Author: Smile Editorial Team

A political study conducted by the Pew Research Center calls India a largely conservative country. In a conservative society, women’s empowerment always takes a back seat, and their roles are confined just to household chores and caregiving. Despite that, it might be surprising to see women donning numerous hats in the country. That is indeed the beauty of women. They vigorously fight for their dreams and beliefs. The fight against patriarchy has not just helped the women themselves but the country at large. They have contributed significantly to the development of the country in numerous ways, both in the past and the present. Indira Gandhi, Kalpana Chawla, Anandi Gopal Joshi, J Jayalalithaa, and Nandini Satpathy are to name a few, and the list goes on endlessly.

Understanding the role of women in development in India

The last decade has witnessed a sharp increase in women’s participation in the workforce and women starting their own businesses even in those domains that were considered to be men’s strongholds. Women workforce participation has significantly increased to 37% in 2022-23 from 23.3% in 2017-18, according to statistics. There is no denying that the role of women in development is multi-faceted and has been crucial to the country’s progress. An estimation done by McKinsey Global Institute reveals that India could add up to 770 billion USD to its GDP by 2025 by advancing women’s participation in the economy.

In rural India, women have been significantly contributing to agriculture. Self-help groups (SHGs) have been formed to provide financial support to women and help them invest in small-scale businesses. This in turn has been increasing their income and improving their local economy. Not just that, these women have been constantly upskilling themselves to improve agricultural productivity. This in turn has been contributing to greater food security and economic stability.

Women have become more involved in politics, with a growing number holding positions in local governance, state legislatures, and even at the national level. The 73rd and 74th Amendments to the Indian Constitution, which reserved one-third of the seats in local government bodies for women, have been a significant step toward political empowerment. Taking the lead in their hands, they have been fighting against contemporary issues like child marriage, domestic violence, and equal rights. Notable women leaders such as Mayawati and Mamata Banerjee have held significant political offices, contributing to national policies and reforms.

Not just that, women have also been increasingly challenging traditional gender roles, particularly in urban areas. The rise of female professionals in fields like engineering, medicine, law, and media has begun to shift societal expectations about women’s capabilities.

Some of the notable women personalities who contributed significantly to the development of the country are listed below.

1. Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw: The founder and chairperson of Biocon, a biopharmaceutical company. Under her leadership, the company bounced up to become a global player, providing affordable healthcare solutions. Her role is vital in shaping India’s biotechnology industry.
2. Arundhati Roy: An award-winning author and activist. She won the Booker Prize for her novel ‘The God of Small Things.’. Her contribution to literature is magnificent. In addition, Roy has been an outspoken activist, addressing issues like human rights, environmental justice, and anti-globalization.
3. Nirmala Sitharaman: A politician and current finance minister. She is the first woman to hold a full-time finance ministry under her wings. Under her leadership, the country has witnessed significant reforms in tax structures like GST and other financial inclusions.
4. Dr. Soumya Swaminathan: Former chief scientist at the World Health Organization (WHO). She has made significant contributions to the global fight against tuberculosis, HIV/AIDS, and other infectious diseases. She is a strong advocate for women’s health.
5. Madhabi Puri Buch: Chairperson of the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI). She is the first woman to hold that post. Under her leadership, India’s financial markets have been better shaped. She plays a vital role in improving investor protection and fostering transparency in the securities market. It in turn has been instrumental in advancing India’s economic development.

Challenges faced by women

Despite the advancement, household chores, raising children, and elder care still remain with women. This in turn impacts their participation in the workforce. Women contribute to 48% of India’s population, and their contribution to national Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is just 18%. Despite the growing signs, it is less than the global average of 37%. One of the main reasons behind it is the gender norms dictated by Indian culture. Let’s discuss some of the key challenges faced by women in the country.

1. Poverty coupled with gender inequality: Experts call it a deadly combination that kills aspiring women in the country. As per a simulation by the United Nations, a 2% average annual increase in income inequality in developing countries between 2022 and 2030 could increase global poverty by 200 million people. When a girl grows up in such an environment, she could think of nothing but completing her household chores and taking care of her family members. She will not be allowed to think of stepping out of her house to educational institutions.
2. Gender Bias and Social Norms: Societal expectations in the country often dictate that women focus on family and household responsibilities. This means that women entrepreneurs must navigate cultural and societal barriers, including family resistance, which can limit their time and resources to focus on growing their businesses. In certain areas, women entrepreneurs are still reluctant to operate businesses that involve public interactions, travel, or mixing with men, thus limiting the types of businesses they can engage in.
3. Limited Access to Mentorship and Networks: Many women entrepreneurs lack access to business networks and mentorship opportunities, which are crucial for scaling and innovating their businesses. Male-dominated business environments and limited opportunities to network with peers and investors mean that many women miss out on vital support systems. This in turn limits their ability to expand, diversify, and connect with investors, customers, and other entrepreneurs.

Women workforce participation remains paltry. It calls for a change in policies and schemes to empower women.

Indian government’s efforts to empower women

The union government has been taking numerous steps to bridge the existing gender gap in the country by interlinking women’s empowerment with the country’s development. ‘Nari Shakti’ was one such project launched by the government. Under the project, they have been adopting a comprehensive approach to address women’s requirements throughout their lives. As a result, welfare programmes have been implemented to support women at various stages. This in turn is aimed at enabling them to overcome their socio-economic barriers and be empowered. Some of the notable women-empowerment schemes are

1. Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao—the scheme is aimed at combating gender discrimination and promoting the value of girl children. It advocates against sex selection at birth and encourages women’s education. Over the years, the sex ratio at birth has increased from 918 in 2014-15 to 937 in 2020-21. Further, enrollment of girls in secondary education has increased from 75.51% in 2014-15 to 79.46% in 2020-21.
2. Financial empowerment—Realizing the importance of economic freedom for real empowerment of women, the government has taken steps to promote financial inclusion among women through schemes like Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana (PMMY) and Stand-up India schemes. While the former provides financial assistance to non-corporate, non-farm micro and small enterprises, the latter focuses on providing support to women and members of backward communities for establishing greenfield enterprises. In addition, the Mahila Samman savings certificate was introduced in 2023-24. This is a small savings scheme for women investors.
3. Safety and security – To enhance the safety and empowerment of women along with their participation in the workforce, the government has launched Mission Shakti. The scheme addresses gender discrimination and bias. It also offers skill development, capacity building, financial literacy training, and access to microcredit. A toll-free women’s helpline number was launched to provide support to women in crisis. A one-stop centre including police, medical, and legal aid, is provided to women.

The government’s efforts have yielded visible results over a period of time, as per a statement released by the Press Information Bureau (PIB) in March, 2024. Some of them are listed below.

1. About 43% of STEM graduates in India are women, and it is the highest in the world.
2. 33% reservation for women in Lok Sabha, state legislative assemblies, and Delhi assembly has been passed by Nari Shakti Adhiniyam.
3. Paid maternity leave has been extended to 26 weeks.
4. The national sex ratio has been improved to 1020, i.e., 1020 women for every 1000 men, for the first time.
5. Sharp decline in Maternal Mortality Rate (MMR) from 130 lakh live births in 2014-16 to 97 lakh live births in 2018-20.
6. 69% of loans have been approved for women entrepreneurs under the Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana (PMMY).
7. About 84% of the beneficiaries under the Stand-Up India scheme are women.
8. Permanent commission granted to women officers in 12 arms and services.
9. The entry of women as Agniveers commenced in all three services.
10. About 72%, i.e., 2.5 crore women own under PM Awas Yojana Gramin.

The contribution of Indian women to the development of the country is immeasurable. Though we witness women break the barriers and step up the growth ladder, many others are struggling to find time and aspiration to come out of their traditional roles. It is high time interventions are brought in to empower those women.

One of our flagship programs, Swabhiman capacitates women through innovative community practices, empowering them to seek healthcare and bring sustainable changes in their communities. The program supports women to become aware, skilled, and financially independent, thereby promoting gender equality and improving their quality of life. 

Through these efforts, Smile Foundation contributes significantly to the development of women, enabling them to lead healthier, more empowered lives and fostering sustainable development within their communities. 

Ushamma has been working in our household for more than five years as a cook. The 35-year-old, married at the age of 15 to her cousin, is the mother of three and a widow. After her alcoholic husband died a few years ago, she has been struggling to give a better life to her daughters.

“He used to beat me in his drunken rages and take all the money I earned. At least now I can save some money for my children’s future as I want them to study and work so they don’t suffer my fate,” she says.

Look around us and we will find many such Ushammas in our society. It’s the story of many women, especially from the lesser privileged sections of society. Deprived of access to education and hence livelihoods, forced into child marriages or marriage at a very young age, and subject to domestic violence, they live lives of quiet desperation.

It’s a woman’s life

Gender inequality and discrimination starts from the time of conception, with people preferring sons over daughters. And it’s a tough road ahead for women. “It starts from the time the child is in school. Girls have to be more conscious of their bodies and anatomical changes that come with puberty. If they mingle with boys, it’s an issue, if they study well, they are mocked, and if they don’t do well, they are called dumb,” says Sethulakshmi, MD, Sethu Foundation. 

Whether it’s lack of access to education and proper healthcare, child marriage, domestic violence, workplace harassment or even climate change – it’s always girls and women who are disproportionately affected.

Lack of access to education

According to UNICEF, globally, 119 million girls are out of school, including 34 million of primary school age, 28 million of lower-secondary school age, and 58 million of upper-secondary school age.

Investing in girls’ education can transform communities, and countries as educated girls are less likely to marry young and more likely to lead healthy, productive lives. 

However, in India, the education of girl children remains a critical issue as many families feel that educating a girl child is a “dead” investment as they will get married and leave the household.

“When a girl grows up, there is a debate as to whether she should pursue her studies or not,” says Sethulakshmi, adding that families that are trying to make ends meet don’t want to support dead investment as her earnings won’t come back to the family. “Very rarely, we see mothers fighting for their daughters. There are only a few women who don’t want their daughters to suffer the same fate but that’s a beginning and there is light at the end of the tunnel.”

The Indian government launched the Beti Padhao Beti Bachao (BBBP) initiative in 2015. It provides financial assistance for the education and health of the girl child, especially in districts with low child sex ratio. 

Only about 60% of girls complete class 12, says John Roberts, director, southern region, CRY. “Whenever children are not in school, they become susceptible to early marriage, violence and abuse, and child labour. And girls are more vulnerable,” he says.

Child marriage

Child marriage is not legal. However, it still affects one out of every five girls in the world today (UNICEF 2020). Child marriage among girls is expected to be six times more likely to occur than among boys globally (UNICEF Press Release 2019) and has a direct impact on the wellbeing and the health of a girl as a child bride can become a teenage mother and complications during pregnancy are the leading cause of mortality among adolescent girls (UNFPA 2020).

Despite amended legislation setting 18 years as the legal minimum age for girls, India is home to a significant number of children, particularly girls, getting married.

In India, as per Census 2011, there are 12.15 million married children in India of which 8.9 million are girls. The National Family Health Survey (NFHS)-V, (2019-21) India Fact Sheet indicates a decrease in the prevalence of child marriage, decreasing from 26.8% in 2015-16 to 23.3% in 2019-21, yet there are significant interstate and intrastate variations. Earlier, NFHS-IV (2015-16) stated that more than half (52%) of married adolescent girls reported becoming mothers at an early age. 

Survivors of harassment and violence

Despite ongoing efforts to the issue of domestic violence through laws like the Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act (2005), awareness campaigns, and support systems, a large number of women are subject to verbal, physical, emotional and sexual violence in their own homes, and many tortured and killed for dowry.

According to the National Family Health Survey (NFHS-5), one in three women (approximately 33%) in India report experiencing physical, sexual, or emotional violence at some point in their lives. Twenty seven percent of married women aged 15-49 reported having ever experienced physical violence by their spouse. In rural areas, the prevalence of domestic violence tends to be higher, with 31.6% of women reporting some form of violence, compared to 24.5% in urban areas.

“Boys grow up seeing certain norms at home and take it for granted. They think it is expected of them. Very rarely there are change agents, usually parents, who ask them to be respectful to women and break gender norms, saying anyone can cook or do household chores,” says Sethulakshmi, adding that if this kind of education is not given, the boy will grow up to be a man who cannot cope with a challenging, empowered woman.

“So, he makes her feel vulnerable, makes her non-empowered by not letting her work and cutting her earning power, cutting out her family members and friends, controlling what she wears and her behaviour, and with it comes domestic violence,” she adds. 

At the workplace too women face harassment – be it male colleagues putting them down at work or sexual harassment. There are laws in place, such as The Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition, and Redressal) Act (POSH Act), 2013. Sections 354 and 509 of the IPC address offenses related to sexual harassment. However, fear of retaliation, lack of awareness and poor implementation makes it still a burning issue.

How does climate change impact women?

According to the WHO document, Protecting Maternal, Newborn and Child Health from the Impacts of Climate Change, the effects of climate change on women’s health are still under-reported and underestimated.

A UN Women report launched at COP28 suggests that by 2050 climate change may push up to 158 million more women and girls into poverty, and cause 232 million to face food insecurity. Worldwide, thousands of people are forced to leave their homes due to extreme weather conditions such as storms, floods or heat. According to the UN Environment, 80% of the people displaced by climate change are women or girls facing heightened risks of poverty, violence or unintended pregnancies as they migrate to safer locations.

An International Food Policy Research Institute study reveals that climate change is projected to reduce agricultural yields in India by 18.6% for wheat and 10.8% for rice by 2050. This will impact women as they account for over 60% of agricultural workers in India and are responsible for up to 90% of the post-harvest work. 

Data from the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre also reveals that India had the highest number of people displaced by climate-related disasters in 2019, with over 5 million people affected. Women and girls are particularly vulnerable to the negative effects of migration, including trafficking and exploitation.

What is being done?

The government, legal system, and law enforcement agencies are working to address these issues. But while laws exist, enforcing it and preventing such incidents on the ground remains a challenge.

There are numerous nonprofits working in the field to achieve gender equality and make the world a safer place for women and children.

“We think issues such as domestic violence exist only among low-income groups but it’s just more visible. Women from all strata of society experience domestic violence,” says Sethulakshmi, whose organisation has been working to empower less privileged women.

“We help them open a bank account in their names so that they can be economically empowered. We want to teach them zero debt attitude, self-care, persuasive skills to maintain peace at home, importance of mental health, enough sleep and the need to remain physically fit,” she says.

In the field of education, Smile Foundation’s Project Manzil, in collaboration with IPE Global, aims to provide counselling and employability skills training to over 90,000 young girls in Rajasthan. The project provides training to girls in streams like IT, healthcare, beauty and wellness, security, retail, automobile, apparel, home furnishing, agriculture, tourism and hospitality, and electrical and electronics.

Overall, the project aims to empower adolescent girls to realize their career goals and educational aspirations by improving the quality of vocational education with a 3-pronged approach focusing on schools, students and industry. It also seeks to retain girls in school and reduce drop-out rates. Currently, the project is benefitting over 44,000 girls in grade 9-12 from Government schools in 6 districts of Rajasthan.