Rural Women Empowerment Through Political Participation and its Social Impact -A case study of Distr

International Research Journal of Engineering and Technology (IRJET)

e-ISSN: 2395-0056

Volume: 09 Issue: 12 | Dec 2022 www.irjet.net p-ISSN: 2395-0072

Rural

and its Social Impact -A case study of District Gwalior (Madhya Pradesh)

Women Empowerment Through Political Participation

Name of Author : Junaid Ul Amin Bhat, Department of Political Science, Jiwaji University, Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh, India

Name of Supervisor: Prof.(Dr.) Anupam Gupta.***

ABSTRACT

In order to achieve positive developmental outcomes and well-being of life, empowerment is very important that in turn lies in the doing and being what one value and have reason to value i.e. agency. Empowerment makes a powerful point for enhancing the agency of the individual in order to enable them to be an imperative agent of their well-being and self development. The concept of empowerment itself is very complex .The agency of women , her autonomy and women’s empowerment are the idea used on a wide scale in developmental literature and approach of capability . However still there exists substantial ambiguity in conceptualization of the above mentioned ideas. While well-being of women and women’s agency is sufficiently differentiated from each other, there seems to be a big overlap between the two factors that are agency and empowerment and between other two that are agency and autonomy. The present paper evaluates different conceptions of these ideas to distinguishably mark the overlapping zones and varying features of mentioned concepts of Gwalior- district.

KEYWORDS: Women,Empowerment, Well-Being,Autonomy,PanchayatGwaliorDistrict

1. INTRODUCTION

For sustainable development of society rural women play a catalytic role in order to achieve the transformationaleconomic,socialandenvironmental changes At all levels of decision making andthe involvementof womenandtheiractiveparticipationonequaltermswithmenon politicalbasis isessential tothe achieve theequality, democracy, peace and rural development also in the decision making process. their point of view and experiences shouldbeincluded. The leadership and role of rural women in mendingpolicies, laws,programsandstrategieson the issues affecting their lives. At local and national level, it is possibleonly when rural women shows political participation Political empowerment guides rural women to claim theirvarious rightssuchasright to land, opportunities, leadership and choices to their participation in shaping policies, laws, programs and regulations The political participation ofruralwomen andtheirempowerment is not only importantfor thestrengthening anations democracy, their fight againstthe marginalization, trivialization andoppression but also way totheir socio-economic aspectofdevelopment. Rural women’s arenot having the awareness of theirrightslikelegal and political rights, so they do not participate in political events of their communities andalsointheelections .Rural women are under represented in different institutions, leadership and governance and they barely have decision making power. The seventy third constitutional amendmentenact(1993)haveformulated the setting Panchayati Raj systeminthree-tier basisin rural area’s with the soleobjectivethatrevolutionary step in Indiaasa local self government unit because of powerful, capable and energetic panchayats. The Gram Panchayats, Janpad Panchayats and Jila Panchayat at Tehsil or Block level and at District levels respectively has given the power to the rural people that would have elected representatives regularly A decisive role in delivering services and planning development is playedbytheserepresentativesasper the local needs andconditions. Therewasanotherrevolutionary step thatthe one third seats for women were reserved, which was later on increased to fifty percent from 2009-10 by Government of Madhya Pradesh. the first state in the country which conducted the Panchayat Elections was Madhya Pradesh with the implementation of three-tier Panchayat Raj system in May-June 1994. Fifth Panchayat Election was conducted in 2014-15 successfully in the state. The following mentioned members were elected through electoral process for five years as 360487 Panch (Ward member), 6774Janpad Panchayat members,847 Jila Panchayat members and 22604 Sarpanch or gram pradhan. Due to pandemic (Covid-19) and some political reasons, the sixth Panchayat election had got postponed . It is proposed to possibly conduct in mid 2021. District Gwalior is located in the Northern part of Madhya Pradesh. Accordingto census (2011) data, thetotal population of Gwalior District is 2032036 having 46.3% percent of only female population. Gwalior district has historical association with its Industrial, cultural and political background. At present stage Gwalior district have 566 in habitant villagealongwith 298Gram Panchayats. Women plays an important role in the rural area of the districtin the rural economy asentrepreneurs , wageearners andfarmers . They also dotake responsibility for the well-being

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International Research Journal of Engineering and Technology (IRJET) e-ISSN: 2395-0056 Volume: 09 Issue: 12 | Dec 2022 www.irjet.net p-ISSN: 2395-0072

of theirfamilymembers including food preparation, children’scare, care ofeldersand livestock, and theyalsoplay an important role in the force work of agricultural practices. They suffer from immense poverty, they also suffer from overdependence on agricultural input and less productivity in terms of economy. Most of the women are indulged in leastincome workplaces of unorganisedandunrecognisedsectors,agricultureor other relatableactivities. Studieshaveshowna direct correlations between enhancing the women labour force participation anda increase in G.D.P. It is evident that the women participation in electoral process, women’s leadership quality and their decision making power will surely contribute to enhance the growth and development of the district via its involvement in various sectors.

2. OBJECTIVE

(i) Toascertain theRural Women’spolitical involvementof inPanchayat electionsat various levels. (ii) To recommend feasible solutions for political participation and empowerment of rural women inorderto enhancetheir benefaction for the development ofSocio-Economic factors of the district.

3. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

Thepresented studyismainly descriptive in nature. Thisproposedresearch paper is grounded on secondary data and information compiled from State Election Commission and Panchayat elections reports of Madhya Pradesh , Bhopal. This journal mostly focused on political participationof rural womenandtheirempowerment anditseffects on society. As per the report of Fifth Panchayat Election (2014-15)Madhya Pradesh Election Commission,thereare around13 Jila Panchayat members,100 Janpad Panchayat members 4301 Panch (Ward member)and256 Sarpanch (Pradhan), and electedfrom District Gwalior.Thereare 7 Jila Panchayat members,52 Janpad Panchayat members 2247 Panch(Ward member)and130Sarpanch (Pradhan)onlyelected from thefemalecategory.

Bygiving political empowerment torural women ,theycan think and scrutinize the current status ofwomen and recognize the social norms and limitations, which are big challenges in their success thatenables themselves to participate and make feasible changes in making of women friendly policies, programmes,laws ,regulations, and decision making process. They launch impactful measures to use their caliber for the Social as well as economic development and play vital role in increasing the G.D.P. The women representative leaders as Sarpanch member, Janpad Panchayat and member JilaPanchayat contributesin the developmentofvillage via various committeeswhich include development committee, finance committee and planning committee with the government officials collaboration. They will also playactive role in establishment of villageroads connectedto cities, intramural roads, facilities of drinking water , play grounds , Schools, Dispensaries, Toilets, and Anganwadi centres. They also concentrated onmanagement of waterresource andissuesrelated toenvironment

© 2022, IRJET | Impact Factor value: 7.529 | ISO 9001:2008 Certified Journal | Page545

International Research Journal of Engineering and Technology (IRJET) e-ISSN: 2395-0056

Volume: 09 Issue: 12 | Dec 2022 www.irjet.net p-ISSN: 2395-0072

that many women representative as a proxy candidateintermsoftheirpolitical participation They have not provided services to the coterie as per their will, capability and at ground reality. Rural Women representatives sufferfrom manyhurdles and obstaclesthatare,lack of education, poor skills, poor productivity, weak working conditions,constrained social protection, underrate and disordered work, societal customs and attributesand lowparticipationprocessofdecisionmaking at various level. Allthesehurdlesadobstaclescanbe vanished by taking certain measures in order to enhance political empowerment of rural women and increase their involvementinthevariouspoliticalprogramsandprocesses.Thesemeasuresmaybeas:

 Givethemawareness about the legal and political rights of Rural women and alsoabout electoral and political system, via education and facilitate theirparticipationandinvolvement in varioustraining projects.

 Eradicationof varioussocialand traditionalnormslikecaste, gender, religionandsexuality, disability can playa greatrole for more involvement in politicalprogramsandother societal projects

 To ensure the proficiency, Rural women can be inspired to enhance political participation of women and ingress to political processes related to elections and political occasions by organising seminars, training projectsand skill development projects.

 Women safety should be prioritized. Women safety may be achieved by involvement of various steps, operations and polices which help to reduce violenceongender basis . Women safety isonlyreachedwhenthereis safe spaceforwomen, autonomy from poverty, financial certainty andfreedom anddignity.

5. CONCLUSION

Indian women have take hold of significant march in every discipline of venture including various schemes from the past few decennium and mostly in the past few years Stillthereis alot tobe achieved. Rural Women’s political involvement and empowerment has given enough space for the buildingtheirself-belief, evolve leadership capabilities and makethemaware abouttheir legal and political rights. Adolescent girlsandother womenalsogets aware of their rights and provisions for the future via Women leadership . In order to ensure better approach for socio-economic development of the district – Gwalior, various steps related to female literacy and female education, positivehealth care, acknowledgement of their position and politicalempowerment shouldbecontinued Therural women areImmensely capable to comeupwith to increase G.D.P. ofthestateas wellascountryif constrains toequality aresolved

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[7] Panchayat Election Report(2014-15): State Election Commission, Madhya Pradesh Bhopal