Empowering Women at Grassroots – A Case Study Analysis on Aspirational Districts

Abstract

Women from indigenous and grassroots communities are the caretakers of traditional knowledge and are vital to the livelihoods, resilience, and culture of their communities. Due to gender-based discrimination, social norms, and unequal access to education, women in rural areas, confront challenges, while engaging in economic activity. The role of women in the economic development must be strengthened at the grassroots levels, in order to reduce poverty, improve health and education to achieve other developmental goals. To bring decision-making closer to the local level, to understand the importance of participation promoting growth of employment, with an aim at reducing poverty and inequality, and to assess India’s performance in achieving sustainability by 2030, we have taken three case studies from poor and backward aspirational districts, to examine women empowerment through sustainable institutional approach. The present study explores, how the social status and income generation of the women along with the community improved, with the support and assistance of institutional interventions. The study tries to investigate the efforts made by various institutions through the recently launched Aspirational Districts programmes, by strengthening the grassroots and empowering the rural women through skilling, creating the entrepreneurial intent in the women, and social engagement among local actors, which can lead to community development.