This brief describes the poverty andsocial exclusion of Women in India. The last few decadeshave seen remarkable progress in the status of women andgirls, yet the cultural roots of gender inequality are stillstrong and affect a range of outcomes. The high salaries andindependent lifestyles of women in urban India have capturedpublic imagination. Yet progress has been very uneven andslower than would have been expected based on India’s levelsof per capita income. Females still have an overall survivaldeficit in childhood and during their reproductive years andare severely disadvantaged in the labor market. Inequalitiesin wages are a disincentive for women to work, but theyclearly want work!. The Mahatma Gandhi National RuralEmployment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) is an example of aprogram that explicitly seeks to provide paid work to poorwomen. The scheme mandates that at least one-third ofworkers should be women and makes several provisions toenhance the participation of women. Threats to women’ssecurity also influence the ability of women to accessmarkets and services and claim spaces for themselves. Thisis an area in which policy can have a huge effect. Makingpublic spaces safe for women is a major step forward inenhancing women’s access to these spaces.
PDF
download
878987797
028-85220240
