Womens participation in Indian Economy

Women romp a dominant personation in the Asiatic frugality, task a ample orbit of scheme activities
including farm dealing and powering a exalted fund evaluate. However, changes in the action
scenario, improving inflation, friendly conditions and neglect by policy-makers make compact
adversely on women.
Women conLrlbuLe Lo Lhe lndlan economy ln many ways. AparL from her lmporLance ln Lhe soclal
framework, a womans vlLal role ln vlllage cenLrlc communlLy acLlvlLles, proLecLlng our culLure and ln
deLermlnlng Lhe consumpLlon aLLlLude makes her speclal for Lhe economy and socleLy of lndla.
Powever, lL ls unforLunaLe LhaL whereas Lhe economy has been growlng aL an average raLe of 8 percenL,
32 percenL of women ln Lhe counLry sLlll suffer from malnuLrlLlon. 1hey go hungry even when Lhe
granarles are full and overflowlng. lL ls shameful LhaL even Loday whlle glvlng blrLh Lo a chlld, on an
average, 200 ouL of 1 lakh pregnanL women lose Lhelr llves. 38 percenL of pregnanL women suffer from
anemla. ln Lerms of even llLeracy, Lhough Lhelr poslLlon has lmproved buL lL ls far behlnd Lhe males, as
sLlll 34.3 percenL of Lhe women are llllLeraLe (Census 2011).
Women & Globalisation
ln Lhe globallzed lndusLry Lhe opporLunlLles dlsposable morLal sLaggerlngly exaggeraLed. A
organlsm experlence ln any remoLe expanse has reach Lo vlrLually any aLLempL of Lhe counLry
and Lhe reallLy aL whopplng. 1he chance and lnLeresLlng hobbles, whlch an ldlosyncraLlc
developed ln her offsprlng Loughle, can be LacLfully converLed Lo be a acLlng posslblllLy.
Traditional Opportunities:

r CreaLlon of [obs.
r rovldlng subsldles.
r CredlL allocaLlon for women enLrepreneurs.
r 1ralnlng ln varlous flelds.
r SupporL servlces.
rAld and supporL from women organlzaLlons.

New and Emerging Opportunities:
r AccesslblllLy.
r 8uuSL1 ln karnaLaka
r 8Lu for women (real easy declslons)
r l8u programmes
r M8? (rlme mlnlsLers rozgar yo[ana)
r llexl Llmlngs
r nA8A8u 8eflnance
r Mahlla sama[as of Lhe karnaLaka womens developmenL corporaLlon
r Croup guaranLee and group acLlvlLy
r Slu8l ( small lndusLrles developmenL bank of lndla)
r Mahlla udyam nldhl
r Llberallzed naLlonal equlLy fund scheme
r Womens world banklng
1he opporLunlLles are greaLer now Lhan aL any oLherwlse cllp: a loL of Lhe old debaLes some
women and affecL soul sLlrred on Lo how Lo Lldy professlonal splrlLedness uLlllse for all
execuLlves," Mr. McAllndon says. "We would say women score never been so reassured, nor so
plerclng WCMLn ln 8uSlnLSS Abornlng Cu81unl1lLS lC8 8uSlnLSSWCMLn ln 1PL
CLC8ALlZLu Aslan Scheme 8y- !..8PA8A1Pl, ClLy LnLrepreneurshlp by deflnlLlon lmplles belng
ln keep of one\''s accounL and acLlvlLles. rograms for exhorLaLlve enLrepreneurshlp among
women are unforLunaLe Lo dlsappolnL or aL physlologlsL Lo wln parL when sLolen up ln
sollLarlness. ln Lhe globallzed markeLplace Lhe opporLunlLles avallable area has make Lo vlrLually
any llne of Lhe land and Lhe group aL herolc. 1he chance and absorblng hobbles, whlch an
lndlvlduallsL formulaLed ln her Llddler hood, can be LacLfully converLed Lo be a enLerprlse
posslbleness.
romoLlng enLrepreneurshlp for women faculLy expecL an flaL greaLer change of LralaLlLlous
aLLlLudes Lhan Lhe plaln sLarL of [obs for women proLecLlon. 1hls does noL ungenerous LhaL we
should walL for socleLal alLeraLlon Lo gulde resldence eldesL. 8uL lL does lmply LhaL Lhe programs
should go beyond subsldles and credlL porLlon Lo aLLlLudlnal changes, grouplng shaplng, and
preparaLlon and separaLe argue servlces. SLudles acqulre ploneer LhaL women enLerprlses are
quallLaLlvely dlsLlncL from men. lemale enLerprlses lean Lo dlsplace on Lhe llvery of
servlcesdlrecLlon [obs rarely exceeds 20.
ln boLh developed and developlng counLrles, women work 33 hours more Lhan men every
week. 1here are many women organlzaLlons, whlch are Lremendously conLrlbuLlng Lo Lhe
upllfLmenL of women. 1he day ls noL very far when Women wlll be consldered and recognlzed
for her commlLmenL and vlrLues. AL Lhls [uncLure leL us Lry Lo come ouL of Lhe LradlLlonal
barrlers and Lhlnk of Lhe opporLunlLles LhaL Lhe new mlllennlum has Lo offer. ln Lhe globallsed
markeL Lhe opporLunlLles avallable have Lremendously lncreased. A person llvlng ln any remoLe
area has access Lo almosL any parL of Lhe counLry and Lhe world aL large. 1he casual and
lnLeresLlng hobbles, whlch an lndlvldual developed ln her chlld hood, can be LacLfully converLed
Lo be a buslness opporLunlLy. So women should noL only Lhlnk of Lhe buslness proposal buL also
doubly become confldenL LhaL any amounL of crlLlclsm should noL pull her off.
1oday, women ln advanced economles own more Lhan 23 of all buslnesses. 8eLween 63 and
90 of parL Llme workers ln lndusLrlallzed counLrles are women. 1he opporLunlLles avallable for
buslness are Lremendously hlgh. llrsLly many areas are unexplolLed. lndla ls Lhe flfLh largesL
economy. lL has Lhe largesL Cu ln Lhe enLlre conLlnenL of Asla. lL ls also Lhe second largesL
counLry among Lhe emerglng naLlons and offers hlgh prospecLs for enormous growLh and
earnlng poLenLlal ln vlrLually all buslness areas. 1he largesL aspecL ls Lhe unexLracLed women
power- Pouse wlves. CpporLunlLles do come. 1o ensure LhaL women can reLaln Lhese
opporLunlLles cerLaln Lhlngs should be assured. 1ralnlng ln enLrepreneurlal aLLlLudes should
sLarL aL Lhe hlgh school level Lhrough well-deslgned courses LhaL bulld confldence Lhrough
behavloral games. 1hls exerclse would lllusLraLe pracLlcal appllcaLlon of Lhe academlc
knowledge belng lmparLed regardlng managemenL (flnanclal, legal, eLc.) of an enLerprlse.
1hls currlculum should lnclude slmple pro[ecL work deslgned Lo glve hands on experlence of
assesslng Lhe markeLablllLy of a commodlLy or a servlce. llexlblllLy ls Lhe ln Lhlng Loday
especlally for women .We wanL flexlblllLy ln everyLhlng - flexlble aLLlLudes, ldeas and mosL
lmporLanLly flexlble work. More and more women are opLlng for convenlenL worklng hours so
as Lo be able Lo do whaL Lhey wanL, when Lhey wanL. undersLandlng Lhls llne of LhoughL and
reallzlng Lhe need Lo provlde women wlLh more opporLunlLles Lo do Lhelr Lhlng Ms 8achna
Chhachhl sLarLed Lhe redforwomen slLe. 1hls slLe brlngs amazlng flexlble opporLunlLles Lo
women and loLs of women have beneflLed from Lhls. 1he success and popularlLy of Lhls slLe
speaks volumes of Lhe excellenL enLrepreneurshlp of lLs CLC, Ms 8achna Chhachhl 8Lu means
8eal Lasy ueclslons. ln redforwomen helps flndlng an area of work where an lndlvldual ls
compleLely saLlsfled wlLh whaL she does. 1oday ma[orlLy of Lhe opporLunlLles are web based
nCCs llke 8uuSL1 ln karnaLaka have succeeded ln achlevlng reasonably hlgh success levels, buL
oLhers lncludlng governmenLal bodles have sLlll noL reached Lhese levels. A look aL Lhe varlous
schemes avallable reveals LhaL under Lhe lnLegraLed 8ural uevelopmenL rogramme (l8u),
flnance ls noL denled for seLLlng up a shop, and Lhe rlme MlnlsLer\''s 8ozgar ?o[ana (M8?)
exLends asslsLance for Lradlng acLlvlLy lncludlng slmple Lrade flnance.
l8u ls conflned Lo rural areas and M8? covers urban areas. 8oLh schemes are llmlLed Lo
persons wlLh very low-lncome levels. Lul Ahmedabad appears Lo be runnlng a programme on
Lhese llnes ln Cu[araL LhaL could be repllcaLed elsewhere. Croup flnanclng ls belng exLended
Lhrough banks operaLlng wlLh nA8A8u reflnance, under Lhe l8u and Lhe Lralnlng and
producLlon cenLre programme lmplemenLed malnly Lhrough Mahlla Sama[as of Lhe karnaLaka
Women\''s uevelopmenL CorporaLlon. 1hey concenLraLe on group formaLlon and exLend
worklng caplLal granLs Lo groups Lo encourage Lhem Lo break Lhe exorblLanL debL burdens
already ln exlsLence wlLhln Lhe communlLy for Lhe beneflclarles. AL Lhe second sLage, Lhe
beneflclarles move lnLo lndlvldual or group acLlvlLy wlLh bank loans exLended on group
guaranLees. Croup formaLlon has proved remarkably successful ln empowerlng women and
lnLroduclng Lhem Lo lncome generaLlng acLlvlLy, Lhrough bank loans. Such schemes need
lnLenslve monlLorlng and efforL aL Lhe mlcro-level and are dlfflculL Lo repllcaLe. A wldely uLlllzed
scheme was Lhe Small lndusLrles uevelopmenL 8ank of lndla (Slu8l)\''s Mahlla udyam nldhl
whlch covers pro[ecLs up Lo 8s 10 lakh and provldes 13 percenL margln money and a servlce
charge of 1 percenL (Lhe promoLers\'' conLrlbuLlon ls only 10 percenL).
1hls has been supplanLed by Lhe llberallzed naLlonal LqulLy lund scheme LhaL covers
enLrepreneurs, where Lhe margln money componenL has been flxed aL 23 percenL. lor larger
loans, no margln money asslsLance ls generally avallable and women enLrepreneurs have Lo
follow norms appllcable Lo oLhers, LhaL ls Lo provlde beLween 17 and 23 percenL of Lhe cosL of
flxed asseLs ouL of own resources. 1here ls a case for seLLlng up a fund for Lhe purpose slnce
lrrespecLlve of Lhe name ln whlch famlly asseLs are held (surprlslngly, qulLe a blL of famlly
properLy ls held ln Lhe name of women) women do noL en[oy Lhe auLhorlLy Lo pledge, dlspose
of or oLherwlse encumber Lhese asseLs, and famllles are noLorlously wary of uslng Lhem Lo
supporL enLerprlses for Lhe women ln Lhe famlly. 8uL selecLlon of beneflclarles should be
rlgorously done wlLh all Lhe precauLlons llsLed above Lo prevenL Lhe scheme from belng
hl[acked by enLerprlses conLrolled by men. 1he same slLuaLlon applles ln Lhe case of collaLeral.
1here ls a [usLlfled wldespread demand for a walver or reducLlon of collaLeral for women
enLrepreneurs because of Lhe above dlfflculLles. 1hls has Lwo lmpllcaLlons. A generallzed sysLem
of exempLlon of collaLeral for women enLrepreneurs wlll deflnlLely resulL ln a prollferaLlon of
"women\''s" enLerprlses Lo Lake advanLage of Lhe faclllLy. And bankers wlll flnd Lhe open-ended
beneflL rlsky and Lend Lo resLrlcL flnanclng under Lhls scheme. 1hls would be counLerproducLlve
for our purpose.
Cne pracLlce, Lhough noL very saLlsfacLory, LhaL has been lnLroduced ln Lhe karnaLaka SLaLe
llnanclal CorporaLlon ls agaln a screenlng approach Lhrough a commlLLee of represenLaLlves
from concerned agencles Lo ensure LhaL Lhe beneflclary ls lndeed capable of runnlng Lhe pro[ecL
and ls genulnely ln need of relaxaLlon of Lhls condlLlon. 8uL larger coverage ls posslble only wlLh
Lhe backlng of a speclal fund creaLed for Lhe purpose, as done by Women\''s World 8anklng for
example. ln Lhe area of guaranLees, several humlllaLlng hablLs have become lngralned ln
flnanclal lnsLlLuLlons and banks. 1hey Lend Lo depend on male members accompanylng women
enLrepreneurs for flnallzlng pro[ecLs proposed by women and almosL lnvarlably lnslsL on
guaranLees from males ln Lhe famlly. 1hese degradlng procedures should be scrapped and
guaranLees soughL for any enLrepreneur, male or female, only where Lhe enLrepreneur on
record ls LoLally unfamlllar wlLh Lhe pro[ecL (ln whlch case Lhe guaranLee of Lhe person wlLh
experLlse may be Laken) or has lnadequaLe neL worLh. 8epeaLed gender senslLlzaLlon
programmes should be held Lo Lraln flnanclers Lo LreaL women wlLh dlgnlLy and respecL as
persons ln Lhelr own rlghL. A ma[or area of dlfflculLy for women enLrepreneurs ls markeLlng.
Several lnlLlaLlves have been puL ln place Lo remedy Lhls defecL. AL Lhe lnlLlal sLages women
prefer Lo be locked lnLo programmes LhaL ensure almosL LoLal markeLlng supporL, slnce Lhey
seldom have Lhe Llme or Lhe confldence Lo seek ouL and develop markeLs
Policy for Women Empowerment just on Papers
1here ls no dearLh of pollcles for woman empowermenL ln Lhe counLry. CovernmenL
documenLs are full of all blg sLaLemenLs abouL Lhe pollcy of woman empowermenL.
1he ob[ecLlves of Lhe declared pollcy of Lhe governmenL lnclude -
1. (l) CreaLlng an envlronmenL Lhrough poslLlve economlc and soclal pollcles for full
developmenL of women Lo enable Lhem Lo reallze Lhelr full poLenLlal.
2. (ll) 1he de-jure and de-facto en[oymenL of all human rlghLs and fundamenLal freedom by
women on equal basls wlLh men ln all spheres pollLlcal, economlc, soclal, culLural and
clvll.
3. (lll) Lqual access Lo parLlclpaLlon and declslon maklng of women ln soclal, pollLlcal and
economlc llfe of Lhe naLlon.
4. (lv) Lqual avallablllLy of healLh care, quallLy educaLlon aL all levels, career and vocaLlonal
guldance, employmenL, equal remuneraLlon, occupaLlonal healLh and safeLy, soclal
securlLy and publlc offlce eLc.
3. (v) SLrengLhenlng legal sysLems almed aL ellmlnaLlon of all forms of dlscrlmlnaLlon
agalnsL women.
6. (vl) Changlng socleLal aLLlLudes and communlLy pracLlces by acLlve parLlclpaLlon and
lnvolvemenL of boLh men and women.
7. (vll) MalnsLreamlng a gender perspecLlve ln Lhe developmenL process.
8. (vlll) LllmlnaLlon of dlscrlmlnaLlon and all forms of vlolence agalnsL women and Lhe glrl
chlld, and
9. (lx) 8ulldlng and sLrengLhenlng parLnershlps wlLh clvll socleLy, parLlcularly womens
organlzaLlons.
1hough a scheme of gender budgeLlng has been lnLroduced ln a llmlLed way, whereby aLLempL
ls belng made Lo somehow assess Lhe amounL of expendlLure made for women developmenL,
buL Lhere ls hardly any aLLempL Lo have a meanlngful assessmenL of Lhe lmpacL of governmenL
pollcy on Lhe condlLlon and sLaLus of women. We need Lo change Lhe mlndseL and dlrecLlon of
pollcy maklng, and have a comprehenslve framework for women empowermenL, capable of
addresslng Lhe dlfflculLles faced by Lhem.