Empowering Indian Rural Women Beyond Barriers

Abstract

Life is a struggle, and our rural women make this phrase true. Rural women are the combination of persistence, resilience, and hard work. They face unique challenges in their daily lives. They are the backbone of their family and community. Rural women work 24/7. Without taking a rest and without complaining about their health issues, they did not even pay to continue taking care of their family or animals or cultivation. According to our social structure, the head of the family should be men because they earn and provide for the family. Women take care of the kids, elders, and home. Women, in many instances, have a lesser or limited right to access education, healthcare, and employment opportunities as compared to men. If we combine the total unpaid working hours of women and the paid working hours of men, we will find that women work more than men. In fact, Indian rural women’s life is full of challenges and barriers. These are integrated and nicely woven in terms of religion, culture, and tradition, which are unable to resist. Indian Government with the support of State governments and their agencies, NGOs, private sectors, industries, and individuals, is still trying to uplift their condition. The Indian Government has launched many schemes and initiatives. Private sectors and NGOs are also trying, but still, there is some gap in achieving the target of rural women in the mainstream.