Advancement of Women's Empowerment in India

This editorial is based on “Short dresses, long lectures: Why men are still asking women to ‘go home’” which was published in The Indian Express on 07/09/2025. The article describes how a group disrupted a Miss Rishikesh pageant rehearsal in Uttarakhand, attempting to police women’s clothing and choices in the name of culture. The contestants resisted, challenging moral policing and highlighting the ongoing struggle against patriarchal control in India.

For Prelims: Female literacy rate, Female labour force participation rate, Beti Bachao Beti Padhao, PM Mudra Yojana, Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam 2023, Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act, Maternity Benefit (Amendment) Act 2017 

For Mains: Key Factors Driving the Growth of Women’s Empowerment in India, Key Barriers Hindering the Progress of Women’s Empowerment in India, Steps to Further Strengthen and Ensure Women’s Empowerment in India.

In recent years, India has witnessed a significant rise in women’s empowerment, reflected in greater participation in education, politics, entrepreneurship, and social activism. However, this progress has also sparked debates over culture, morality, and autonomy. Incidents like the disruption of the Miss Rishikesh pageant rehearsal in Uttarakhand reveal persistent moral policing and patriarchal control, challenging women’s right to self-expression. Addressing these tensions is essential to promote gender equality, individual freedom, and a society that genuinely respects women’s choices and aspirations.

What are the Key Factors Driving the Growth of Women’s Empowerment in India? 

• Increasing Female Literacy: India's female literacy rate was projected at around 70.3% in 2025, showing a steady upward trend thanks to government schemes like Beti Bachao Beti Padhao.  
  • Female youth literacy is even higher at 96% for ages 15-24, reflecting growing educational access.  
  • However, rural-urban and state-wise disparities persist, with states like Kerala and Mizoram having close to universal female literacy, while Bihar and Rajasthan lag behind considerably. 
• Rising Workforce Participation: Female labour force participation rate has shown encouraging growth, reaching 41.7% in 2023-24, up from under 30% a decade ago. 
  • Women's participation is increasing, particularly in the formal sectors, the gig economy, and skilled jobs such as IT and healthcare.  
  • Self-employment among women rose from 51.9% in 2017 to 67.4% in 2024, indicating growing economic independence and entrepreneurship opportunities. 
• Entrepreneurship and Economic Independence: Women-led Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) have nearly doubled over the last decade to about 1.92 crore enterprises in 2023-24.  
  • The share of women-owned proprietary establishments in India has risen significantly from 17.4% in 2010–11 to 26.2% in 2023–24, reflecting growing female entrepreneurship and economic participation, driven by initiatives like PM Mudra Yojana, Stand-Up India, and Mahila E-Haat. 
• Political Representation: As of 2025, women constitute approximately 13.6% of the Lok Sabha, with 74 women elected to the 18th Lok Sabha, reflecting a slight dip from 14.4% in the 17th Lok Sabha (78 women).  
  • Despite this, women’s representation in local governance remains robust, with nearly 46% of elected representatives at the Panchayati Raj Institutions being women, supported by several state-level provisions for up to 50% reservation.  
  • The landmark Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam (2023) mandates a 33% reservation for women in Parliament and State Assemblies, currently awaiting implementation post-delimitation. 
    • Increasingly, women politicians are influencing policies on gender equality and social welfare. 
• Health and Safety Improvements: Key health indicators for women have improved, with the maternal mortality rate declining to 97 per 100,000 live births and institutional deliveries reaching over 88%.  
  • Enhanced access to healthcare and government programs focusing on maternal and child health have reduced mortality and morbidity, contributing to women’s overall empowerment and life quality. 
    • Maternal Support Schemes like the Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana (PMMVY) provide financial assistance to pregnant and lactating women, improving maternal healthcare, nutrition, and overall quality of life, thereby contributing significantly to women’s empowerment. 
• Legal and Social Reforms: Awareness and implementation of laws against violence and discrimination have strengthened.  
  • Laws like the Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act, Nirbhaya Act, and amendments to sexual harassment laws provide legal support and deterrence, although enforcement gaps remain.  
  • Social campaigns have further increased reporting and empowered women to seek justice, fostering safer environments. 
• Cultural and Societal Shifts: Changing societal attitudes, urbanisation, and media representation have challenged traditional patriarchal norms. Women's increased visibility in various fields—politics, business, sports, and entertainment—and civil society activism contribute to shifting mindsets.  
  • Campaigns on gender equality and women's rights are slowly redefining cultural expectations and encouraging self-confidence among women. 
  • For example, in cricket, stars like Smriti Mandhana and Harmanpreet Kaur led India to its historic T20I series win against England in 2025, inspiring a new generation.  
  • Olympic performances by Indian women athletes elevate national pride and gender equality discussions. Prominent business leaders like Falguni Nayar (Nykaa), Roshni Nadar Malhotra (HCL Technologies), and Shanti Ekambaram (Kotak Mahindra Bank) are trailblazers, empowering women entrepreneurs.  
  • Political leaders like Nirmala Sitharaman, Mamta Banerjee and rising women’s presence in local governance highlight this transformative shift, collectively breaking stereotypes and fostering self-confidence among women. 

What are the Key Barriers Hindering the Progress of Women’s Empowerment in India? 

• Labour Force Exclusion and Informalisation: Women face systemic exclusion from formal employment, confining many to low-wage informal work or unpaid domestic roles.  
  • Over 90% of working women are in the informal sector, lacking social security and career growth, while India's female labour force participation remains nearly half that of men and below the global average of 48.7%. This entrenches economic dependency and vulnerability. 
  • The feminisation of agriculture in India is a significant developmental trend, with women now constituting over 42% of the agricultural workforce in 2025, a 135% increase over the past decade. 
• Political Underrepresentation and Tokenism: Women hold only about 14% of seats in Parliament (18th Lok Sabha), with even fewer in state legislatures.  
  • Political power is further diluted by practices like the “sarpanch-pati” system, where male relatives act on behalf of elected women.  
  • Though the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam 2023 promises 33% reservation, delays in implementation undermine genuine representation. 
• Health Inequality and Gendered Neglect: Despite improvements, systemic health barriers persist. NFHS-5 reports 57% of women aged 15–49 are anaemic, contributing to poor physical well-being.  
  • Maternal malnutrition and inadequate preventive healthcare limit women’s longevity and workforce productivity, impacting overall national development. 
• Educational Disparities and Skill Disconnect:  While enrollment has increased, learning outcome gaps, high dropout rates, and underrepresentation in STEM remain challenges.  
  • Gross Enrollment Ratio in higher education is only 28.5%, compounded by early marriages and inadequate support for women in technical/professional fields, perpetuating limited opportunity cycles. 
• Digital and Infrastructure Exclusion:  Digital access gaps, especially in rural areas, limit women's participation in education, employment, and financial services.  
  • The NSO survey reveals that 51.6% of women aged 15 years and above in rural areas do not own a mobile phone, highlighting a significant digital gender divide.  
  • This limits women’s access to education, financial inclusion, e-governance services, and employment opportunities, thereby hindering progress toward comprehensive empowerment. 
  • Also, the rise of digital platforms has introduced new forms of abuse, such as cyber-bullying, online harassment, and doxing. This creates a pervasive chilling effect that restricts women's use of digital tools for education and employment, linking back to Digital Exclusion. 
• Socio-Cultural Patriarchy and Stereotypes: Entrenched patriarchal norms restrict women’s choices around education, careers, and personal freedoms.  
  • Harmful practices like child marriage (23.3% of women aged 20–24  married before 18) and dowry continue despite legal prohibitions, reinforced by gender biases that undervalue women’s labour and agency. 
  • Moreover, women disproportionately shoulder unpaid care work, including household chores, child caregiving, and eldercare, resulting in chronic time poverty that limits their participation in education, employment, and public life. 
  • Critiques argue that instances of social vigilance highlight persistent patriarchal control over women. Events like the Miss Rishikesh pageant disruption, backlash in Rajasthan and Haryana, Sabarimala protests, and attacks on female cyclists reveal societal enforcement of restrictive norms. These underscore the need for cultural change, legal protection, and awareness campaigns for empowerment. 
• Gender-Based Violence and Safety Concerns:  With over 445,000 cases reported in 2022, crimes against women, including domestic violence, sexual assault, and dowry deaths, remain pervasive. 
  • Inadequate law enforcement and deep-rooted societal attitudes hinder effective protection, instilling fear that affects women’s public participation and mobility. 

What are the Key Provisions & Initiatives Supporting Women’s Empowerment in India? 

• Legal/Constitutional Measures: 
  • Article 14: Equality before law; prohibits sex-based discrimination. 
  • Article 15(3): Permits special provisions for women and children. 
  • Article 16: Equal opportunities in public employment. 
  • Article 39(d): Equal pay for equal work. 
  • Article 42: Humane working conditions and maternity relief. 
• Government Initiatives: 
  • Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana: Credit support for women entrepreneurs. 
  • Beti Bachao Beti Padhao: Promotes girls’ education and welfare. 
  • Mahila E-Haat: Online platform for women-led businesses. 
  • Mahila Shakti Kendra: Village-level skill development programs. 
  • Working Women Hostels & PM Awas Yojana: Safe housing. 
  • Maternity Benefit (Amendment) Act 2017: 26 weeks paid maternity leave, crèche facilities. 
  • Mission Shakti: Aimed at strengthening interventions for women's safety, security and empowerment. 
  • Drone Didis: Promotes rural women’s digital entrepreneurship and technology adoption. 
• International Conventions/Agreements: 
  • CEDAW (1980/1993): End discrimination; ensure equal rights. 
  • Beijing Declaration & Platform for Action (1995): Economic participation and empowerment. 
  • UN SDG 5: Gender equality and women’s empowerment by 2030. 

What Measures can be Adopted to Further Strengthen Women’s Empowerment in India? 

• Strengthen Legal Frameworks and Ensure Swift Justice: Implement fast-track courts dedicated to crimes against women as recommended in the Nirbhaya Committee report. 
  • Expand One Stop Centres (OSCs) under Mission Shakti for integrated support services—legal aid, medical help, counselling—with over 725 centres operational across India as of 2025. 
  • Improve police sensitivity through gender-sensitisation training and accountability mechanisms. 
• Promote Gender-Responsive Education: Enhance Beti Bachao Beti Padhao outreach for improving girl child enrollment and retention. 
  • Scale up STEM scholarships like those offered by the Ministry of Women and Child Development to increase girl students in technical fields, addressing the STEM gender gap. 
  • Introduce gender sensitisation modules in school curricula nationwide. 
• Expand Women’s Political Representation and Leadership: Expedite the implementation of Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam 2023, which mandates 33% reservation for women in Parliament and state assemblies. 
  • Develop Model Women-Friendly Gram Panchayats initiative (started March 2025) that trains women leaders in governance and builds leadership capacity at the grassroots level. 
  • Promote capacity-building programs for women in corporate boards under SEBI’s rule for mandatory women directors. 
• Ensure Comprehensive Healthcare Services for Women: Leverage digital health tools like Madhya Pradesh’s SUMAN SAKHI chatbot to provide real-time support to expecting mothers. 
  • Strengthen Janani Suraksha Yojana and PM Matru Vandana Yojana by expanding coverage and financial incentives for institutional deliveries and antenatal care. 
  • Address anaemia and nutrition through expanded ICDS and Poshan Abhiyan programs, prioritising adolescent girls and pregnant women. 
• Enhance Digital Literacy and Financial Inclusion: Expand PMGDISHA’s digital literacy training (over 60 million trained as of 2025), focused on rural women, linked with skill development and employment. 
  • Support the banking correspondents model “Bank Sakhis” that empowers over 6,000 women to provide financial services locally. 
  • Increase financing of women-led micro-enterprises through Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana (68% of loans issued in 2024 were to women entrepreneurs). 
• Support Women in the Gig and Informal Economy: Launch a national social security code extension to cover gig workers, with maternity benefits and health insurance, as recommended by the Code on Social Security. 
  • Empower self-help groups under Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana-NRLM, connecting 10 crore women in 9 million SHGs and providing microcredit access. 
  • Programs like Lakhpati Didis foster digital entrepreneurship among rural women, complementing initiatives such as Stand-Up India, which prioritises funding for women-led enterprises, enhancing financial independence and economic empowerment. 
• Develop Women-Centric Urban Infrastructure: Build new “Sakhi Niwas” hostels for safe accommodations of working women in busy urban centres, launched under Mission Shakti 2024. 
  • Deploy safer public transport solutions with women-only compartments and real-time monitoring systems, piloted in Delhi and Mumbai. 
  • Increase the availability of affordable childcare centres aligned with the National Creche Scheme to reduce time poverty and support working mothers. 

Conclusion:

As Jawaharlal Nehru famously noted, “To awaken the people, it is the women who must be awakened. Once she is on the move, the family moves, the village moves, the nation moves.” This underscores that empowering women triggers transformative change across society. To achieve true equality, persistent barriers must be addressed via holistic policies, quality education, accessible healthcare, and robust infrastructure. A sustained, inclusive commitment will enable women to become equal architects of India’s future, driving both social transformation and economic growth. 

Drishti Mains Question :

"Like unlocking a nation's hidden treasure, empowering women fuels social transformation."Critically analyse the multifaceted barriers that continue to impede women’s empowerment in India despite constitutional safeguards. 

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Q1.What drives the growth of women’s empowerment in India? 
Ans: Rising female literacy, higher workforce participation, growth of women-led MSMEs, improved health, political representation, and cultural shifts.

Q2.What are the main barriers to women’s empowerment? 
Ans: Labour exclusion, political underrepresentation, health and education gaps, gender-based violence, patriarchy, and digital/infrastructure divide.

Q3.Which legal and government measures support women’s empowerment? 
Ans: Constitutional Articles 14, 15(3), 16, 39(d), 42, PM Mudra Yojana, Beti Bachao Beti Padhao, Mahila E-Haat, Mahila Shakti Kendra, Maternity Benefit Act, CEDAW, Beijing Declaration, UN SDG 5.

Q4.What steps can strengthen women’s empowerment further? 
Ans: Fast-track courts, One Stop Centres, gender-sensitive education, 33% political reservation, digital and financial inclusion, healthcare programs, women-focused infrastructure, and support for entrepreneurs/gig workers.

Q5.Why is women’s empowerment crucial for India? 
Ans: It drives social equality, economic growth, and national progress, as empowered women uplift families, communities, and the nation. 

UPSC Civil Services Examination Previous Year Question (PYQ)

Prelims

Q. Which of the following gives the ‘Global Gender Gap Index’ ranking to the countries of the world? (2017)

(a) World Economic Forum    

(b) UN Human Rights Council    

(c) UN Women   

(d) World Health Organisation   

Ans: (a)

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Mains

Q.1 “Empowering women is the key to control population growth”. Discuss. (2019)   

Q.2 Discuss the positive and negative effects of globalization on women in India? (2015)   

Q.3 Male membership needs to be encouraged in order to make women’s organizations free from gender bias. Comment. (2013)   

Q.4 Distinguish between ‘care economy’ and ‘monetized economy’. How can the care economy be brought into a monetized economy through women empowerment? (2023)