Need of Women Empowerment in Modern India

INTRODUCTION

The Indian Government has expressed a strong commitment towards education and stated in its constitution with an article promising ―free and compulsory education for all children until they complete the age of fourteen and RTE act was implemented in the year 2012. Education is an instrument of social and economic change and it should be reoriented to enable women to take to the path of progress and reformation. Education, Lenin said ―is a long and difficult matter. It is a long matter because such a complicated task as changing the human psychology cannot be done in a rush, right away it is a difficult matter because in the process of education the new men or women numerous survivals of the past have to be overcome‖. Emphasizing the general education of women, Archer said ―without female education progress can be transmitted to each generation either not at all or very slowly. This may seem exaggerated and over-emphatic, but the case cannot be made too strongly‖. UNESCO realizes the overwhelming importance of basis education for women as well as men. Without this, the world of tomorrow was over populated and will suffer more poverty, malnutrition and illiteracy than ever before. Explaining the importance of general education Mehta remarks ―education is not a luxury, it is a necessity. Studies must be directed toward getting a good training that has some potential‖. Khanna and Varghes have explained as ―history has established beyond doubt that education forms a basis for the development of the human society‖. However, development of women education can be studied in two phases, in pre-independence period and post-independence period. Universal Deceleration of Human Rights regards education as one of the basic rights of every human being. The movement for improving women status all over the world has always emphasized education as the most significant instruments for changing women‘s subjugated position in the society. According to Runcimam ―class, status and power are the manifestation of economic, social and political inequalities. Dubey (2015), said that the ―inequalities in case of class indicates the economic inequalities, i.e. lower, middle and upper classes. Inequalities of status in terms of class expresses the difference in the living standard, in the style of life according to the higher or lower status or according higher or lower class. This situation is particularly being creative by occupational mobility. This occupational mobility is the result of higher education. Higher education among women has so far being confined to higher castes. Among the lower castes it has not gained much significant‖. India is a multifaceted and extremely hierarchical society where no generalization could apply to all the nation‘s various regional, religious, social and economic groups. Dubey and Palriwala(2010) ―women are expected to be chaste and especially modest in all actions which may constrain their ability to perform in the workplace on an equal basis with men. Cultural rules such as purdah place some Indian women in paradoxical situation, even when family suffer economically. Women participation in employment outside the home is viewed as slightly inappropriate, subtly, wrong and Maria Mies (2010), states that there has been no structural or quantitative change in the conditions of educated Indian women. In other words, if education has to help in realizing the goals, the educational system must change structurally, quantitatively and methodologically. Education of women has achieved significance progress but this has not helped to change the attitude or values of men and women in the direction of real equality. Women‘s position has worsened considerably in every sphere with the exception of some gains for middle class women in terms of education and employment. They are the more visible section of the society and their advancement generated a myth that unlike some of the Asian Societies, women‘s status in India is very good and is able to perform their dual roles adequately and they get considerable support from their men. The constitution of India also provides equality to women. Thus, the myth was not only entrenched but it developed a complacency and acquiescence among women.

Education is the best means to elevate the status of an individual in the existing social system. The higher education, greater the chances of employability. The same holds true for women, which is also linked with economic structure of the family. As a result, social status of women also changes. Women being educated develop awareness about the equality and would reject submitting to the norms of subjugation. This may especially be so in the cities where women form a greater workforce in fact in all the spheres of activity. Such women participate in the family‘s economic system and in all activities. It is in this context that various questions have been raised in the studies in this field. Throughout the economy women tend to hold lower level positions than men even when they have sufficient skills to perform higher levels jobs .Researchers have estimated that female agricultural laborers were usually paid 40 to 60 % of male wages. Even when women occupy similar positions and have similar educational levels, they earn just 80% of what men do. A survey on‖ Working women: Issues and challenges: a case study Pilani, ,Rajasthan ― conducted by Humanistic Studies Group ,BITS, Pilani during 2012. Analysis revealed that majority of respondents felt that they were economically independent , no gender discrimination at workplace ,job satisfaction , equally participate in decision making at home and perceived a positive change in perception of society towards women . on improving social and economic status of women in Haryana. In the study, all the women in the Haryana state constitute the population but obviously, it is not possible for the researcher to conduct the study on entire population Quantitative part will pertain to collecting data from various sources about the social and economic status of women. To assess the impact of education on women, different sets of quantitative data was gathered. To get a deep insight into the impact of education some case studies was conducted. Both survey as well as case study methods was followed to explain the phenomenon of social and economic status. In any survey of research, covering the entire population is practically an impossible task. What is feasible and generally practiced is to study a sample representative of the population under study. Out of twenty three districts in Haryana, two purposively selected. These districts namely Kurukshetra and Kaithal are selected purposively. The study was conducted at quantitative as well as qualitative levels, multiple sampling processes was followed. Sample was taken both women and men .The sample of women was selected from various strata namely educated and uneducated, working and non- working.

In order to collect data as per objectives of the study, following tools was used. • Observation technique to study the behavior, attitude and functions of women. • Questionnaire method to get information about social and economic conditions regarding equality, inequality in social and social conditions. • Interview was prepared to interview women regarding change in status of women. • In-depth case study of five women was prepared through naturalistic inquiry process. • A questionnaire of attitude towards women empowerment was developed.

DELIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY

• In the case study extreme cases are included. However, affluent women and

• Nineteen indicators of social and economic status are selected. Other indicators, social and economic, are not included in the study. • The respondents sometimes may be judgmental in giving the information about themselves. • Sometimes respondents may consider the investigator to be intruder in their life and despite of repeated persuasion, it may be an arduous task to convince them.

The Table 1 reveals that 82 percent educated working, 76 percent educated non working, 76 percent uneducated working and 82 percent uneducated non working women went for arrange marriage whereas 18 percent educated working, 24 percent educated non working, 24 percent uneducated working and 18 percent uneducated non working women went for love marriage. It can be inferred from the above table that educated 1 uneducated and working/non-workingwomen had arranged marriage. This can be because education does not bring in the change in attitude of women to decide about their marriage themselves. As in Indian traditional families, marriage decision is mostly parents‘ prerogative.

The Table 2 exhibits that 86 percent educated working, 84 percent educated non-working, 76 percent uneducated working and 86 percent of uneducated non-working women had their own ideas about their husbands. Whereas 14 percent educated working, 16 percent educated non-working, 24 It can be inferred from the above table that more than 80 percent educated, uneducated, working and non-workingwomen have their own ideas about their husband. Thus it can be inferred that education may not play any important role in having their ideas about their husbands.

The Table 4 displays that 2 percent educated working, 8 percent uneducated working and 16 percent uneducated non working women do believe in dowry system whereas 98 percent educated working, 100 percent educated non working, 92 percent uneducated working and 84 percent uneducated non working women do not believe in dowry system. It can be concluded that educated women do not believe in dowry system. Also, 80 percent educated non-working, women did not believe in dowry. Amongst uneducated women there is a small percentage, which does believe in dowry but more than 80 percent amongst uneducated women do not favour dowry.

The Table 4 exhibits that 88 percent educated working, 84 percent educated non-working, 60 percent uneducated working and 52 percent uneducated non-working women believe that the girls should be given freedom to choose their life partner. Also, 12 percent educated working, 16 percent educated non-working, 40 percent uneducated working and 48 percent uneducated non-working women do not believe that the girls should be given freedom to choose their life partner. It can be inferred from the above that more

The Table 5 exhibits that 12 percent of educated working and 43 percent uneducated working women earned between 1-2 thousand. Again, 26 percent educated working and 7 percent uneducated working women earned between 2-4 thousand. Also, 30 percent educated working women earned between 4-6 thousand. Again 6 percent educated working women earned between 6-7 thousand and 26 percent educated working women earned above rupees 7 thousand per month.

The Table 6 exhibits that 94 percent educated working and 38 percent uneducated working women‘s first employment was according to their choice. 6 percent of educated working and 62 percent of uneducated women‘s first employment was not according to their choice. It can be inferred from the above table that whereas educated women‘s employment was according to their choice, uneducated women‘s employment was not according to their choice. It can be said that education brings in choice of employment whereas uneducated women out of recession have to accept whatever jobs they acquire. and needed priorities of women studies in Asia and Pacific :A project supported by Asian and Pacific Development Centre, Nov. Archer, M. S. (2011), society and change .McGraw Hill Book Comp. New York. Boris, L. (2012). Training and education: Theoretical aspects. Social Sciences Chatterji, Shoma, A. (2013): The Indian women‘s search for an identity. New Delhi. Vikas Pub. House. Chaudhary, Pratima K. (2014). Changing values among young women. Amar Prakashan, New Delhi. Desai, N. (2010). women in modern India Vohra and Co. Bombay, Dube, Leela and Rajni Parliwala, eds .Structure and strategies : Women ,work and family, New Delhi. Dubey S. M. (2010). Social mobility among the professionals. Popular Prakashan, Bombay, Gopalan, S. Towards equality- the unfinished agenda, status of women in India 2012. National Commission for Women, Govt. of India, 2012.

Assistant Professor, CRSU University, Jind, Haryana