Women Empowerment Through Microfinance Services
Women Empowerment through Microfinance Services
DEEPIKA BARANWAL
PhD SCHOLAR
DEPARTMENT OF FOOD AND NUTRITION
COLLEGE OF HOMESCIENCE
MAHARANA PRATAP UNIVERSITY OF AGRICULTURE AND TECHNOLOGY
UDAIPUR, RAJASTHAN
Email Id – deepika.baranwal@yahoo.com
Introduction:
The UN commission on status of women observed ‘ women who contribute half of the world’s population by virtue of an accident of birth, perform two-thirds of the world’s work, receive one-tenth of its income and owns less than one-hundredth of its property’. In India, women produce 30 percent of all food commodities consumed but get only 10 percent of the property or wealth of the country. Women have been deprived of economic independence. The empowerment of women considered as an active process enabling women to realize their full identity and power in all spheres of life. Against the background of the patriarchal system of society, the women need special attention to ensure their development and participation in the decision making process at home, in the community and governance. Hence what is needed is a conducive environment to maximize their potentials. This conducive environment should include basic amenities such as better health and nutrition, education and sensitization to their rights and protection under the law and employment opportunities, etc. Over the decades, various strategies have been adopted to empower rural women with some mixed results. One of the viable strategies, quite often talked about, is the role of enterprise to empower rural women. For example, promotion of rural enterprise makes full use of family labor, requires less capital in production and uses locally available raw material. In addition, family ties and kinship linkages may help in promoting rural enterprise. Thus, enterprise development has been considered, among other factors, a powerful tool to eradicate poverty especially among rural women as they are at the lowest rung of poverty ladder in almost all
DEEPIKA BARANWAL
PhD SCHOLAR
DEPARTMENT OF FOOD AND NUTRITION
COLLEGE OF HOMESCIENCE
MAHARANA PRATAP UNIVERSITY OF AGRICULTURE AND TECHNOLOGY
UDAIPUR, RAJASTHAN
Email Id – deepika.baranwal@yahoo.com
Introduction:
The UN commission on status of women observed ‘ women who contribute half of the world’s population by virtue of an accident of birth, perform two-thirds of the world’s work, receive one-tenth of its income and owns less than one-hundredth of its property’. In India, women produce 30 percent of all food commodities consumed but get only 10 percent of the property or wealth of the country. Women have been deprived of economic independence. The empowerment of women considered as an active process enabling women to realize their full identity and power in all spheres of life. Against the background of the patriarchal system of society, the women need special attention to ensure their development and participation in the decision making process at home, in the community and governance. Hence what is needed is a conducive environment to maximize their potentials. This conducive environment should include basic amenities such as better health and nutrition, education and sensitization to their rights and protection under the law and employment opportunities, etc. Over the decades, various strategies have been adopted to empower rural women with some mixed results. One of the viable strategies, quite often talked about, is the role of enterprise to empower rural women. For example, promotion of rural enterprise makes full use of family labor, requires less capital in production and uses locally available raw material. In addition, family ties and kinship linkages may help in promoting rural enterprise. Thus, enterprise development has been considered, among other factors, a powerful tool to eradicate poverty especially among rural women as they are at the lowest rung of poverty ladder in almost all
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