EMPOWERING WOMEN AND ACHIEVING GENDER PARITY
Description
Abstract : Gender equality and women's empowerment have been major global concerns over the last decade. The empowerment of women—in areas such as information and communication technology (ICT), education, employment, political representation, and health and personality traits—is crucial to achieving gender equality. Change in society is gender equality and women's empowerment are cornerstones of sustainable development, and sustainable development cannot flourish without them. Thus, it is argued that achieving gender parity is not just a matter of basic human decency but also a necessary condition of and a measure of long-term progress towards a better world. It is also true that gender inequality is pervasive in all societies and that progress towards sustainability would be impossible until significant action is taken to address this problem. The need of establishing gender equality in order to build a more equitable and sustainable society and to empower women to better provide for their families and communities is also emphasised. However, the country's progress would be hampered if efforts to promote gender equality are not sustained. Stevens (2010) makes an intriguing point by emphasising that "high economic costs are growing and contributing to social disparities and environmental degradation throughout the globe. Most crucially, gender-based discrimination and inequities remain pervasive in India, despite the government's best efforts to the contrary. As a consequence, the gender gap persists and women's lack of empowerment slows the country's progress. Even while there has been progress in many areas, it is unclear whether or not this can be maintained. Therefore, this research highlights the importance of women's empowerment and achieving gender equality for a nation's long-term prosperity.