Knowledge
Role Of Education in Empowering Women and Promoting Gender Equality
Education is a tool that fosters equality and promotes and strengthens the constitutional culture
“Fire of knowledge made me, fearless
Shielded with perseverance,
And offered wings,
To scale the sky!”
Women empowerment is a tool of development not only for women but also for whole families and thereby a nation. Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru said, “To awaken the people, it is women who must be awakened; once she is on the move, the family moves, the village moves and the nation moves.” Education empowers women more effectively which would help to abolish gender inequality, develop their potential, increase social and economic return, improve the quality of life, produce educated and healthy children, and reduce fertility and mortality rates. Education is a key to empowering women’s participation in decision-making in a democracy, dynamic transformation of society, and shaping the destiny of future generations.
Swami Vivekananda said, “There is no chance for the welfare of the world unless the condition of women is not improved.” It is education which can do so by empowering women.
Women constitute almost half the human race and for them, education has been recognized as an essential agent of social change and development in any society and any country. Education is considered a potent instrument through which processes of modernization and social change came into existence. Education is a key factor for women who brought empowerment, prosperity, development, and welfare. Education exposes people to new thoughts and ideas and provides necessary skills hence, to think of harmonies or development without educating women is beyond any possibility to achieve. Moreover, it is rightly said that to ‘educate the women is to, educate the whole family’.
In the modern world, there are no domains of work that women haven’t delved into. Words such as chairman and cameraman have been rephrased as chairperson and cameraperson, to accommodate women. Many a male-dominated workplace has crumbled under the power of the woman – her spirit and energy.
Education for women develops an understanding and brings control over social, economic, and political forces and also improves their quality of life. It helps women to know of themselves and their children and understand society as a whole and assures sustainable development.
Educated women have better access and opportunities in the workforce, leading to increased income and less isolation at home or exclusion from financial decisions. With education, women can live their dreams by pursuing their own goals and values.
Education has enabled women to exercise their rights on an equal footing with men and participate in national development. “Education is the milestone of women empowerment because it enables them to respond to the challenges, to confront their traditional role and change their life.”
The target of becoming a superpower will be achieved only when the women of India will be empowered through education. The National Policy of Education (1986) has emphasized the need for women’s education for their effective participation in social and economic activities.
Education is a tool for the reduction of inequalities and gender bias attitudes so that women can move from weak positions to execute their power or capabilities in society.
The National Policy for the Empowerment of Women, 2001 stated, “Equal access to education for women and girls will be ensured, special measures will be taken to eliminate discrimination, universalize education, eradicate illiteracy and create a gender-sensitive educational system, increase enrolment and retention rates of girls and improve the quality of education to facilitate life-long learning as well as the development of vocational or technical skills of women.”
Gender discrimination is the result of human practice. It is in vogue since time immemorial. Various provisions under the constitution and statutes have been incorporated and implemented with little success.
The status of women in a complex society like India has never been at par with men. It is beyond doubt that gender discrimination has existed for a long time. The education sector could certainly play a pivotal role in eliminating this gender inequality. It is very much essential to bring awareness among people about the benefit of gender equality. It is important to know that the inclusion of the concept of gender equality in the curriculum and the making of laws to remove gender inequality have a significant impact on the need to achieve the constitutional goal of establishing an egalitarian society. Ultimately, it is the change in social mindset and involvement of all sections of society that is required to achieve the ends.
According to Census Report 2011, nearly 50% of the population of our country are women. They have a great contribution to society. Therefore, we cannot deny their importance of them. Despite great contributions to society, women are less empowered in every field of society. They are still considered a burden to society. Their cycle of deprivation sets in early in life and takes many different forms. Even as young children, girls are often discriminated against and deprived of access to nutrition, education, and many other basic entitlements. They are often expected to carry out household work at the cost of their schooling. Their overall growth and development are considered secondary to the male children in the household. Without adequate education, girls are often forced into early marriage and may become victims of abuse and trafficking. If this scenario does not change, there will be little or no progress in society.
Women’s education leads to significant social development. Some of the most notable social benefits include decreased fertility rates and lower infant mortality rates, and lower maternal mortality rates. Closing the gender gap in education also increases gender equality, which is considered important both in itself and because it ensures equal rights and opportunities for people regardless of gender. Women’s education has cognitive benefits for women as well. Improved cognitive abilities increase the quality of life for women and also lead to other benefits.
Studies have found that if every girl completed 12 years of education, child marriage would drop by 64%, and health complications from early pregnancy, like early births and child deaths, would drop by 59% and 49%, respectively. Educating women and girls also boost countries’ economies, and lowers the risk of war and extremism.
‘Power is neither a commodity to be transacted nor can be given away as alms.’
Education is a milestone of women’s empowerment because it enables them to respond to challenges, confront their traditional roles and change their life. So, we can’t neglect the importance of education about women’s empowerment. Education also brings a reduction in inequalities and functions as a means of improving their status within the family.
Education is a tool that fosters equality and promotes and strengthens the constitutional culture and stability at large to promote equality it is necessary to provide equal access to education and also the equal condition of success in all spheres of our system.
Education empowers and removes all kinds of biased approaches too which are man-made. Education creates a citizenry conscious who is aware of their rights and duties and committed to the principles embodied in our constitution to contribute equally to achieve social advancement, economic progress, and economic development of the nation. Education promotes a policy of undifferentiated approach for both sexes.
The national policy of education emphasizes the core values such as equality between sexes, ending social evils and practices derogatory to women, etc. the main motto is to promote equality between sexes and break the gender stereotype approach and break all barriers of gender discrimination.
‘Learning to read and write changes lives. It means jobs, money, health, and dreams fulfilled.’
To conclude the present scenario, empowering women is not merely the concern of women only rather it is the responsibility of all in society. Empowering women towards greater participation in development means working towards more balanced and equal power relations between the sexes.
“God created you and me
With same power
Pain and happiness too same.
The blissful shower
We rejoice yet we differ in fame.
Let’s discard all notions,
Break the shackles built so far.
Together we will sail through,
And will scale newer heights, together at par.
Be you the man, being me a woman
Nothing to cease us
Or hold us back
Or to separate us in terms of men or women.”
Author – Awanesh Sharma, Educator, RKKGPS, Jodhpur
