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IIM Ahmedabad: The Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad (IIMA) has published a new report evaluating the status of women empowerment in India. Released by IIMA Gender Centre this report aligns with Sustainable Development Goal 5 (SDG 5). which focuses on gender equality and examines variations at the district level.
Titled Women Empowerment at the Subnational Level: Towards Achieving Gender Equality (SDG 5) the report introduces the Women Empowerment Index. It offers a detailed analysis of women empowerment across the country presenting new data and insights aimed at promoting gender equality in various regions.
KEY FINDINGS OF THE REPORT
Of the sample of 705 districts 67.5 percent of districts report women empowered in decision-making and mobility. There has been an increase in women involvement in decision-making, particularly regarding their healthcare household purchases and how to spend their spouse income. The percentage of women who make decisions either alone or jointly with their partners has grown.
The percentage of women who have ownership of their asset (land or house) alone or jointly with their partner has also increased from 29.09% in NFHS-4 to 35.00% in NFHS-5. Although women literacy rates have increased only 46.1% of districts reported educational empowerment and women respondents in just 32.25% of districts felt that they were able to achieve work-life balance highlighting ongoing challenges with unpaid domestic work.
Higher education: The average number of women completing higher education increased from 11.43 per 100 women in NFHS 4 to 14.42 per 100 women in NFHS 5. But primary and secondary education didn’t show very significant differences Furthermore interest in mass media has also surged from 69.12% in NFHS-4 to 76.24% in NFHS-5 with more women engaging with various forms of media indicating greater exposure to mass media (listening to radio, watching television and reading newspapers)
POSITIVE TRENDS AND PERSISTENT CHALLENGES
Despite some positive trends such as increased higher education and greater engagement with mass media Professor Deodhar emphasised that true gender equality would require men to share household responsibilities to improve women workforce participation. Professor Vemireddy noted the report potential to offer a replicable data-driven approach to tracking and enhancing local-level progress on SDG 5.
The report launch was accompanied by a panel discussion on women workforce participation featuring notable speakers from the Zydus Foundation International Rice Research Institute Dayal Group and the CII Centre for Women Leadership. Additionally the Gender Centre held a dialogue on empowering rural women in India’s agri-food system aiming to explore solutions for the challenges faced by women in these sectors.
The report offers valuable data and insights that not only measure progress but also serve as a roadmap for future interventions to advance women empowerment across India. By analysing district-level data this study provides policymakers with the necessary tools to implement more effective localised strategies to achieve gender equality.
Key Insights from the Report
The report introduces the Women Empowerment Index, a tool designed to measure empowerment at the district level across four key areas: decision-making and autonomy, economic empowerment, educational access and work-life balance. It draws on data from over 700 districts comparing findings from the National Family Health Surveys (NFHS-4 and NFHS-5).
Educational Empowerment: Despite improvements in literacy only 46.1% of districts showed substantial gains in educational empowerment. While higher education rates have increased slightly primary and secondary education figures have remained relatively stagnant, indicating that educational challenges persist.
Job Participation & Work-Life Balance: A critical gap remains in work-life balance and economic empowerment. Only 32.25% of districts reported that women felt they had a manageable balance between paid employment and unpaid domestic work. This imbalance, coupled with low participation in the formal labor market, hinders progress toward gender equality in the workforce.
Some of the most notable findings include
Decision-Making & Autonomy: 67.5% of districts report improvements in women decision-making particularly in areas related to healthcare household purchases and financial autonomy. More women now make decisions either independently or jointly with their partners marking a positive shift towards gender parity in household governance. Asset Ownership: Ownership of assets such as land or property has increased for women with 35% of districts reporting that women have joint or sole ownership of assets compared to 29.09% during the NFHS-4 period.
Expert Perspectives on Work-Life Balance and Economic Empowerment
Speaking at the launch Professor Satish Deodhar Dean (Faculty) at IIMA emphasized the need for greater male participation in household duties to support women workforce involvement. “Of the four parameters the work-life balance showed the least progress. Only about 32% of women reported they could manage a balance between job and home responsibilities. Men reluctance to share domestic duties continues to affect women job participation and overall empowerment,” he noted.
Panel Discussion on Women Workforce Participation
Following the report launch, a panel discussion titled Women Workforce Participation was held. Panelists included Ms. Meha Patel, Vice Chairperson Zydus Foundation; Dr. Ranjitha Puskur, Principal Scientist International Rice Research Institute; Ms. Amrita Kumar, Director, Dayal Group and Ms. Rumjhum Chatterjee, Chairperson, CII Centre for Women Leadership. The discussion focused on the systemic barriers preventing women from entering the workforce and the importance of institutional support for improving work-life balance.
Stakeholder Dialogue on Rural Women in Agri-Food Systems
In a precursor to the report launch the Gender Centre at IIMA hosted a dialogue on “Realising Women’s Potential in Agri-Food Systems”, bringing attention to the unique challenges faced by rural women in agriculture. The event explored innovative practices to empower women in this critical sector. The report offers a roadmap for future research and policy interventions, underscoring the need for greater focus on economic empowerment and balancing paid and unpaid work to increase sustainable progress toward gender equality.