Browsing by Subject "Empowerment"

Now showing 1 - 11 of 11

Open Access
Analytical Study of Women Empowerment in the Light of their Social Status, Political Participation and Attainment of Education- A Myth or Reality
(University of North Bengal, 2021-03) Baruah, Jayanta
Since time immemorial women have been deprived of their fundamental rights and liberty. Resulting they are still remain backward. It has been realised that ignoring women participation in politics our democratic government cannot be successful. Hence, women empowerment must get top priority in contemporary time. The Government of India is taking some positive steps for women empowerment. So question arises about women empowerment whether it is myth or reality? In this paper the author will try to examine the status of women in society, attainment of Education, especially higher education and their participation in politics to examine their level of empowerment.
Open Access
Cooperation through CO-Operatives Upsurge Empowerment: Assessing the Key Economic Issues
(Rights Noida International University, 2023) Laha, Sidhartha Sankar
The main focus of the study is the role of co-operative in empowerment benefits. A Case Study of districts of the North Bengal region is based on primary information collected from a field survey. This study analyses the socioeconomic condition of members and non-members who are involved in co-operative. A descriptive research design has been used to fulfil the objective of the study. This research has been carried out in rural and urban areas about members of cooperation through co operative. A questionnaire, interviews, FDGs, and observation methods are employed as the main research instruments. A disproportionate stratified random sampling technique is adopted and data are collected from the study area. It is found that cooperatives were established as a strategy to sustain the livelihoods of rural communities. With the adoption of cooperatives, people in rural communities managed to generate employment, boost food production, empower the marginalized, especially women, and promote social cohesion and integration, thereby improving their livelihoods and reducing poverty. This study is an attempt to analyse the socio-economic effect of co-operative on male as well as females and their roles and participation in the women empowerment process. The study found that members were found to have been socially and economically empowered through the cooperative and were able to change their own status in the family, be involved in discussions in family matters with members, and feel stronger and more confident. Hence Cooperative movement is very essential to improve the socio-economic condition of the target population.
Open Access
Emancipation and Empowerment of Women – Barriers and Challenges
(University of North Bengal, 2022-12) Roy, Sayantani
‘It is perfectly natural for the future woman to feel indignant at the limitations posed upon her by her sex. The real question is not why she should reject them: the problem is to understand why she accepts them’ -Simone de Beauvior, The Second Sex Since time immemorial, women have been held in the shackles of mediocrity under the guise of domesticity. The notion of inferiority complex silently embedded in their psyche. The invariably assertive surroundings forcibly made an inevitable resolution to push her down the same path that her matriarchal lineage committed to ages since. The fear of obligation and guilt persisted in following her in the subsequent time, no matter how hard a woman attempted to break free from the confines that had been deftly built to keep her in place. The terrifying outburst of self-criticism is a product of the generational transmission of a mental process that endorses patriarchy and relies on the idea that women are in fact a subordinate category incapable of being left on their own. A key component of feminist definition and politics is empowerment, which became a buzzword in the 1970s among development agencies, is not without obstacles and challenges.
Open Access
“Equality and not about Equal Rights”: Redefining Fourth-Wave Inclusion and Intersectionality through the Digital Platform Agent of Ishq
(University of North Bengal, 2021) Hazra, Mousumi
The definition of the historically abounding F-Word, Feminism, is continuously being shifted from one notion to another, varying in accord with class, caste, and gender across generations. Starting with the website Everyday Sexism launched by Laura Bates in 2012, Fourth wave feminism has recently witnessed a paradigmatic shift from the previous waves of feminism. Currently, as we consider the fluidity of gender construction and interact with various forms of it every day, social media or representation of women on-screen has been one of the most influential factors behind constructing our ‘already gendered’ selves. As the applications of power disseminate the idea of empowerment, equality and freedom also differ alongside. Hence, today’s feminism looks up to a lot more exposure where people can put themselves out there without adhering to any kind of censorship or asceticism. This approach has been productively exercised through the online multimedia digital platform Agent of Ishq, directed and introduced by the filmmaker Paromita Vohra in 2015. This research will initially be focused on the way how some mainstream Indian movies, featured to be among the ‘top 10 feminist films’, formed the idea of feminism vis-à-vis how far the feminist implication through Agent of Ishq addresses and adheres to the current ‘wave’ of feminism in India. Keywords:
Open Access
Foraging the Nationalist Movement through Women’s Education: Decoding Savitribai Phule and the Cultural-reformist Critique of Caste
(University of North Bengal, 31-03-2021) Ghosh, Anamitra
Savitribai Phule is regarded as one of the towering figures of the nationalist movement for her pioneering role in women’s education which set the stage for the cultural renaissance of our motherland. Her passionate struggle for women’s empowerment, to build up the equality for men and women made possible for the growth of nationalist movement against the colonial rule. Savitribai dedicated her entire life to fight against the rigid patriarchal structures of the caste system with the help of her husband Jyotirao Phule through the establishment of the Satysodhak Samaj in Maharashtra that initiated the progress of women hailing from diverse corners of the society. The seed for social equality sowed against the practice of untouchability and cultural deprivation marked a ‘paradigm shift’ of such alternative principles with respect to tradition that brought women into the mainstream society. Sociologists interested in social movements have often conveyed about the guidelines of this “truth seeking” program as facilitating the creation a counter- ideological rubric of humanity that could be achieved only through the total annihilation of the Brahaminacal system. The present article intends to reflect upon Savitribai’s role in the work of this culturally homogenous and pluralist organization whose novel character helped in inducing a political upheaval replacing the patriarchal hegemony of caste by a new secure tradition.
Open Access
Hindu Code Bill - An Ambitious Dream of Dr. B. R. Ambedkar to Women Empowerment and its Disastrous Repudiation
(University of North Bengal, 2019-03) Bala, Babulal
As one of the makers of modern India Dr. B. R. Ambedkar wanted ‘to cleanse the rotten structure of the Hindu society and to reinvigorate it’ as per his ideologies of liberty, equality, dignity and social justice. Ambedkar places Man at the centre of his thinking, and his sole concern was the all-round development of Man irrespective of classes, castes, creed and sexes. He used to believe that solving human problems with the help of rational logic is more reliable than adhering to religious beliefs and dogmas blindly. Out of this feeling Ambedkar’s visions concentrated towards the ill treatment of women in our country and that’s why in his capacity as a first law minister of free India he took the task on his shoulders to liberate the women from their long societal bondage as well as enslavement. Though, his efforts were not materialized due to the vigorous opposition from various corners, in spite of that his whole hearted efforts to frame and pass the Hindu Code Bill is the shining example in the history of women emancipation in India. In this context an attempt has been made to trace out the importance of passing the Hindu Code Bill for the better future of modern India.
Open Access
Ignored Voices: An Overview of the life of the Women with Disabilities in India.
(University of North Bengal, 2022-12) Das, Tinku
It has been held from ancient times that men and women are not equal. Some socially prescribed identities have been forced onto both genders. Based on people's biological or physiological differences, performances, competence, retention, and other capacities, society has developed some negative conceptions and established some binaries such as normal/abnormal, able/disabled, fit/unfit, etc. In order to oppress women, patriarchal society has created separate standards for men and women. It views women as weak human beings who serve as spouses, mothers, nurses, and sisters. In a culture that is governed by men, women lack freedom and safety. Men have always held a higher standing than women and are still are viewed as more significant than women. There have been different waves of feminism with their own charter of demands regarding women’s rights but there was no particular demand for women with disabilities. It seems that women with disabilities have no purpose in this world and are considered as useless in the society. Even at the very onset the women who struggled for their rights and identities did not raise their voices for women with disabilities. Harlan Hahn, a disability activist and political scientist has observed that disabled women often encounter “asexual objectification”. Though the world of words masculine and feminine are categorized but women with disability have no category and have been deprived and treated as untouchables. The paper discusses this lack of voice in favour of women with disabilities that pushes them towards more uneasy world.
Open Access
Indigenous Women and their Tenacious Strive for Forest Rights - An Indian Perspective
(University of North Bengal, 2024) Rai, Ashima
In the forestry systems of developing countries, distinct roles are often assumed by men and women. However, women frequently encounter systemic disadvantages stemming from cultural norms, socioeconomic barriers, and institutional biases that restrict their access to and control over forest resources and related economic benefits. Despite their essential contributions to the sustainable use and preservation of forest ecosystems, women’s roles continue to be underrecognized and undervalued. Policies and legal frameworks that govern land and forest management, which disregard gender dynamics and fail to adopt a rights-based perspective, risk perpetuating the legal and social marginalization of women. Such gender-blind approaches exclude women from decision-making processes and deny them fair access to the advantages derived from forest and land resources. This paper critically analyes current legal provisions, particularly focusing on India’s Forest Rights Act of 2006, to investigate how existing forest governance structures adversely affect lowincome populations, especially women. It also proposes targeted reforms designed to strengthen gender equity, enhance women's rights, and promote both social justice and ecological integrity within India’s forest management practices.
Open Access
Islamic feminists’ view on muslim women’s equality and empowerment
(University of North Bengal, 2024-03) Khatun, Najmun
This paper aims to focus on gender equality, especially on women’s equal rights, opportunities and empowerment from Islamic feminists’ point of view. The Qur’an is generally alleged as a main source of women’s subordination or oppression. Islamic feminists argue that there is no single verse in the entire Qur’an that subordinates women. For them, the Qur’an is the main source of women’s empowerment and gender equality. However, the patriarchal society has interpreted and represented the Qur’anic teaching in a wrong way throughout the centuries. Thus, Islamic feminists rise with contextual interpretation of the Qur’anic verses to substantiate their own view. They show that male and female both are equal in all respects. They both are moral individual agents, and for this, they earn equal recompense for their duties. Islamic feminists argue that women’s empowerment is not possible if both male and female are not equally treated in rights and opportunities. Thus, they give importance to build gender equality in Islam.
Open Access
NGOs Working on Women Issues: Some Findings from Nanded District of Maharashtra
(University of North Bengal, 2017) Jadhav, Baburao Sambhaji
In recent times the number of NGOs working on women related issues has increased. NGOs are emerging as an alternative agent for social change and development. Therefore, NGOs are considered as agents and mediators between governmental agencies and communities. Governmental agencies also develop partnership with the NGOs and thus, they are called the third sector in the field of development. The study finds that these NGOs are negotiating with the community leaders, rural elites, caste and patriarchy when they are working over issues of women. Women’s mobility is still controlled by these socio-cultural forces and the NGOs adopt and profess a liberal ideology and perspective to negotiate with the societal structure.
Open Access
Participatory decentralised governance and empowerment: a study of women participation in the Gram Sansads of two selected Gram Panchayats of Jalpaiguri District of West Bengal (2003-2011)
(University of North Bengal, 2015) Sen, Rajiv,; M. Yasin,