Women empowerment through education

“Educate your women first and leave them to themselves: then they will tell you what reforms are necessary for them”………….Swami Vivekananda. „Women empowerment‟ is the process of enabling and developing ability or potential in women so that they can think and act freely, exercises their choice and control their lives and thereby reducing discrimination and exploitation towards them. It brings about upliftment of women in social, economic and political spheres where they are able to play an equal role at par with men in society. But women who constitute half of the population in India yet they have been subjected to the oppression of patriarchal order and suffered from fewer rights and lower social status than men for centuries. This widespread discrimination and exploitation of women evoke the need for empowerment of women. In spite constitutional guarantees, enactment of laws, initiations of social reformers, efforts by the government through different schemes and programmes and U.N.O.‟s directives, the equal status of women in India is not still achieved to the desired goals after 68 years of Independence. According to Census, 2011, 74.04% of the population is illiterate, comprising 65.46% females and 82.14% males. As per report of UNDP, 2013 on Human Development Indicators, women constitute 48% of the population in India of which 29% is national workplace and 26% women have access to formal credit. This situation encourages the present writer to find out the effective measures for women upliftment. Hence an attempt is made to depict the present scenario of women empowerment, its possible determinants and how education can be used as an instrument of women empowerment. This paper attempts to find out the possible problems faced and possibilities ahead in promoting women empowerment through education. Finally, it is realised that education enables women not only to acquire knowledge but also aid to help them to achieve economic security, social status, self- confidence, courage and inner strength to face challenges in life and reduces disparities and exploitation upon them. Lastly, a strategy of broad educational programme along with favourable attitudes of all concerned has been recommended for women empowerment.