especially economically began in + +-

>,when &ational ank for *griculture and ural 2evelopment=&* * 2@ launched > pilot pro5ects on linking )H4s with anks,in various parts of the country. It aimed at providing credit to theinformal )H4s of rural poor, through the banking system, withminimal documentation. In recent times )H4s have emerged as

one of the ma5or instruments for women’s empowerment.

1age - D


7/46

#he study of empowerment of poor women assumes greatimportance in the contemporary post globalisation period mainlybecause of India’s worsening 4ender 4ap scenario. #he sorrystate of the a"airs can be known from the review of World

!conomic 'orum in >;; . While it has occupied th

position in>;;D, India ranks ++3 among +03 countries in the world, evenbehind angladesh, )ri (anka and &epal, according to World!conomic 'orum ranking which released India 4ender 4ap eview>;; . It placed the country at the bottom of the table on healthand survival issues re ecting the huge gender gap. It made strongremarks against the wide ine%ualities between health facilitieseGtended to males and females. *ccording to World !conomic'orum’s #he 4lobal 4ender 4ap IndeG >;; , India ranks ++3 while

last year it was ++0 =1anda>;+;, pp.+?+-+?>@.)igniEcance of )H4s in empowerment of poor women in Odisha

needs no great emphasis. Odisha stands at 0>nd rank in 4ender4ap IndeG of India with only three of the I8* 7 states below it.Its gender gap score is ;. >3 in the >;;D much below the nationalscore of ;. ;. #he global gender gap report is based on fourfactors- economic participation and opportunity, politicalempowerment and health and survival. 8oreover, its maternal

mortality ratio is >0 for +;;; 5ust above 71, 81, ihar and *ssamand it is well above national ratio of +? . Its 'emale literacy rateis D3N, below national rate of D3.D; N. It is one of the pooreststates of India with per capita income of> 3 much below thenational per capita income of 0 +30=4overnment of Odisha,>;+>@. 1ost globalisation Odisha is facing almost stagnatedemployment growth in industrial sector and declined employmentgrowth in agricultural sector. #he service sector has increased itsshare of employment marginally but not ade%uate to employ thelarge percentage of unemployed and under-employed. On thecontrary, micro and small enterprises largely belonging tounorganised sector have created the bulk of employment inOdisha neGt to agriculture. #he potential of 8)!s under )elf Help4roups =)H4s@ is immense. #hey are recogni$ed as an importantconstituent of the state economics, contributing signiEcantly toemployment eGpansion and poverty alleviation.With itsphenomenal poverty and gender ine%uality, women’sempowerment needs strong support from )H4s. In such ascenario, the role of )H4s as a potent tool for over-allempowerment for the rural poor women assumes criticalsigniEcance for a state like Odisha.

1age - ?


8/46

SUR(E) O' ITERATURE #he empowerment of women has become topical. #here is vastliterature on it. In any such survey the work of )rilata

atliwala=+ ?3@ stands out as a seminal one. )he sidestepsideological debates to capture the essential meaning of women’sempowerment as 9the process of challenging eGisting powerrelations: for control over assets and resources. Her workfocussed on eGperiences of empowerment programs in )outh*sia. !schewing 9only one path to empowerment:,

atliwala=+ 3,p.?@ holds that empowerment strategy need to be9 devised within speciEc political, economic , social and culturalconteGts, regionally , nationally and locally:.

)ushama )ahay=+ @ is famous for her classic deEnition of women’s empowerment as the 9process of awareness andcapacity building leading to greater participation, greater decisionmaking power and control and transformative action:. Her workdiscusses various approaches and strategies of women’sempowerment. Highlighting on approaches of integrateddevelopment, economic empowerment and consciousness raising,her study emphasises the role of )elf Help 4roups in women’s

empowerment. ut her work lacks empirical study of )H4’s andempowerment in the post-4lobalisation period. ipin Bumar=>;; @ redresses the balance in his volume on globalisation andthe empowerment of women. arious pieces of the volumeparticularly of 1raveen *$ad discuss impact of globalisation onwomen’s empowerment. 1armananda )ingh delves in to itsimpact on women workers, while 1raveen )harma focuses on itse"ect on economic empowerment of women.*radhana )harma =>;; @ not only describes the problems andprospects of women’s empowerment in the conteGt of globalisation, but also attempts an empirical study of empowerment. )harma= >;; , p.GGv@ focussed on 9aninstitutional and rural level study of practices, micro- politics ande"ects of the 8) = 8ahila)amakhya@ program: in 7ttar 1radesh,besides some Eeld studies in other sites of 4u5arat, *ndhra1radesh and *ssam. )he =>; , pp.+ -+ ?@ Ends that 8) program9represents governmentalisation of empowerment:. )till, it is9generative:. It results in empowering processes which 9helpwomen formulate tactics for contesting locally entrenched powere%uations.: )he concludes that even though governmentalised,

1age -


9/46

empowerment 9takes on a life of its ownF it erupts, interrupts,eGceeds neoliberal, regulative logics:.

4iriyappa =+ ?@ analysed the women empowerment with

e"ectiveness of decision-making by women in di"erent ruralenterprises and concluded that informal empowerment was widespread through women earning members, their decisions weresub5ected to various degrees of discrimination by males.

Pyothi =+ @ reported in her study on employment pattern andempowerment of rural women in Bolar district that the distributionof women according to the level of empowerment showed thatmost of the women had medium level of empowerment.

)aradha =>;;+@ reported that the product empowerment of women in self-help groups was found to range from high and lowwith 0 . ; and 0 .;; per cent, respectively. It indicated that eventhough the women are psychologically empowered but their realempowerment level was low. #he possible reasons for this may bethe patriarchal society, low level resources and critical awarenessof rural women, the lack of general media eGposure, low level of education and lack of recognition

#here have been several studies on the contribution of )H4s towomen’s empowerment. #he comparative study of )elf Help4roups =)H4s@, organised and promoted by &on 4overnmentalOrgani$ations and Budumbasree in Berala towards empowermentof poor women, by (oyola /ollege of )ocial )ciences,

#hiruvananthapuram stands out for its systematic and thoroughapproach. ased on the analysis of empirical data, focussed groupdiscussions, case studies and personal observations, its studyobtained the following Endings. 'or ma5ority of the respondents

the motivating factor for 5oining the )H4s was economic factors,which included inculcating savings-habit and getting easy loan ata reduced rate of interest. #he dependency on moneylenders hascome down. * very impressive increase in general skills wasnoticed in ma5ority of respondents eGcept in the skill forpresenting cultural programmes in public meetings. In the light of the study, in its report, in Pune >;;3, few suggestions were givenfor improving e"ective functioning of the )H4 system in Berala.

#he volume edited by *shutosh 1andey and 4autam ir=>;+;@contains some erudite pieces. enkateswar ao attempts anempirical study of women’s empowerment through 1anchayati

1age -


10/46

a5 institutions in West 4odavari district. He =>;+;, p.D;@ Ends tohis surprise that vast ma5ority of )arpanches do not know theirduties and power. However, *. &. 1anda Ells gap regarding thestudies on women’s empowerment in Odisha. 'ocussing on

grassroots political leadership in ural Odisha,1anda=>;+;,pp.+? -+ >@ lists the impediments to women’sempowerment as lack of education , rather literacy, lack of economic self-reliance, rise of money power in elections,bureaucratic bossism, and apathy of high- level leaders.2escribing women’s empowerment as 9a good beginning:, hestresses on strategies of education and self reliance for it. utempirical studies of )H4s in relation to women’s empowerment inOdisha are almost missing.

O*+ecti!e of t$e St, . #his study makes a humble attempt in this respect. It isundertaken with the speciEc ob5ective to assess the impact of )H4s upon women empowerment and determine the currentstatus of )H4s as far as their impact upon women empowermentis concerned. It seeks to understand the concept of womenempowerment on a holistic basis and to critically eGamine thee"orts initiated towards empowering women by the )elf Help

4roups =)H4s@ based upon empirical work undertaken in thealasore )adar lock of alasore district.

P AN O' RESEARCH AND METHODO O&) #his research is a case study of )H4s in alasore district of Odishastate in India.#he study focuses on the alasore )adar block of the alasore district with empirical datawhich critically eGploresthe impact of )H4s upon women empowerment. It further aimsto understand the linkages between )H4s and womenempowerment. 'our numbers of 4ram 1anchayats were selectedfrom theblock randomly. #hen, from each 4ram 1anchayat,onenumber of )elf Help 4roup was chosen randomly. 1resident,)ecretary, and members from each )H4 were selectedpurposively. !"orts are made to collect opinions of all the socialgroups among the members of )H4s. #he opinions of themembers of )H4s so collected are processed and analysed.

1age - +;


11/46

CHAPTER HEADIN&S+. IntroductionJ #he nature and importance of women’sempowerment and its relation with )elf Help 4roupsF survey of relevant literatureF and plan of research and methodology.

>. Women’s empowerment and )H4s in IndiaJ 8eaning and natureof women’s empowermentF nature and function of )H4s involvedin women’s empowermentF and women’s empowerment and )H4in India.0. Women’s empowerment and )H4s in Odisha and in alasoredistrict and analysis of opinions.3. /onclusion.

1age - ++


12/46

CHAPTER -IIWomen’# empowerment %n SH in In i%

India is one of the world’s most ancient civilisations and fastest

growing economies. It is a transitional society with ageoldtraditions and vast social diversities. #he story of empowermentof women in India is to be located in a compleG set of caste, class,religious and ethnic identities, and ethos and ideologies of thisancient society.In its patriarchal social order women continue toen5oy low social status, marginali$ed in the household and thelarger community. #heir economic opportunities remain restrictedby social, cultural, and religious barriers, most notably inheritancelaws embedded in Hindu and)hariat civil codes. eformation

movements during the ritish rule and legalrefoms by theritishers brought about some changes for improving thecondition of women. *fter independence /onstitution of Indiaguarantees e%uality to women. arious steps were undertaken bythe 4overnment for Women !mpowerment. 'eminist activismpicked up momentum in India during later + ?;’s. (ater on manygroups and &4O’s have been working for the !mpowerment of women. ut the real change came from the 'ifth 'ive ;;+@recognises , 9 there still eGists awide gap between the goals enunciated in the /onstitution,legislation, policies, plans, programmes, and related mechanismson the one hand and the situational reality of the status of womenin India, on the other.:= @&ow there is a need for strongmovement to Eght for the rights of women and to ensure thatthey get all the rights which men have or in other words amovement for the !mpowerment of Women. !Gperience showsthat the key to success lies in ensuring full cooperation andparticipation of people at the grassroots level. 7nder variouspoverty alleviationMeradication e"orts, these days, both by the4overnments as well as &4Os, several types of community basedorgani$ational structures or )H4s have come up throughout thecountry enabling the poorwomen to get out of their eGploitation,particularly by money lenders.

1age - +>


13/46

Hi#toric%" /%c01ro,n of Women Empowerment in In i% #he status of Women in India has been sub5ect to many greatchanges over the past fewmillenniums. In the ancient Indiantradition women were gloriEed as embodiments of )hakti - -the

cosmic energy or power. In early edic period women en5oyede%ual status with men. #he igved and the7pnishads mentionseveral names of women sages and seers notably 4argiand8aitrey who eGcelled in learnig and other Eelds. Howeverlater,approGimately from ;; ./, the status of womenbegan todeteriorateF the situation worsened with foreign invasions 2 'orcenturies women were sub5ected to subordination anddependency. #hey were treated as abalaasRthe weaklings. &ottreated e%ual to men in many ways, they were not allowed to own

propertyF they did not have a share in the property of theirparentsF they had no freedom to choose their work or 5ob and soon. )ome reformatory movements by 4uru &anak, Painism,

a5a ammohan ai, Ishwarchandra idya)agar, 1andita ama aiand others brought about social changes for women’s uplift. #he

ritish rulers did seek legal reforms for improving the condition of women. )ome laws were enacted such an 9*bolition of practice of )ati:, Widow emarriage *ct +

Step# Un ert%0en in In i% for Women Empowerment*fter independence, several steps were taken in the direction of empowerment of women. #he 'ramers of the Indian /onstitutionwere very much conscious of the problems of women. #heyensured that the 1rinciple of 4ender !%uality is enshrined in the/onstitution- - in its 1reamble, 'undamental ights and 2irective1rinciples. #he /onstitution of India guarantees right to e%uality towomen under *rticle +3. #here are other articles too which ensurerights of women e.g. no discrimination by the state A*rticle+ =+@C,e%uality of opportunity =*rticle+D@ etc. 8oreover the /onstitutionalso empowers the states to adopt measures of positivediscrimination in favour of women A*rticle+ [email protected] the2irective 1rinciples, 9 men and women e%ually: are given rightto ade%uate means of livelihood and right to e%ual pay for e%ualworkA *rt 0 C and 5ust and human conditions of work , andmaternity relief A *rt 0 *rt3> C. Women in India got voting rightsmuch before 7)* and some other !uropean countries.

#he real momentum for this empowering the women was gainedwhen a scheme known as Indira 8ahila


14/46

India also incorporated issues of women’ s uplift as its primaryob5ective. arious )chemes were later on launched for theempowerment of women such as ashtriya8ahilaBosh,8ahila)amridhi;;+@ and )inha =>;;>@C.

'ollowing the 'ourth World /onference on Women, held in ei5ing

in + , the 7& 8illennium 2evelopment 4oals for gendere%uality and empowerment of women and the Indian declarationof the women’s year in >;;+, India adopted the &ational 1olicy forthe !mpowerment of Women in >;;+. It was an important steptaken by the Indian 4overnment for accelerating the pace of women empowerment. #he policy was aimed at ensuring womenempowerment through positive economic and social policies forthe full development of women so that they could reali$e their fullpotential. #he policy assured e%ual access to women to healthcare, %uality education, participation and decision making in)ocial, 1olitical and !conomical life of the nation. #he &ational1olicy also aims at strengthening legal system for eliminatingdiscrimination against Women.

Me%nin1 %n N%t,re of Empowerment #he &ational 1olicy laid bare the meaning and thrust of women’s empowerment in the conteGt of India. In view of genderdisparity manifest in various forms, especially in continuouslydeclining female ratio, social stereotyping and violence at thedomestic and societal levels and rampant discrimination againstgirl children, adolescent girls and women it sought redeEne

1age - +3


15/46

empowerment. 'ocussing on the underlying causes of genderine%uality lying in social and economic structure and practices, itacknowledged that the access of women, particularly thosebelonging to weaker sectionsS to education, health and productive

resources, among others, is inade%uate. Goals and Objectivesof development and empowerment of women are envisaged as=I@ 'ull development of women to enable them to reali$e their

full potential,=II@ eal en5oyment of all human rights and fundamental

freedom by women on e%ual basis with men in all spheresS political, economic, social, cultural and civil,

=III@ !%ual access to participation and decision making of women in social, political and economic life of the nation,

=I @ !%ual access to women to healthcare, %ualityeducation atall levels, career and vocational guidance, employment,e%ual remuneration, occupational health and safety, socialsecurity and public oLce etc.

= @ !limination of all forms of discriminationagainst women,= I@ !limination of discrimination and all forms of violence

against women and the girl child,= II@ uilding and strengthening partnerships with civil society,

particularly women’s organi$ations,

= III@ /hanging societal attitudes and community practices tothis end, and=IT@ 8ainstreaming a gender perspective in the development

process.

#he &ational 1olicy not only thus captured the three levels of theempowerment - individual, group and community levels, but alsofocussed on its three dimensions -social, political and economic.

#he )ocial empowerment of women was conceived to includeon priority basise%ual access to education for women and girlswith special measures to eliminate discrimination, and to healthservices and nutrition with special attention to the needs of women and the girl at all stages of the life cycle F the reduction of infant mortality and maternal mortalityF providing housing andaccommodation for womenF special assistance to Women in2iLcult /ircumstancesF and prevention of all forms of violenceagainst women, physical and mental, whether at domestic orsocietal levels.

1age - +


16/46

)imilarly political empowerment is envisioned as9Women’se%uality in power sharing and active participation in decisionmaking, including decision making in political process at alllevels.: It is 9 to guarantee women e%ual access to and full

participation in decision making bodies at every level,: includingthe legislative, eGecutive, 5udicial, corporate, statutory bodies, aswell as the advisory /ommissions, /ommittees, oards, #rusts etcalong with aLrmative action such as reservationsM%uotas inhigher legislative bodies.

!conomic !mpowerment of women is given a new orientation toenhance their capabilities, and access to credit for a proper role of women in the economy, particularly in agriculture and Industry

and to encourage women to participate e"ectively in thedevelopmental process in view of the harsh realities of intra-household and social discrimination . Since women comprise themajority of the population below the poverty line and are very often in situations of extreme poverty, the economicempowerment of women focuses on poverty e radication bymobili$ation of poor women and convergence of services, withnecessary support measures to enhance their capabilitiesF andeasy access to credit for consumption and production by the

establishment of new, and strengthening of existing micro-credit mechanisms. !conomic !mpowerment of women is also to ensurethat beneEts of training for the critical role of women in theagriculture and Industry, and to encourage women to participatee"ectively in the developmental process. Women’s perspectiveswill be included in designing and implementing macro-economicand social policies .

Oper%tion%" Str%te1ie# 3 Action P"%n#: #he &ational 1olicy also sought to draw up Operational )trategiesand *ction 1lans for e"ective empowerment of women. #his wastoinvolve a review of all eGisting laws including personal,customary and tribal law sF 4ender )ensiti$ationby proper trainingof personnel of eGecutive, legislative and 5udicial wings of the)tate, promoting societal awareness to gender issues andwomen’s human rights , and review of educational curriculum. Itsought for*ction 1lan of measurable goals to be achieved by

>;+;.

1age - +D


17/46

In#tit,tion%" Mec$%ni#m#

Institutional mechanisms, to promote the advancement of women, which eGist at the /entral and )tate levels, are be

strengthened with the &ational /ouncil, headed by the 1rime8inister, and the )tate /ouncils by the /hief 8inisters to overseethe operationalisation of the 1olicy on a regular basis. It alsovisuali$es strengthening partnership with /ivil )ociety,particularly Women’s organi$ations .With institutions at thedistrict level, at the grass-roots, women will be helped by4overnment through its programmes to organi$e and strengtheninto )elf-Help 4roups =)H4s@ at the *nganwadiM illageM#own level.

#he women’s groups are to be helped to institutionali$ethemselves into registered societies and to federate at the1anchyatM8unicipal level .)tates have also taken various measuresfor empowerment of women.

Se"f He"p &ro,p# 4SH in In i%

)elf-help group is a method of organising the poor people and themarginali$ed to come together to solve their individual problem.

#he )H4 method is used by the government, &4Os and othersworldwide. While the term Qself-help group’ or )H4 can be used todescribe a wide range of Enancial and non-Enancial associations,in India it has come to refer to a form of *ccumulating )aving and/redit *ssociation =*)/*@ promoted by government agenciesAplanning commision.p+;C. * )H4thus generally refers to avillage-based Enancial intermediary committee usually composedof +;S>; local women or men. It typically comprises a groupof micro entrepreneurs having homogeneous social and economic

backgrounds, all voluntarily coming together to save regular smallsums of money, mutually agreeing to contribute to a commonfund and to meet their emergency needs on the basis of mutualhelp. #his is a system of solidarity lending . #he poor collect theirsavings and save it in banks. In return they receive easy access toloans with a small rate of interest to start their micro unitenterprise. 8any self-help groups, especially in India,under &* * 2 6s 6)H4 ank (inkage6 program, borrow from banksonce they have accumulated a base of their own capital and have

established a track record of regular repaymentsF and the )H4-(1 has so far been the most preferred and viable model forEnancial inclusion of the hitherto unreached poor .

1age - +?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Financial_intermediaryhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Micro-enterprisehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solidarity_lendinghttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NABARDhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Micro-enterprisehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solidarity_lendinghttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NABARDhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Financial_intermediary


18/46

'inancial intermediation is generally seen more as an entry pointto these other goals, rather than as a primary ob5ective. )elf-helpgroups are seen as instruments for goals including empoweringwomen, developing leadership abilities among poor people,increasing school enrolments, and improving nutrition and the useof birth control. )elf-help groups are started by non-governmentalorgani$ations =&4Os@ that generally have broad anti-povertyagendas.

* self-help group may be registered or unregistered. *lthoughtheir number is thus diLcult to be ascertained, according to&* * 2 there are more than ?3 lakh )H4s covering over +; crore

households. #hey have become the mainstay of the Indianmicro'inance scene.

When a new restructured self-employment programme, known as9)warn5ayanti 4ram )waro$gar


19/46

grouped into larger clusters and multi-village federations forEnancial and nonEnancial activities Aplanning commission, p++C

T$e Emer1ence of SH in In i%

#he grassroots level women’s collectives, better known thesedays as the women )H4s, are the products of the women’smovement in India. 'eminist activism has picked up momentum inIndia during later + ?;’s. (ater on many groups and &4O’s havebeen working for the empowerment of women. #he )H4s becamethe primary unit, common to most of the &4Os in termstheQempowerment wing’ of the women’s movement. In order tomake women partners in the development process of the country,and to be self-reliant and empowered, &4Os started orgai$ingthem into community based organi$ations known under di"erentnames, like credit unions, 8ahila8andals, 8ahila)ama5ams etc.

However, the emergence of the concept of )elf Help 4roups=)H4s@, as we know it today in India, is an outcome of the8< *2* eGperiments, particularly bythe )avings and /redit8anagement 4roups =)/84@, sponsored by 8ysore esettlementand 2evelopment *gency =8< *2*@. *fter eGperimentation withthe cooperatives insome pro5ects, 8< *2* tried with analternative credit system for thepoor to make the eGisting deliverysystem, not only more appropriate and e"ective but also willing toaccept alternative system with its own rules and management. In+ D- ?, &* * 2 supported and funded an action-researchpro5ect on )/84 of 8< *2*, for assessing its ade%uacy as aninstrument to help the target groups. 2uring + +- >, &* * 2launched > pilot pro5ects on linking )H4s with anks, in variousparts of the country. . #he &* * 2 guidelines to banks forimplementation of the pilot pro5ect allowed ample eGibility to theparticipating banks to innovative responses and observedvariations in thegrassroots level situations. It aimed at providingcredit to the informal )H4s of rural poor, through the bankingsystem, with minimal documentation In Puly + +F I advised thebanks to participate in the pilot pro5ect and to eGtend Enance to)H4s as per the norms and guidelines of &* * 2. In 'ebruary+ > detailed guidelines were issued to thecommercial banks byit.#he number and categories of )H4s and their savings arere ected in following statement of &* * 2 A>;+3, p30C

1age - +


20/46

Pro1re## ,n er Micro6n%nce - S%!in1# of A1enc.-wi#epo#ition %# on 78 M%rc$ 9 =*mount in lakh@

Tot%"S%!in1# of

SH wit$/%n0# %#on78M%rc$9:8;

O,t of Tot%" <Un erO,tof

Tot%"NR M=S&S)3 ot$er &o!t2Spon#orepro1r%m

!Gclusive

Women SH

)l.&o

N%me of t$eA1enc.

No2of SH&#

S%!in1Amo,nt

No2of SH&#

S%!in1Amo,nt

No2 of SH

S%!in1Amo,nt

+/ommercial anks

3;>> +;

DD0+3.D0

+>00; ?

+33 .+>

03 0>+>

D D3+. 0

> egionluralanks

>+++?D;

+.?0

>D?

?+3>0.0

+? 00?

+0 ; +. D

0/ooperative anks

+>3 0;

+0;D+;.+

>;;3? +

+? . +;+ ;? D D .+

#otal >;9

?@

? ?>

;82@;

99B

989@

9;>>@ 2

?

B9@8B> 89 2?;

2

e. %cti!itie#

#he predominant activities vary from state to state. 2airy is foundas one of the most popular activity among the group swaro$garistied to )H4s, as pointed out by the 1lanning /ommission in its

study. #he key activities in the study regionare given in thefollowing table by the 1lanning /ommissionA>;; 1p 3?-3 C.

1age - >;


21/46

STATE Acti!itie#2

An $r%Pr% e#$

#oys, 'ashion technology )arees, 1ickles, 1owder

U1apads, 'ood items,Handicrafts, 'abricsU eadymades, eauty 1arlour, 8assage/enter,Handlooms!mbroidary)aree,Pewellary, (eatherwork, Pute, 'abrics U eady8ades*garbatti, #ie U2ie )aree,

/i$%r

)mall Irrigation, 2iary, ural *rti$en, 'ood1rocessing,1altry 'arm, ee keeping ,2iary, )mallIrrigation, 1altry farm,

*ggarbatti, egetables8ithila 1ainting, 2iary,'isheries,.C$%tti#1%

r$omboo work, /arpet work)mall usiness,

'isheries, omboo work, 4oathusbandary.

&,+r%t

8eenakariUOGodise work 2iary, Handicraft,/anteen, )ilk )aree, 1atola, )titching Work,1ulse 8ill, #ent house, /entering work, *uto4arage, 'abrication.

Utt%rPr% e#$

omboo work, #ent house, 2ariUBalin Work, Hand1ump oaring, Walker )heet, 2iary, )titching,'urniture work, ed )heet, 2i"erent work,Handicraft. Hand pump, oaring, essa ussi,BalinU 2ari, 1altry farm, 2iary.

Conc",#ion -Imp%ct of SH esides the regional di"erences in activities, the impactof )4);; J ? C #he penetration of )H4s in)outhern 1( population is well above the rest,A&* * 2>;+3Jp0?C. #here is a clear indication of rural womenbeing on the path of social empowerment A1lanning/om>;; Jp +C. #here is no doubt that the )4)< has generatedsubstantial increase in the incomes of swaro$garis in the samplestates. 8aGimum increase was found in *ndhra 1radeshA 1lanning/om.>;; Jp C However, the women 5oining the )H4s hadincreased their workload. #his was mainly because 5oining the

)H4s had provided them with some supplementary work, but thenew activities could not generate enough income for them to give

1age - >+


22/46

up any of their earlier tasks.A1lanning /om.>;; J p + C (ikeevery struggle, women’s empowerment has its own paradoGesand struggles. #he )H4s are 8) =8ahila )anghas@ of a5asthan,71 and other states in the entrepreneurial form. *s pointed out by

*radhana )harma=>;; , p+ +@, it provides: eGperiences withself- and social empowerment: transferrable to other areas. #heyhave thus the 9transformative possibilities: of releasing )haktiwhich stands for symbol of women’s empowerment =)harma>;; , pp+ >- ?@.#his is also true of )H4s in India.

1age - >>


23/46

CHAPTER III

Women’# empowerment 3SH in O i#$%Women’s empowerment and )H4s in Odisha get their colour andcontent from the socio-economic and political conditions of thestate.Odisha is the Erst province of India =after )indh now in1akistan@ to be founded on the basis of language.It is one of themaritime provinces situated on the east coast of the country,located between +?-3 ’ and >>-03’.&orth latitude and +->?’and

?-> ’ east longitude. It has an area of +, ,?;? s%.km withabout 3 ;k.m. of coast line. It is the th largest state in the

country in terms of area. #he population of Odisha according tothe >;++ census stands at about 3+ million, making it the ++ th

most populated state in India. #he state makes up about 0.3N of the country’s population. It continued to be a separate state of India union after independence with only D districts. 'ollowingreorgani$ation of the administrative districts after the merger of the feudatory states in + 3 , Odisha comprised +0 districts andwas restructured into 0; districts in + >.

With the per capita income of +3>D0 in>;;+ much below thenational per capita income of >;0D>, Odisha is one of the pooreststates of India. *ccording to 4overnment of India estimates in+ D its Human 2evelopment IndeG score was ;.3D+, 4ender2evelopment IndeG score ;.33 and 4!8 score ;.0> . 1lacedamong the lowest category ivstates,its H2I rank in + D was 0;,42I rank 0; and 4!8 rank >D out of 0 states and union

territories.#he government of Odisha inaugurated 98*HI(*)*)*B#IB* *&* * )H* >;;; 8I))IO&:.

#he empowerment of women was considered to come from theireconomic empowerment. #hus helping women to achieveeconomic independence by enabling them to have independentemployment and income was accorded the highest priority. It hasalso been recogni$ed that women will be better-placed toovercome the negativesocial pressures and gender biases


24/46

operating against them and to unshackle themselves throughidentity and activity A Post Evaluation Study of the scheme of Micro-Credit Help to WSHGs in ! "istricts p+>C. 1romotionof Women’s )elf-Help 4roups =W)H4s@ has therefore beenadopted as akey strategy in Orissa for achieving women’sempowerment. * 8ission approach has beenadopted by the4overnment to facilitate this and a 8ission for women’sempowerment throughthe promotion of Women’s )elf-Help4roups called Q8ission )hakti’ launched in 8arch>;;+.

#he holy aim of this mission is to engage village women in )H4group during coming 3 years. #he main motto of this mission is

=+@ #he %ualitative development of )H4 group.=>@ #o enhance the %ualitative grade of )H4 group.

THE AIM O' THE MISSION

=+@ In between >;;+->;; they are to create small consumerorganisations.

=>@ #o divide the )H4 registered groups into c,b,a classes.

=0@ #o create an environment to engage ;N women in )H4groups in between >;; .

#he 8ission had an ob5ective of helping formation of +,;;,;;;Women’s )elf-Help4roups by >;; , increasing the groups by> ,;;; annually. *s 0D,;;; W)H4s werealready eGisting in the)tate prior to the launching of the 8issiona, the new 4roups wereto beformed to take up income-generating and remunerativeeconomic activities by providing themthe necessary technicalsupport, market linkages and credit linkages, where necessary.*nother more important ob5ective of the 8ission is to helpcapacity-building of the eGisting W)H4s.#he progress under8icroEnance - )avings of )H4s with anks in Odisha up to >;+3has been shown in the following &* * 2 A>;+3, p.3 C statement.

STATEMENT-II1rogress under 8icroEnance - )avings of )H4s with anks )tate-

wiseM *gency-wise position as on 0+ 8arch >;+3.)r. no )tate /ommercial anks

&o. of )H4s


25/46

+ Odisha +?0 3

OR&ANISATION O' THE &ROUP

'or disciplined management the )H4 capacity should not beabove >; person. !ach )H4 consists of members who are poor,having low savings capacity and generally depending onmoneylenders or private sources for meeting their consumptionand emergent needs. * typical )elf Help 4roup will comprise like-minded individuals who volunteer to save small amounts of money in a common pool, out of which, need based loans are

given to members for meeting their emergent credit re%uirementsbased on the priorities decided by the group. #he group memberstake collective decisions on all matters including those relating toterms of credit, vi$. purpose, si$e interest rate and repaymentperiod. #hey eGercise close supervision on utilisation of loans andeGert peer and moral pressure on the members to continuesavings and repay loans promptly on time.

/ro% O*+ecti!e# of t$e Women Se"f-$e"p &ro,p#

#he broad Ob5ectives of forming )H4s have been promotion of human and social development and empowerment of the poor.

#hus, besides the short-term pecuniary gains, some of the criticallong-term goals of )H4 includeJ

V )ustainable access to Enancial servicesV )trong livelihood support systemsV !nhancement of collective bargaining powerV )elf reliance and sense of dignityV Improvement in overall standard of living and empowerment

With these long term goals in mind, the ob5ectives of W)H4s havebeen set as followsJ

• #o inculcate a habit of thrift among the women community andto encourage small saving habit among them,

• #o enhance the socio-economic condition of women throughdi"erent income

• generating activities,


26/46

• #o mobili$e the women groups for other developmental work of the community,

• #o empower the women groups to take decision for theirincome utili$ation,

• #o train women groups for maintaining their own account,records, saving

• registers and proper utilisation of generated fund for proEtmaking activities,

• #o train women for participation in development of micro planof villages,

• #o capacitate the W)H4 for immediate recovery after anynatural calamity,

• #o federate the W)H4s for )warn)hahayak ank, and• #o mobili$e the women groups for other development activities

i.e. girl child enrolment, health and sanitation problems andother social issues.AII#, B*&17 , 7##* 1 *2!)H. >;;?,

inayak ath. 1ost !valuation )tudy of the scheme of 8icro-/redit Help to W)H4s in B B 2istricts,pp+0-+3C

Tr%inin1 #raining is given to group membersMgroup leaders for improvingthe %uality and sustainability of groups. It aims at improving theknowledge of their members, especially in terms of Enancial andcommunication skills. It also grooms the members by improvingtheir awareness of human resource development andmanagement , and their technical knowhow in respect of newincome generating activities as well as the all importantmarketing skill.

Soci%" Ro"e of t$e SHOther than Enancial transactions, )H4s are eGpected to play a

strategic role in social intermediation at the grassroots level.4overnment and other development organi$ations arecontemplating inclusion of )H4s as an organi$ed entity at thegrassroots level in various development related activities.

e. Acti!itie# in O i#$%: #he W)H4s are engaged in eGtending credit among the groupmembers at a concessional rate of interest to carry out pettybusiness activities like vending, opening up of small shops, to run

tea stalls, to procure rice etc to sale in retail markets, dalprocessing, trading of onion U pulses, rice processing, mobile


27/46

shop, pottery, dairy, goatary and poultry and vegetablecultivation. * few of the active groups have graduated to thestage of micro enterprises by undertaking schemes like 828programme, mushroom cultivation, leave plates and bowls

making i.e., Bhali-#hola making , minor construction of roadsunder 184)


28/46

/o - ; : SH& 'e er%tion# in Ori##% %# on M%rc$ 78 #t 9 ?

Promotin1No2 Of Prim%r.

No2 Of No2 Of Terti%r.In-i%=Ori

##%Secon-%r. Tot%"

In#tit,tion'e-er%tion#

'e-er%tion#fe er%ti

on#

INDIA ?? ?8 7 8@: @98:7 8;

/; 0 +; +;D1 !8 ;'ellowship 0; 0;

1 *2*& ,; 3 ,3ORISSA *wareness ? ?

I)W* >0 >0/!&2! !# >> >>Others=)wayanshree,

> >4ramodhav,'* @

S,*-tot%" Ori##% :;; 7@B 9> ;9>So,rce : Micro6n%nce In i% St%te of t$e Sector Report

9 ?

#he district level federations are also mooted to play the role of catalyst to bring about social change. &ecessary support may beprovided to the district level federations to focus on strengtheningthe 41(' and )H4s. #his would help the social agenda not gettingmiGed with the Enancial activity of the block level federations.

A##e##mentarious studies acknowledged that there has been rise in income,

consumption level and material wealth of the households 5oiningthe W)H4. In addition there have been many social beneEtswhich are vital for socio-economic uplift of the womencommunities even in the tribal dominated areas like B B. #hosebeneEts are economic empowerment of the members and theireGposure to new kinds of activity and knowledge has provided

boost to the conEdence level of the women memberswhich in turnhas gradually led to a social empowerment process.AII# >;;?J13 C


29/46

Beeping all this in view, the present study ventures for anempirical study of the contribution of women’s )elf Help 4roupstowards the empowerment of women in alasore, particularly of

alasore )adr block. alasore 2istrict stands in the middle of development scale. #his is well brought out in the proEle of thedistrict.!tymologically alasore means the city on sea derivedfrom the 1ersian phrase 9 alo-e-sore: which Ends its mention in*in-e-*kbari of *bul'a$al the celebrated 8ughal historian. *sdescribed by (.(.).O massey8odoG report + it became a8arthattachakla =unit of kingdom@ in + th century. 2uring the

ritish rule it was a sub-unit of /uttack district from + >+->? butac%uired status as a separate district in + >?. #he erstwhileprincely state of &ilgiri merged with it after independence tobecome its third subdivision. In + 3 hadrak one of itssubdivisions was curved out into a separated district.

#he district covers an area of 0 03s%.kms->.33N of the stateterritory. *s per >;++ census the population of the district is about>,0+?,3+ =male-+,+ 3,0+?U'emale-+,+00,;3 @ and thus shares

. Nof state population. Its decadal growth is +3.3?N seG ratio is?.3='emale per +;; male@. /hild population between ; to D

years is >?3,30> and child seG ratio is 3+. #he density of population of the district is D; per s%uare k.m. as against >Dpersons per s%uare k.m. of the state. It has > > villagesincluding 0D uninhabited villages and > ? inhabited villagescovering +> blocks +> tahasils and two subdivisions. It has onemunicipality, 0 &*/), > 41), >0 police stations.

A mini#tr%ti!e #et,p: #he district is divided into > sub divisions- alasore subdivisonand ilgirisubdivison and+> /2 blocks . alasore subdivisonhas ahanaga, alasore, aliapal, asta, hograi, Paleswar, Bhaira,

emuna, )imulia, )oro blocks under it. &ilgirisubdivisonhas&ilgiri and Oupada blocks. #hese villages are under the

5urisdiction of > 4ram 1anchayats.


30/46

#he socio-economic proEle of the district is depicted in thefollowing &* * 2A>;C #ableJ

In ic%tor

/%"%#o

re Ori##%Human 2evelopment IndeG =H2I@value >;;3 ;. , ;. ?H2I ank in the )tate >;;3 + -4ender 2evelopment IndeG =42I@value >;;+ ;. +, ;. 3D42I ank in the )tate >;;+ +3 -

eproductive Health IndeG = HI@+ - ;.3 ? ;. 3

HI ank in the state + - > -E-,c%tionIn-ic%tor#

(iteracy rate =#otal@ =>;;+ /ensus@8ale +.D ?0.0'emale .,; ;. +

#otal ?;. D D0.;

(iteracy rate = ural@ =>;;+ /ensus@8ale +.+D ?>. 0'emale ?.3; 3D.DD

#otal D . > . 3

(iteracy rate =7rban@ =>;;+ /ensus@8ale .?? ?. 0'emale ?+.>; ?>. ?

#otal ? . ; ;. 3(iteracy rate in )/ 1opulation =>;;+/ensus@ ,.3+ . 0(iteracy rate in )# 1opulation =>;;+/ensus@ 0+. 0?.0?Overall (iteracy IndeG =>;;+@ ;.?; ;.D0D

/ombined 4ross !nrolment Hatio =D-+3 years@ >;;0-;3 .+D ./ombined 4ross !nrolment atio IndeG =D-+3 years@ >;;0-;3 ;. > ;. D!ducationIndeG >;;3 ;.??; ;.?>0!ducation IndeG ank in the )tate>;;+ +; -

alasore sadar block under alasore alasore sub division

consists of >? 4ram 1anchayats around alasore town underalasore municipality. #he 4ram 1anchayats uder alasore


31/46

sadar block are &agram, anasahi, uanl , P.Basaba, 4udu, ahabalapur, 1admapur,Hidigan, 1atrapada, Odangai, Basafal,/hhanua, 4opinathpur, )asanga, 1arikhi, 4enguti , )artha ,Basipada, asalpur , )rikona, )indhia, )rirampur, )aragan,

O.)aragan , Haladipada, Buradiha.


32/46

#he 2emographic /haracteristics of alasore sadar block is givenbelowJ

lock 8ale 'emale #otal )eG

atioalasore

)adar++0;D +;3 >; >+? >

alasore district has +? +? )H4sF all are Women )H4s. )imilarlythere are >30? )H4s in alasore )adar lock. *ll of them areWomen )H4s. 'or the purpose of an empirical study of theworking of the )H4s in alasore, three )H4s are taken up forinvestigation. Inetrview and focussed 4roup 2iscussions with themembers, 1residents, )ecretaries were done. #he proEle of the)H4s is as followsJ


33/46

S"NO

N%meof SH&

D%te of E#t%*"i#$ment

/.W$om

forme

(i""%1e

&r%mP%nc$%.%t

O*+ecti!e

e.Acti!iti

e#

Ac$ie!ement

+ 8eerabai

>>2ecember >;;?

&4O 1adadhia

Basipada

!conomic2evelopment ofthemembers

#erracota,poultryfarm,sal leafthalimaking,doll,sabaiwork,Ustiching

Increaseinincome ,materialassets,selfconEdence,respectofothers,Uauthorityin familymatters

> 8aa

#arini

+>

Puly>;;

)elf Basap

hal

Basap

hal

!conomi

c2evelopment

*gricultureU1isciculture

Increase

inincome ,materialassets,self/onEdence,respectof

others.0 *khandeswar

>3*pril>;+>

4overnment*gency

ankeswar

1adampur

!conomic2evelopment

'lour8illU adimaking

Increase inincome ,materialassets.


34/46

3 8aahabani

+&ovember >;; .

)elf *rad &agram

!conomic2evelopment

8ushroomUpaddycultivati

on,2airyfarm

Increase inincome ,material

assets,self

conEdence, respectof others,Uauthorityin family matters


35/46

#he narrative of 8aa habani )H4 group more or less gives thepicture of the working of the )H4s. #he women of *rad of 1huladivillage in alasore 5oined )H4 group contributing D; rupeestowards member fee from their own pocket to meet their basicneeds and named )H4 group as 8aa habani )H4. #heydeposited the collected amount in the bank and get + st loan of rupees 0 ;;;, >nd loan of rupees D ;;;, 0rd loan of rupees+lakh, 3 th loan of rupees + lakh from the bank. *fter getting loanfrom the co-operative ank, they started to cultivate mushroomand individually grow paddy from their own land and also broughtup cows 2

*fter doing this cultivation now they are able to earn s 0;;;per month individually. y this way they fulElled their basic needs.In this way they can earn 0;-3;,;;; per year. #hey have their ownhouse with electric connection. #heir children are reading in odiamedium school. #he M/ 4 8aster book keeper@is an educatedwomen. )he helps them to lift the loan from the bank anddeposited the re%uired amount in the bank and also sometimesshe teaches )H4 women to learn read and write, who are

illiterate 2

#heir 41(' =4rama panchayat level federation@ is linked to/anada bank . y the commencing of #rupti scheme in >;+; the)H4 group has developed more. 41(' give them loan in +>Ninterest. &ow as per the bank’s new scheme if any )H4 groupcleared up loan in due time, bank reduces their interest from +>Nto ?N and returns the eGcess amount.

y 5oining )H4 group the women of 8aa habani )H4 group aregetting individually loan from the bankeasily. )o they are notmortgaging their ornaments before the village landlord. #hey alsouse their deposited amount in the time of need. 8aa habani )H4group works as per laws, such as

=+@ regular weekly meeting=>@ regular saving=0@ regular internal loan payment=3@ loan payment


36/46

= @ regular checking of register of )H4 group

2ue to the above action

=+@ #hey can discuss their own problems and they become punctual.=>@ y way of saving they secure themselves for the future.=0@ y maintaining and always checking of records of )H4 group, the

fund of the group increasing and also group’s transparencyincreases. *ccording to the members, they have become moreskilfulF their conEdence has grownF their faith in their presidentand secretary gradually increases.

The wor ing of these four S!"s may be expressed in thefollowing table#

)l&o

&ame of the)H4s

egularity inattendingmeetings

egularityinrecordmaintenan-ce

egularity inloanrepayment

/1(' 41(' lock/luster

Other)ocial'unctions

+8eeraba

i

egular

egular

egular

Omkar 8eerabai iswa)akhi

&il

>8aa

#arini

egular

egular

egular

abaakres

war

abahusand

eswar

no &il

0 *khandeswar

egular

egular

egular

ankeswar

)achitananda

no &il

3 8aahabani

egular

egular

egular

no &il

#he regularity of women )H4s re ects certain commitments onpart of the women to their uplift. ut their failure to 5oin lock(evel 'ederation = ('@ seems to indicate their lack of aptitude andcapacity for organisational work. It also shows the attitude of thelarger society towards women’s cause.

CONC USION


37/46

It seems inescapable to conclude that women are serious andsincere towards their self-advancement and economicdevelopment. y 5oining )H4s they have brought about increasein their income and material prosperity of their families. #hereby,they have earned the respect in their families to an eGtent andsome say in family decision making in matters like school of theirchildren’s study. y their eGperience and eGposure, they havedeveloped self conEdence and some amount of economicindependence. *fter long time they get a role in family decisionmaking. #hus this )H4 route to women’s empowerment hasa"ected incremental rise in economic and social empowerment.

ut these )H4s and their members has little involvement outsidesocial activities. #heir empowerment appears to remain, to borrowthe words of )harma A>;; Jp+ C, 9entrepreneurial strategy fordevelopment and self-improvement:. #he political dimension,particularly of real grass root mobilisation is left largely neglected.


38/46

CHAPTER < I(CONC USION

$mpowerment of women in general and poor women in particular,

is the thrust area of development initiatives in %ndia today # It isalso high on the international agenda .)ince + the World ankhas accorded priorities to women and children issues, reduction of gender ine%uality in terms of economic and political opportunitieshas been the goal of our plans. #he concept of the empowermentof women as a goal of development pro5ects and programmes hasbeen gaining wider acceptance in the + ;s. Women6sparticipation in grassroots organi$ations is increasingly recogni$edas crucial to their empowerment and as a way for them to helpshape development policies. 8eanwhile, gender empowermentmeasure =4!8@ has been introduced as a measure of humandevelopment indeG. 7&21 eport>;;0 puts women’sdevelopment as the third goal of the eight 8illenniumdevelopment goals. Our priorities towards women problems andthe issues have undergone signiEcant changes, particularly withthe &ational 1olicy for the !mpowerment of women in >;;+.When 4lobali$ation has presented new challenges of thefemini$ation of poverty, and increased gender ine%uality, thesuccess story of the 4rameen ank from our neighbouringcountry angaladesh in uplifting the conditions of the poor andparticularly the improvement in the conditions ofwomen provideda lot of impetus to our 4overnment for this sort of Enancialintermediaries.&on 4overnmental Organi$ations =&4Os@ as well as

oluntary *ssociations = *s@ were also actively involved in theformation and promotion of collectives of poor women known as)elf Help 4roups =)H4s@. #hey are aimed at sustainabledevelopment and the empowerment of poor women, helpingthem to organise themselves, and to be self-reliant andempowered. /ombining of these two approaches led to adoptionofthis )O4 route to women’s empowerment in India. #his is one of the Indian strategies of women’s empowerment. It has proved apartial success.

#he larger Indian strategy treats the women’s empowermentholistically and conteGtualises it. #he contested concept has beenadapted to the Indian ground realities and operationalisedaccordingly. !mpowerment deals with power. 1ower has many

connotations. On the whole it involves e"ective use of knowledge,wealth, conEdence and unity. It means many things to many


39/46

people. )o is women’s empowerment. #o some it involveseconomic opportunity, property rights, political representation,social e%uality and personal rights. #o some others it referstowomen’s self-respect, self-dignityF overcoming their fears, and

feelings of inferiority and inade%uacyF controlling their own bodiesand life, resources like land and property, etc. *t times it isconceived to include creating and strengthening women’sgroups and organisations. It has mainly three levels S individual,group and community levels. While group level focuses onwomen’s organisation, on community level it pines for women’sliberation. It is considered as the initial phase of liberation,freedom, e%uality and e%uity. It has three dimensionsRsocial,economic and political.#he essentials for individual social

empowerment includeaccess to knowledge, information and afeeling ofknowing from self-en%uiry, strengthening their skills andcapacities to mediate with the eGternal world. !conomicempowerment primarily means women being economicallyindependent and self-reliant. 1olitical empowerment envisagespromoting participation and leadership of women in governanceat various levels. #his conception of women’s empowerment has beenadapted to the Indian tradition and its social, economic and

political conditions. In the ancient Indian tradition with the ideal of gender e%uality, women were e%uated with )hakti- -theembodiment of cosmic energy and strength. However, later onthey have been treated as abalaasRweaklings. In the patriarchalsociety with its personal laws they were accorded subordinatestatus. 4iventhe low status of women in our society in almost allareas, be it education, health, employment and in decisionmaking positions, most women are also not conEdent enough to

participate in the social process on their own. 1overty amongwomen needs no mention. *s analy$ed eGtensively in the eportof the /ommittee on the )tatus of Women in India, K#owards!%ualityK, + ?3 and acknowledged by the &ational 1olicy for the!mpowerment of women =>;;+@ 9there still eGists a wide gapbetween the goals enunciated in the /onstitution, legislation,policies, plans, programmes, and related mechanisms on the onehand and the situational reality of the status of women in India,

on the other:. 8oreover, 4lobali$ation has presented newchallenges of the femini$ation of poverty, increased gender


40/46

ine%uality. In this conteGt Women’s empowerment is redeEned tofocus on their e%uality in power sharing and active participation indecision making, including decision making in political process atall levels. It called for economic measures for Women’s 1overty!radication by mobili$ation of poor women and convergence of services, with necessary support measures to enhance theircapabilities and easy access to credit for consumption andproduction. )ocial !mpowerment of Women is envisaged toinclude e%ual access to education, nutrition and health servicesfor women and girls with special measures to eliminatediscrimination and violence against women, and with specialattention to the needs of women and the girls, and of women indiLcult circumstances.

)trategy for empowerment is accordingly calibrated. #hewomen’s empowerment is programmed to be achieved throughtheir economic empowerment. Helping women to achieveeconomic independence by enabling them to have independentemployment and income is being accorded the highest priority. Ithas also been recogni$ed that women will be better-placed to

overcome the negative social pressures and gender biasesoperating against them and to unshackle themselves throughgroup identity and activity. #he)H4 route is found suitable as&4Os have started organi$ing them into community basedorgani$ations known under di"erent names, like credit unions,8ahila 8andals, 8ahila)ama5ams etc. 2uring + +- >, &* * 2launched > pilot pro5ects on linking )H4s with anks, in variousparts of the country. In Puly + +, I advised the banks to

participate in the pilot pro5ect. )elf-help group is a method of organising the poor people and the marginali$ed to cometogether to solve their individual problem. #he )H4 method isused by the government, &4Os and others worldwide. In Indiathey generally refer to Enancial intermediaries. #he poor collecttheir savings and save it in banks. In return they receive easyaccess to loans with a small rate of interest to start their microunit enterprise.)H4 is thus a development group for the poor and

marginali$ed, set up to build the functional capacity of the poor


41/46

and the marginali$ed in the Eeld of employment and incomegenerating activities. #hey are based on the philosophy thatpeople are responsible for their own future. #hey are to helpthemselves by organi$ing themselves into )H4s. While the termQself-help group’ or )H4 can be used to describe a wide range of Enancial and non-Enancial associations, in India it has come torefer to a form of *ccumulating )aving and /redit *ssociation=*)/*@ promoted by government agencies, &4Os or banks. 8ost)H4s are women’s groups with membership ranging between +;and >;. #hey are self-managed institutions characteri$ed byparticipatory and collective decision making.

4iven the diversity of women’s economic opportunities betweenstates due to the cultural, religious, and ethnic diversity of eachstate, and une%ual penetration of the )H4s in di"erent states,Odisha adopted its own suitable way. * 8ission approach hasbeen adopted by the 4overnment to facilitate this and a 8issionfor women’s empowerment through the promotion of Women’s)elf-Help 4roups called Q8ission )hakti’ was launched in 8arch>;;+. #he 8ission had an ob5ective of helping formation of +,

;;,;;; Women’s )elf-Help 4roups by >;; , increasing the groupsby > ,;;; annually. *s 0D,;;; W)H4s have already eGisted in the)tate prior to the launching of Q8ission )hakti’, the ob5ectives of the 8ission are to help capacity-building of the eGistingW)H4sand to form new W)H4s to take up income-generating andremunerative economic activities by providing them thenecessary technical support, market linkages and credit linkages,where necessary.&4O-promoted )H4s were often nested in

sanghas or village development groups undertaking integrateddevelopment activities. *s they develop, )H4s or sanghas aregrouped into larger clusters and multi-village federations like/luster (evel 'ederations =/('@, 4rama 1anchayat (evel'ederations =41('@ and lock (evel 'ederations = ('@ for Enancialand nonEnancial activities./onceived as a holistic programme of self-employment, the )H4 method covers all the aspects of self employment of the rural poor, vi$. organi$ing them in )H4s.


42/46

#he contribution of )H4s in these Efteen years has beencommendable. *fter becoming members of the )H4s the womenhave been able to earn up to s 0;;;.oo per month as in case of the )H4s in alasore. #hey can also get easy loans to meet theemergency needs even of their families. #hey have thus attainedeconomic independence to a large eGtent. #heir independentemployment and income has led them on the path of economicempowerment, no doubt.

!conomic empowerment of the members and their eGposureto new kinds ofactivity has provided boost to the conEdence levelof the women members and thushas gradually led to a social

empowerment process. It has revolutionalised the attitude andbehaviour of the members to outside persons, whom they weregenerally avoiding earlier and of the males of the society at large.

#he level of awareness among the women has certainly gone up.2ue to the economic independence, group aLliation, eGposureowing to their dealing with outside people, etc, they have becomemore assertive in demanding their rights. #his has brought abouta change in the role of women, transformation in the social status

of women and change in the attitude of males towards them 2

#he change in the role of women, change in attitude of the malemembers of the family and society towards the women has beenattested in various other studies on Odisha. Initially, the malemembers of the family controlled the family income, but now,women of the family are now able to o"er Enancial help to makeinvestments in agriculture by taking loans from the )H4s. 2ue to

this %ualitative change in the contribution of women to the family,the acceptability of women by the male members of the village interms of the formers’ freedom. #hey are of the view that womenalso should be allowed to speak as everybody has the right to doso. #he women have got their rightto speak

)H4s are also coming to their rescue in matters of familyviolence, as reported in another study. *s it was reported, Wifebattering is no more taking place. #he unity and the re5uvenatedconEdence of wome n have helped put a stop to this menace in


43/46

their village. When asked if any woman’s husbands come drunkand beat them what would they do In a single voice all thewomen of the )H4s said that they would deal with the o"endersummarily and e"ectively 2

#he e%uation between male and female is also getting redeEned.*s pointed out in another study, 9It is now a cooperativerelationship instead of one dominating the other:. #his isconspicuous as the male members are also invited to the )H4’smeetings and the females given the scope to sit-in at villagemeetings. 2uring the selling of agricultural products by the )H4sto traders the male members often help to ensure that traders do

not cheat the )H4s.1olitical empowerment of women has been found largely

wanting. )H4s have a long way to go as far as socialdevelopment activities areconcerned. (acking in federationbuilding in Odisha in general and alasore in particular, the )H4shave not involved themselves in outside social developmentactivities, It is reported from certain %uarters that the malemembers of the villages have accepted the women’s freedom to

sit with them in village meetings =which was absent before@ Fandwomen now have a role in the decision making on issues withinand outside the family. ut this study has found that this mostlydepends onthe age of the )H4. Only when a )H4 continues tofunction e"ectively for a long period of time its leaders have gotsome role in the decision-making on village issues or largerissues.

However, ma5or role played by the governmental agencies andtheir &4Os in promoting these )H4s has eGposed themto94overnmentalisation of empowerment:. #he emphasis onEnancial intermediation by these )H4s andon earning of womenhas left women’s empowerment mostly 9entrepreneurial strategyfor development and self-improvement:. Its political dimension,particularly of real grass root mobilisation is left largely neglected.

#here have also been doubts about the real impact of theempowerment. #he )H4s have been widely reported to have onlymarginal e"ect on the women’s empowerment process.


44/46

)till, the )H4 strategy for women’s empowermentseems to be 9generative:. It results in empowering processeswhich 9help women formulate tactics for contesting locallyentrenched power e%uations.: #he empowerment process

appears to 9take on a life of its ownF it erupts, interrupts, eGceedsneoliberal, regulative logics:.It provides 9eGperiences with self-and social empowerment: transferrable to other areas. #hey havethus the 9transformative possibilities: ofreleasing )hakti whichstands for symbol of women’s empowerment. However, they havea long way to make women’s empowerment a reality. Onlysustained e"orts for a long period of time by the self-sustaining)H4s can transform the situational reality of the status of womenin India.


45/46

/I/ IO&RAPH)

• *//!)) 2evelopment )ervices.=>;+;@ . * )tudy of)H4s U their'ederations in Orissa=2raft 'inal eport@)ubmitted to# I1#I,

hubaneswar.• atliwala, )rilatha. =+ [email protected]’s!mpowerment in )outh *siaJ/oncepts and1ractices. &ew 2elhiJ '*O. ''H/M*2.

• 'ernande$, *. 1. =+ @.K)elf Help 4roups - the /oncept and the1rocessesK.

• 1aper 1resented at the International )eminar on 2evelopment ofural

• 1oor through )elf Help 4roupsK. =eds@. 8umbaiJ &* * 2.• India. Indian Institute of #echnology . 2epartment of Humanities

U )ocial• )ciences . Banpur.=>;;[email protected] !valuation )tudy of the )cheme of

8icro-/redit• Help toWomen )elf Help4roups =W)H4s@ in B B 2istricts ofOrissaJ

'inal• report submitted to 4ovt. of Orissa. &ovember, >;;?. y

inayak ath.Banpur.• India.&* * 2. =>;;+@. &* * 2 Umicro'inance >;;;->;;+.•

------------. =>;;>@. &* * 2 Umicro'inance >;;+->;;>.• ------------. =>;;3@. 1rogress of )H4 - ank (inkage in India - >;;0->;;3. --- -

• ------------.=>;+3@.)tatus of microEnance in India >;+0-+3J)H4s,)aving for the present, securing the future.8umbai.

• India.&* * 2/onsultancy )ervices.=>;+>@./omprehensive 2istrict*nnual 1lan>;++-+>J alasore 2istrict. hubaneswar.

• India.1lanning/ommission,4overnment of India. =>;; @. * eporton the )uccess and 'ailure of )H4s in India Impediments and1aradigm of )uccess .&ew 2elhi.

• India. eserve ank of India. =+ @. K eport of Working 4roup on&on-4overnmental Organisations and )elf Help 4roupsK. 8umbaiJ&* * 2.

• India. 8inistry of Women and /hild 2evelopment,4overnment ofIndia.=>;; @. 4endering Human 2evelopment IndicesJ ecastingthe 4ender 2evelopment IndeG and 4ender !mpowerment8easure for India. &ew 2elhi .


46/46

• India.1lanning/ommission,4overnment of India. =>;; @. * eporton the )uccess and 'ailure of )H4s in India Impediments and1aradigm of )uccess .&ew 2elhi

• Barl, 8arilee. =+ @. Women and !mpowerment, 1articipationand 2ecision

• 8aking. (ondonJ Xed ooks.• Barmakar, B. 4. =+ @. ural /redit and )elf Help 4roups - 8icro

'inance &eeds and /oncepts in India. &ew 2elhiJ )age1ublications.

• Bat$, *. H and ender, !. I. =+ ?D@. #he )trength in usJ )elf-Help4roups in 8odern World. &ew ;; @. 4lobalisation and

Women’s!mpowermentJ8ultidimensional• *pproaches. &ew 2elhiJ 2eep and 2eep.• (oyola !Gtension )ervices, (oyola /ollege of )ocial )ciences,

)reekariyam,#hiruvananthapuram.>;;3. * comparative study of)elf Help 4roups =)H4s@ organised and promoted bynongovernmental organisations =&4Os@ and Budumbasree S a

4overnment Organised &ongovernmental Organisation =4O&4O@in Berala, #owards !mpowerment of 1oor WomenJ 'inal eport.)ubmitted to 8inistry of Human esource2evelopment2epartment of Women and /hild 2evelopment, &ew2elhi. etrieved 8ay>3,>;+ , from

• 1andey,*shutoshU ir4autam =!ds.@.=>;+;@. !mpowerment ofWomen in >+st /entury. 2elhiJ *bhi5it 1ublications.

• )ahay, )ushama.=+ @.Women and !mpowerment - *pproachesand )trategies.

• &ew 2elhiJ 2iscovery 1ublishing House• )harma, *radhana. =>;; @. (ogics of !mpowermentJ

2evelopment, 4ender, and 4overnance in &eoliberal India.(ondonJ 7niversity of 8innesota 1ress

• )inha, *rchana. =>;;>@. K#ypes of )H4s and their WorkK. )ocialWelfare 3

• 'ebruary.• World ank.= >;++@ . World 2evelopment eport>;+>. etrieved

WOMEN EMPOWERMENT.docx

Documents

Transcript of WOMEN EMPOWERMENT.docx