IIMA report on women's empowerment points to challenges posed by unpaid domestic labor in India

By Jag Jivan

The Gender Centre at the Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad (IIMA) has released a pivotal report shedding light on the state of women’s empowerment across India. This study focuses on the subnational (district) level in alignment with Sustainable Development Goal 5 (SDG 5), which aims to promote gender equality.

The report, titled “Women’s Empowerment at the Subnational Level: Towards Achieving Gender Equality (SDG 5),” was launched by Professor Satish Deodhar, Dean (Faculty), and Professor Vidya Vemireddy, Chairperson of the Gender Centre and a co-author of the study. It introduces the Women Empowerment Index, which provides an in-depth analysis of women's empowerment across various districts in India, offering new data and insights to further gender equality initiatives.

Utilizing a comprehensive database from trusted sources, the report evaluates women’s empowerment across four key areas essential for achieving SDG 5:

1) Decision-making autonomy and physical mobility,

2) Control over financial resources and economic empowerment,

3) Educational and informational empowerment, and

4) Work-life balance.

These domains reflect the diverse facets of women's empowerment, including decision-making capabilities, financial independence, and the balance between professional and domestic responsibilities. By examining district-specific data rather than broader state-wide trends, the report highlights the distinct challenges women face in various regions. These challenges range from limited access to education and economic stability to difficulties in achieving a sustainable work-life balance.

The analysis draws on data from the National Family Health Survey (NFHS-4) and NFHS-5 for women aged 15 to 49 across 705 districts, revealing a complex and varied landscape of women's empowerment.

Key findings from the report include:

In 67.5% of the districts, women reported progress in decision-making and mobility. There has been a notable rise in women's roles in decisions related to healthcare, household expenses, and the management of husbands' income, with increased percentages of women making decisions independently or jointly.
The ownership rights of women over assets such as land or housing rose from 29.09% in NFHS-4 to 35.00% in NFHS-5.
Despite improvements in literacy rates, only 46.1% of districts noted educational empowerment, and just 32.25% of women felt they achieved work-life balance, pointing to ongoing challenges posed by unpaid domestic labor.
The proportion of women completing higher education increased from 11.43 per 100 women in NFHS-4 to 14.42 per 100 women in NFHS-5, while primary and secondary education statistics showed modest improvements.
Engagement with mass media saw a rise, increasing from 69.12% in NFHS-4 to 76.24% in NFHS-5, indicating greater exposure among women to various media platforms.

During the report's launch, Professor Satish Deodhar emphasized the importance of men's involvement in household responsibilities to facilitate work-life balance for both genders. He noted, “Of the four parameters studied, work-life balance shows the least progress. Only about 32% of women reported they managed work-life balance effectively. Women's participation in the workforce is closely tied to men sharing household duties. The lack of equal household responsibility hinders women's engagement in the labor force. This report serves both as a measure of progress and a guide for future interventions aimed at enhancing women's empowerment.”

Professor Vidya Vemireddy highlighted the initiative's significance, stating, “At the Gender Centre, our goal is to provide a replicable methodology that allows various stakeholders to generate localized insights. This data-driven approach is crucial for tracking progress in women's empowerment and gender equality at local levels in adherence to SDG 5.”

The launch was complemented by a panel discussion on 'Women’s Workforce Participation,' featuring experts including Meha Patel from Zydus Foundation, Dr. Ranjitha Puskur from the International Rice Research Institute, Amrita Kumar from Dayal Group, and Rumjhum Chatterjee from the CII Centre for Women Leadership.

Additionally, a stakeholder dialogue titled “Realising Women’s Potential in Agri-food Systems” was held, addressing the specific challenges faced by rural women in agriculture and exploring transformative solutions to empower them across different regions of India.

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