Women Empowerment in India

Discrimination of women from womb to tomb is well known. There is continued inequality and vulnerability of women in all sectors and women have to face oppression. They face harassment which can be of diverse types: emotional, physical, mental and sexual. They are subjected to rape, abuse and other forms of physical and mental violence. Also, the rural areas of the country are, by and large, steeped in a feudal and medieval outlook, refusing to grant women equal say in the matters of education, marriage, profession and social interactions.

In order to fight against the socially constructed gender biases, women have to navigate against the system and that requires more strength. Such strength comes from the process of empowerment. Education is one of the most important tools of women empowerment. Women empowerment, in its true spirit, will be achieved only when there is a change in the attitude of the society, treating women with proper respect, dignity, fairness and equality.

Today, more than 50 percent students in Shirdi Sai Baba Schools are girls. Even in the rural area of Bundelkhand, Shirdi Sai Baba Schoolis leaving no stone unturned to encourage the families to send their daughters to school.

Through door to door campaigns, the volunteers have been encouraging the underprivileged families to send their daughters to school instead of engaging them in labour or house hold chores. Vocational training in Beauty & Wellness, Computers, Tailoring and Dress Designing especially focuses in making underprivileged women financially empowered. Through Mass Marriages, the cost of weddings that normally falls on the bride’s family in our society that eventually discourages them to spend on their daughter’s education is being taken care of. By adopting Mass Marriages, the families of disadvantaged sections can be encouraged to focus on the overall development of the girl child rather than saving money for her dowry.