Introduction

In the last five decades, the concept of women's empowerment has shifted from a welfare-oriented to
an equity-oriented approach. It's been defined as the process by which the powerless gain more
influence over their lives' circumstances. Control over money and ideology are two aspects of
empowerment. According to Sen and Batliwala (2000), it leads to an increase in internal capability,
increased self-confidence, and an inner shift of awareness that allows one to transcend external
barriers. This viewpoint focuses primarily on two key points. To begin with, it is a power to attain
desired outcomes rather than a power over others.

Second, the concept of empowerment is more appropriate to those who are powerless, whether they
are men or women, groups of people, classes, or castes. Though the concept of empowerment is not
exclusive to women, it does cut across all classes and castes, as well as inside families and households.
Women's empowerment is also defined as a shift in a woman's life's two settings that enables her to
have a more fulfilled human life.

It manifests itself in both external (health, mobility, education, and awareness), as well as internal
(position in the family, involvement in decision-making, and material security) aspects (viz. self-
awareness and self-confidence) [Mathew (2003), citing Human Development in South Asia (2000)]. For
the first time, the UNDP (1990) proposed the notion of the Human Development Index (HDI), which
evolved first as a larger assessment of a nation's socio-economic success but became popular as a
measure of average human development achievements for both sexes.

Despite popular notion that development is gender-neutral, statistics demonstrate that women
globally, especially in India, lag behind males in practically every facet of life. Since 1995, the focus on
human development has been on highlighting the gender component and the ongoing disparities that
women face (UNDP 1995). The report stated that human growth cannot be achieved without women's
empowerment. It went on to say that if development is not encouraged, it will be jeopardised.

The level of women's empowerment in the national hierarchy is determined by the weighing of three
criteria: her economic, social, and political identities. These elements are closely entwined and linked
through various cross-cutting linkages, meaning that if efforts in any one dimension are weak or
inadequate, the outcomes and momentum generated by the other components will be unable to
endure any changes or upheavals. Only by addressing all three components at the same time and
making them compatible with one another can the woman truly feel empowered.

Therefore, for holistic female empowerment to occur, the social, economic, and political factors
influencing a woman's life must effectively converge.

Scope

The purpose of this research is to examine the level of women's empowerment in India using several
indicators based on secondary data. Despite the government's efforts, women in India are generally
disempowered and have a lower status than men, according to the report. In terms of education and
employment, there is a gender divide. Women's decision-making power in the home and freedom of
movement differ significantly depending on their age, education, and employment level. It has been
discovered that women continue to accept unfair gender standards in society.

For one reason or another, more than half of women agree that wife abuse is justified. Women have
less control over how their money is spent. With age, education, and where you live, you have more
control over your cash earnings. Women are also less exposed to the media than men. Domestic abuse
is more common among rural women than among metropolitan women. In terms of political
participation, there is also a significant gender divide. The study closes by stating that access to
education and work are just enabling variables for empowerment; nonetheless, progress toward the
goal is mostly dependent on people's attitudes toward gender equality.

Limitation

Summery and Findings

While discussing women's current position in India, many measures of women empowerment are
analysed using data from various sources. Women's household decision-making authority, financial
autonomy, freedom of mobility, women's acceptance of unequal gender roles, media exposure, access
to education, women's experience of domestic abuse, and other indicators are given special attention.
Indicators such as the percentage of female voters and female MPs are also used to examine women's
political participation.

After examining the data, it was discovered that women's home decision-making authority and
freedom of movement differ significantly depending on their age, education, and work status. Widows
and divorcees have more mobility than women who have never married or have never been married.
Similarly, it is discovered that women's acceptance of unequal gender standards is still prevalent in
society. More than half of women say that wife beating is justified for a variety of reasons, including not
cooking adequately, not taking proper care of the family and children, having sex with the husband,
disrespecting in-laws, and so on. However, this attitude has not varied much with age or household
structure, it has declined sharply with the help of education and places of residence.

While researching women's access to school and employment, it was discovered that there is a gender
gap in both scenarios. There is a significant gender gap in literacy, with females' enrollment at all levels
of education falling below 50%. Similarly, less than half of women are employed, and a large
percentage of them are not rewarded for their efforts. Having access to work, however, does not imply
that women have complete control over their earnings. Women have a smaller say in how they spend
their money. Control over cash wages rises with age, urban residency, and education, but does not
change considerably with household structure.

Women are also less exposed to the media than men. Domestic abuse does not diminish with age,
according to women's experiences. Domestic abuse affects rural women more than metropolitan
women. In terms of women's political participation, it has been discovered that there is a significant
gender disparity in voting, with women accounting for less than 10 percent of the Lok Sabha's overall
membership. This is due to the fact that the majority of women lack the appropriate level of financial
autonomy, literacy, a strong personality, the ability to make their own decisions, and familial support,
among other things. As a result, we can see how these mutually interdependent factors reinforce each
other, putting women at a disadvantage in comparison to men.

Women in India are generally under-empowered and have a lower social position than men. Despite
the numerous efforts made by the government and non-governmental organisations, the current
situation is not satisfactory. Access to education and work can only aid in the empowering process.
These are the tools or enabling factors that allow the process to be accelerated. However, mindset has
a bigger role in achieving this goal. Women will not be able to take use of the opportunities afforded to
them by constitutional provisions, laws, and other means unless society's and even women's attitudes
regarding accepting uneven gender roles alter. Until then we can say that women are not empowered
in India.