Women Inclusive Rural Development — Challenges, Opportunities, and The Way Ahead
India is home to about 1.4 billion people, with women constituting around 48% of the population.
Nearly 80% of women in rural India are engaged in the agricultural sector. However, a whopping 99% of the households in rural India are patriarchal, women own just about 12.9% of the agricultural land, and approximately 2.2% of women in rural India have completed their education at graduation level and above. Data shows that rural women in India are more economically empowered than their urban counterparts, with a higher Economic Empowerment Index (EEI) of 0.37 compared to 0.23 for urban women. This is partly attributed to the impact of the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA), which has increased female labor force participation and wage equality in rural areas.
If you pause and reflect on this information, you will, without a doubt, realise the disadvantaged position of rural Indian women. And you will realise that for India to progress truly, the development of rural Indian women is not just morally imperative but also economically essential.
But where do we begin our journey of change? The answer lies in empowerment. And the way to achieve empowerment is by executing sustainable interventions. Evidence-based sustainable interventions, with their methodical and targeted approach, can ensure sustainable growth and create a social environment where rural women can prosper.
If we empower rural Indian women with the right skills, we can unleash unprecedented change. Considering the antiquated agricultural techniques still practiced in rural India, training women in modern agricultural techniques can be of great help.
Other areas where we can empower rural women are by teaching them non-agricultural skills and encouraging them to become entrepreneurs with the help of microfinancing. By becoming entrepreneurs, women can achieve financial independence and ensure a bright future not just for themselves but also for their children.
The Indian government has taken considerable strides in its efforts to work towards the betterment of women. It has launched several schemes such as Beti Bachao Beti Padao, Support to Training and Employment Programme (STEP), and Mahila Shakti Kendra. These efforts of the government are laudable, but empowering women across an enormous country like India is a mammoth task. The corporate sector must share responsibility and play a pivotal role.
While empowering women will undoubtedly help them climb the socioeconomic ladder, an additional benefit of improving the overall state of women in rural India is that it will curb the rural-urban migration trend. India’s cities already lack the infrastructure to support their existing populations. The continued influx of rural youth will only further strain them and lead them to eventually collapse under their weight. Creating a rural India that provides equal economic opportunities as its urban counterpart will save India’s already overpopulated cities.
The task of empowering rural Indian women is daunting. Lack of education, archaic gender roles, and deeply entrenched patriarchy are just a few challenges that await us. Nonetheless, however formidable the task is, it must be tackled with single-minded focus and steadfast determination. If we are to achieve women-inclusive rural development, empowering women isn’t a choice — it’s the only way forward.
Reference
https://www.niti.gov.in/sites/default/files/2022-03 Rural_Women_Neelam_Tanu_article_03032022.pdf
