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Women Empowerment Through Political Reforms Essay

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With growing globalization, India is advancing in technology but still lagging far behind in terms of women’s equality and rights. The adult illiteracy rate in India was 48% in 1995 Women had 62% illiteracy, whereas men had 34% (UNDP, 1997). The literacy rates are lower in rural areas then urban areas (fao.org). These statistics show that there is inequality in terms of education. Nobel Prize–winning economist Amartya Sen states that human capital is important for production potential. The empowerment of women is necessary because it is going to build the human capital of the nation. Women’s empowerment and equality will play a significant role in the process of sustainable development. The government has implemented some policies to …show more content…

Young girls who goes to school needs to drop out when their wedding day is set. If the parents want to send their children to school there are not many schools in rural areas.
An article published by the Foundation for Sustainable Development states that 54 percent of Indian women are literate as compared to 76 percent of men. Women receive little schooling. The labor force participation rate of women is 22.7%, less than half of the men's rate of 51.6% (fsdinternational.org). Lack of education is not the only reason for the low numbers of women in the labor force; female infanticide is practiced in many rural areas. One of the reasons that India still suffers from gender inequality is due to the continuous decline of female ratio in the population of India. By 2011 census, 10 lakh (1,000,000) girls a year were killed by infanticide and 500,000 fetuses are aborted because they are females ( Relief Project India). People believe that having sons is an economic benefit, while the birth of a daughter is a misfortune (Manohar, pg 22). That’s why rural women do not like the idea if family planning and some are not even aware of it.
The 73rd and 74th amendments to the Indian constitutions provide a reservation of seats for women in the village councils, to lay a strong foundation for their participation in decision making at the local levels. In 1993 the government has also ratified various international human rights conventions to secure equal rights for women.

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