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The status of women empowerment across rural-urban interface of Bangalore

University of Agricultural Sciences, GKVK, Dept. of Agricultural Economics, India

Abstract

The empowerment of women has become one of the most important concerns of 21^st century. But practically women empowerment is still an illusion of reality. We observe in our day to day life how women become victimized by various social evils. Women Empowerment is the vital instrument to expand women’s ability to have resources and to make strategic life choices. Empowerment of women is essentially the process of upliftment of economic, social and political status of women, the traditionally underprivileged ones, in the society (Rajeshwari, 2015). The present study endeavours to identify the level of empowerment of women across gradients (rural, transition and urban) of North and South of Bangalore. The study was taken up in North and South of Bangalore with total sample size of 1008. The collected information was analysed using scale developed by Savitha (2005) with suitable modification and an empowerment index was constructed by considering the variables viz., Literacy, Decision on income spending, Decision on income use, Decision on income expenditure on health, Decision on income expenditure on children, Decision on income expenditure on food, Decision on income expenditure on others, Women work, Status of women earning and Programme beneficiary. The minimum and maximum empowerment score that could have obtained by an individual respondent was '0' and ‘31', respectively. Categorisation of the respondents was done based on empowerment index i.e., Low, Medium and High empowerment index. Results indicated that, irrespective of the gradients, more than 50 per cent and 43.61 per cent of the women respondents were belongs to medium women empowerment category in North and South of Bangalore, respectively. Finally, Knowledge dimension (education or access to resources or income) plays a major role in the development of women’s empowerment and freedom to take decisions.

Keywords: Decision, gradients, North Bangalore, South Bangalore, women empowerment

Contact Address: Hamsa K R, University of Agricultural Sciences, GKVK, Dept. of Agricultural Economics, 560065 Bangalore, India, e-mail: hmmshamsagmail.com