Feminisation of Poverty and Empowerment of Women - an Indian Perspective & Experience Ms. Rashmi Bhat
Townsville International Women’s Conference - AUSTRALIA
3 - 7 July 2002 ~ James Cook University “Poverty, Violence and Women’s Rights: ...Setting a Global Agenda” This international conference is for all who care passionately about improving women’s position in the world, who demand justice and full human rights for women everywhere and who believe that a feminist analysis is essential to defining a fairer globalised world.
Paper Presentation for the International Women's Conference at Townsville, Australia, by Ms. Rashmi Bhat, Faculty, Department of Women's Studies, N.M.K.R.V College for Women, Bangalore, and Ms. Jayalakshmi, Project Officer, Grama Vikas, Mulbagal, Kolar District, Karnataka. South India. July 3rd - 7th, 2002
Feminisation of Poverty and Empowerment of Women - An Indian Perspective & Experience
I. Understanding Poverty:
Poverty has been an issue of vital concern in India since independence. The pace of poverty reduction in the past decades - despite comprehensive and mammoth schemes - has been slow. While achievements such as increased life expectancy need to be acknowledged, one cannot lose sight of the fact that the fight against poverty has not yet been a successful one. Today, the largest number of the global poor live in India - 40% of 1.3 billion poor worldwide. Although the relative number of poor people in India has increased from 200 million people in 1950 to 312 million in 1994 (36% of the Indian population)1 The proportion of population living in poverty and the trends in poverty in India are contested issues. Yet, there is a consensus amongst Government and other organisations that poverty continues to be a major problem confronting the country2 Conceptualising Poverty: There is a general consensus that the poor can be defined as those who are deprived of basic human needs required for their well being. But, there are different points of view on what exactly are these basic needs. The Indian Government equates poverty with
3 - 7 July 2002 ~ James Cook University “Poverty, Violence and Women’s Rights: ...Setting a Global Agenda” This international conference is for all who care passionately about improving women’s position in the world, who demand justice and full human rights for women everywhere and who believe that a feminist analysis is essential to defining a fairer globalised world.
Paper Presentation for the International Women's Conference at Townsville, Australia, by Ms. Rashmi Bhat, Faculty, Department of Women's Studies, N.M.K.R.V College for Women, Bangalore, and Ms. Jayalakshmi, Project Officer, Grama Vikas, Mulbagal, Kolar District, Karnataka. South India. July 3rd - 7th, 2002
Feminisation of Poverty and Empowerment of Women - An Indian Perspective & Experience
I. Understanding Poverty:
Poverty has been an issue of vital concern in India since independence. The pace of poverty reduction in the past decades - despite comprehensive and mammoth schemes - has been slow. While achievements such as increased life expectancy need to be acknowledged, one cannot lose sight of the fact that the fight against poverty has not yet been a successful one. Today, the largest number of the global poor live in India - 40% of 1.3 billion poor worldwide. Although the relative number of poor people in India has increased from 200 million people in 1950 to 312 million in 1994 (36% of the Indian population)1 The proportion of population living in poverty and the trends in poverty in India are contested issues. Yet, there is a consensus amongst Government and other organisations that poverty continues to be a major problem confronting the country2 Conceptualising Poverty: There is a general consensus that the poor can be defined as those who are deprived of basic human needs required for their well being. But, there are different points of view on what exactly are these basic needs. The Indian Government equates poverty with