Women Disempowerment in India at Sub-National Level: A Socio -Economic Analysis

Abstract

The study presents a comparative picture of disempowerment of women in India in 2015-16 with the same in 2005-06, using a comprehensive multidimensional approach that amalgamates several dimensions of women disempowerment. Using NFHS4 data we observe that women’s perception regarding ‘wife beating’, ‘lack of access to mobile phones’ and ‘afraid of husbands’ are contributing heavily towards incidence of women disempowerment. A comparison with 2005-2006 ( NFHS3) shows that at all India level even if the incidence of severe and considerable disempowerment has reduced, but a sizeable proportion of women who were not previously disempowered in 2005-06, has become mildly disempowered in 2015-16. However, some states like Punjab, West Bengal, Gujarat and Rajasthan were successful in reducing women disempowerment.