Gender Governance And Empowerment In India

Since the mid-1980s, the presence of women in governance has become a major marker of successful democracy in global and national discourses on the democratization of society. A diverse set of nation-states have legislatively mandated gender quotas to ensure the presence of elected women representatives (EWRs) in various rungs of governance. Since 1993, the Indian state has legislated a massive program of democratization and decentralization. As a result, more than 1.5 million EWRs have taken office within the lower rungs of governance or the Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRI). This book is an ethnography of the Indian state and its policy of legislated entry of women into political life. It argues that political participation of women is necessary to change the political practices in society, to make institutions more gender, class and caste representative, and to empower individual women to negotiate both formal and informal institutions. Its locus is the everyday life contexts of EWRs in the southern Indian state of Karnataka who negotiate their own meanings of politics, state, society, empowerment and political subjectivity. Analysing three factors – structural boundaries, sociocultural divisions and conjunctural limitations imposed on the participation of EWRs by political parties – the book demonstrates that the social embeddedness of PRIs within everyday practices and social relations of identity and power severely constrain and shape the political participation and empowerment of EWRs. Providing a valuable insight into contemporary state and feminist praxis in India, this book will be of interest to scholars of grass-roots democracy, gender studies and Asian politics.

Bringing much-needed specificity to the study of neoliberalism, 'Logics of Empowerment' fosters a deeper understanding of development and politics in contemporary India.

About the Book : - Celebratory news features about India's thriving middle-class tells only part of the story of the country's recent economic rise, frequently glossing over the 300 million Indians who live on the margins and struggle to survive under economic liberalization. How do these, cast out of their country's successes, perceive and respond to their position and mobilize against disempowerment? Aradhana Sharma takes up these questions, focusing on the work of an innovative women's programme called Mahila Samakhya, that us part governmental and part non-governmental and strives to empower those rural Indian women who have been pushed aside. Detailing the awkward ideological articulations and paradoxical outcomes of this unique activist-cum-government organisation, Paradoxes of Empowerment fosters a deeper understanding of development and politics in contemporary India.

The focus of the book is on engendering governance institutions that advance the cause of gender equality. The issues of gender equality and women's empowerment are subjects of current interest. This is because over the years very little progress has been achieved on these aspects. Economic reforms in a developing country like India result in constant transformation in the socio-economic and political systems. Hence it becomes important to correctly interpret the role of the multiple stakeholders in governance, namely the state, civil society and the market. By including market institutions in this debate, this book broadened the canvas of what was meant by engendering governance.

Gender Budgeting Has Been Internationally Recognized As A Key Tool For Empowering Women By Incorporating Gender Perspective And Concerns At All Levels And Stages Of Development Planning, Policy, Programmes And Delivery Mechanism. Government Of India Has Adopted Gender Budgeting For Gender Equity As Mission Statement And Is Widely Disseminating Tools And Strategies Across Ministries And Departments. The Importance Of Gender Budgeting Has Been Stressed Time And Again Different Forum. A Government Budget Is A Financial Statement Of The Expected Revenue And Intended Expenditure Of The Government Over A Given Period. The Government Budget Is Not Simply A Technical Instrument For Compiling And Reporting On Government Revenue And Expenditure Plans But It Is Also A Primary Policy Statement Made By The Government. The Budget Has Three Crucial Economic Functions Viz. Allocation Of Resources, Distribution Of And Wealth, And Stabilization Of Economy. Gender Responsive Budgets Seek To Uncover The Impact Of Resource Allocations On Women, Men, Girls And Boys. The Present Volume Containing Of 34 Well Written Papers Highlight The Various The Aspects And Dimensions Of Gender Perspective, Concems And Mainstreaming In Development Policy, Planning And Programmes. It Also Attempts And Programmes. It Also Attempts To Assess The Impact Of Gender Budgeting On Women Empowerment Through Presenting Analysis Of Specific Case Studies. It Is Hoped That The Present Volume Will Be Of Immense Importance For The Policy Makers, Administrators, Development Professionals And Those Who Are Interested In The Theme For Understanding And Implementation Of Gender Responsive Budgeting.

The extent of empowerment of women in a nation is largely determined by three factors - economic, social, and political identity. India's Tenth Five Year Plan (2002-07) called for a three-pronged strategy of social empowerment, economic empowerment, and providing gender justice to create a positive environment of economic, and social policies for women, and eliminating all forms of discrimination against them. The government of India has initiated various schemes spread across a broad spectrum, such as women's need for shelter, security, safety, legal aid, justice, information, maternal health, food, nutrition etc., as well as their need for economic sustenance through skill development, education, and access to credit and marketing. In order to address the phenomenon of domestic violence, which is widely prevalent but remains largely invisible in the public domain, the Protection from Domestic Violence Act, 2006 was enacted by the Indian Parliament. This collection of 35 papers examines various areas of interest including socio-economic status, women entrepreneurship, women in politics, role of information and communication technology in empowering women, and domestic violence.

The Indian Constitution is the largest written constitution that guarantees equality to women and empowers the State to take affirmative actions in favour of women. India has adopted International conventions for protection of rights of women and granting them equality and ratified the Convention on Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) in the year 1993. The National Policy for Women Empowerment was presented in 2001, the goal of that policy to bring about the advancement, development and empowerment of women and enable women to become financially independent. Currently, India is the only country where the economic gender gap is larger than the political gender gap. Women are required to understand their own potential and overcome social barriers. With constant support of the government, change in stereotype mindset and skill development in women, India will continue witnessing gradual increase in women entrepreneurship in future. The aim of this book is to show the latest state of knowledge on the topic of women entrepreneurship, the role of women in business and women empowerment in India. Many aspects relating to role of women in business, sustainable business development and aspects going beyond economic empowerment of women are discussed in addition to presenting legal and regulatory frameworks. This book will be of interest to researchers, academics, policymakers, and students in the fields of entrepreneurship, empowerment, gender studies, and law.

According to India's 2011 Census, the country's population has increased by 17.6% since 2001. The Census shows that 51.6% of the population is male, while 48.4% is female. Unfortunately, the 2011 Census data also shows that the gender ratio for children below six years has dropped. This decline is unabated since the 1961 Census. This gender bias draws attention to a lingering societal flaw which economic growth has not been able to correct. Gender equality is a constituent of development, as well as an instrument of development. No country can be deemed developed if half of its population is severely disadvantaged in terms of basic needs, livelihood options, access to knowledge, and political voice. The advancement and empowerment of women in India has been a leading objective of state policy ever since the attainment of Independence in 1947. India's Eleventh Five Year Plan (2007-2012) recognized women, for the first time, not just as equal citizens, but as agents of economic and social growth. Women's lack of economic empowerment not only impedes growth and poverty reduction, but also has a host of other negative impacts, including less favorable education and health outcomes for children. Thus, it is extremely important to ensure that women are economically, socially, and politically empowered. This book provides a vivid account of the problems faced by Indian women, particularly those belonging to vulnerable and disadvantaged groups. It explains the various policies, programs, and schemes initiated by the government of India, in co-operation with other agencies for the welfare, development, and empowerment of women.