WOMEN’S POLITICAL EFFICACY AND ECONOMIC EMPOWERMENT IN INDIA

Nagalaxmi M Raman
Associate Prof. Dr., Amity Institute of International Studies, Amity University Uttar Pradesh, Noida, India.  nlmraman@gmail.com

Abstract

The sense of efficacy develops with opportunities for participation which democratic systems provide.  Effective participation of the people is an indicator of true democracy.  The family, peer group, membership of various associations and political parties help in developing the sense of efficacy.  As the official and associational affiliation help in developing the sense of efficacy, the absence of these may also hinder it.  In any system educated persons being efficacious, feel that they have the capacity to mould the environment.  More often education and socio-economic status are not related.  Persons with higher socio-economic status have self-confidence.  Politics in the present day society is mainly a skill controlled area.  Thus, political efficacy and personal control are closely related, individuals having personal control perceive the political system to have great influence on their socio-economic and other personal pursuits.   For them firstly, the political system is the only source from which they can get certain benefits; secondly, the decisions of the political system may also be viewed as interfering their various pursuits and then thirdly, they have an obligation to be concerned with the political process.

Economic empowerment of women refers to employment and income generation through training and skill development with the main objective of making women economically independent and self-sufficient. This can be achieved by organizing Self Help Groups, confidence building, acquirement of new skills leading to self-employability so that woman can pursue vocations of their choice and capabilities thereby attaining their social economic betterment. Though official data helps us to understand the role and position of women in the labour market and assess the quality of their employment but increased work participation among women is equated with improvement in their economic status; occupational diversification is held to reflect better opportunities, migration from rural to urban areas is considered bad and even casualization; mechanisation is said to lead always to marginalisation of female workforce, and wage-employment (income) implies more autonomy.

Keywords: Economic Empowerment, Women, Political efficacy.


FULL TEXT PDF

CITATION: Abstracts & Proceedings of SOCIOINT 2018- 5th International Conference on Education, Social Sciences and Humanities, 2-4 July 2018- Dubai, UAE

ISBN: 978-605-82433-3-0