Gender equality is a human right first and foremost. A woman has the right to live in dignity, free from hunger and fear. Women’s empowerment is also a critical strategy for achieving development and alleviating poverty. Women who are empowered increase the health and productivity of their families and communities, as well as the chances for the next generation. Gender equality is one of the eight Millennium Development Goals, which emphasises its relevance. Gender equality is seen as a prerequisite for accomplishing the remaining seven goals. Discrimination against women and girls, however, remains the most ubiquitous and persistent type of inequality, including gender-based violence, economic discrimination, reproductive health disparities, and harmful cultural practises.
During and after humanitarian crises, particularly armed conflicts, women and girls face huge challenges. Several organisations and institutions have advocated for women, pushing for legal and policy reforms, gender-sensitive data gathering, and sponsoring programmes that improve women’s health and broaden their life options. Women are still far more likely than men to be poor and illiterate, despite numerous international agreements asserting their human rights.
They have fewer access to medical care, home ownership, financing, training, and employment than men. They are significantly less likely to participate in politics and far more likely to be victims of domestic abuse than men. The ability of women to manage their own fertility is critical to their empowerment and equality. When a woman is capable of planning her family, she is capable of planning the rest of her life. She can be more productive when she is healthy. And when her reproductive rights are promoted and protected, she has the freedom to participate more fully and equitably in society. This includes the right to choose the number, timing, and spacing of her children, as well as the right to make reproductive decisions free of discrimination, coercion, and violence. Gender equality refers to a society in which men and women have equal access to opportunities, outcomes, rights, and responsibilities in all areas of life. Women’s empowerment, with a focus on detecting and redressing power disparities and allowing women more liberty to manage their own lives, is a vital part of advancing gender equality.
Equality exists between men and women when both sexes are able to share equally in the distribution of power and influence, have equal possibilities for financial independence through job or business ownership, and have equal access to education and the opportunity to pursue personal goals. Women’s empowerment is essential for long-term development and the fulfilment of all human rights. Family size tends to be large where women’s status is low, making it more difficult for families to survive. When population, development, and reproductive health programmes focus on women’s educational possibilities, status, and empowerment, they are more ef02dddfective.
Women are subjected to numerous constraints in society. They are supposed to move in a certain manner, speak in a certain manner, and act in a specific manner. Women’s self-esteem is lowered as a result, and this behaviour is passed down from generation to generation. Society has been unable to grow as a result of women’s inability to make independent judgments. The country’s economic sector is the hardest hit. How? Women are unable to obtain an education or work because they are not permitted to do so. As a result, they remain at home and perform household duties. As a result, human capital and resources that may be employed for the advancement of societies are squandered. Women were not allowed to vote in the past, which led to a misleading sense of majority voting.
CONCLUSION:-
Understanding the need of women’s empowerment is critical, but taking action to achieve it is even more critical. As previously indicated, the first and most important stage is to begin with households. If there is a change in the household, society will gradually alter, and the government will be forced to enact tighter regulations as a result. The government has already established legislation for women’s equality and reservation in many areas, but it must ensure that these laws are properly implemented. Although the ever-changing modern world is a vibrant place to live, it is not the greatest! Sexual discrimination issues persist to this day. Women’s empowerment is required to effect change. Women’s empowerment is the solution to many of society’s current challenges. It is unquestionably time to make significant changes!