Objectives: To study the status of women empowerment in different states of India and to examine its relationship with unemployment.
Methods/Statistical analysis: The study mainly depends on two data sources,NFHS-4 and EmploymentUnemployment Survey of Labour Bureau. Empowerment indicators are constructed using the 15 parameters given in NFHS-4. Percentile method, which gives the relative position of the individual, is adopted to evaluate the relative status of different states in terms of women empowerment. Further, Chi-square test is used to examine the relationship between women empowerment and unemployment,while scatter diagram is used to study the direction of their relationship.
Findings:Different states have shown varying performances in terms of women empowerment. Four states namely Bihar, Daman & Diu, Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh are the group of states which have the lowest scores in all the empowerment indicators, while Chandigarh, Kerala, Lakshadweep and Goa are placed in the top categories in all the indicators. Meanwhile, this study observed that women empowerment is significantly related to unemployment and per capita NSDP. It is also observed that the incidence employment among the women has negative impact on their levels of empowerment.
Application/Improvements:The concept of women empowerment is multidimensional, and determined by multiple factors. Thus, a holistic view is necessary while studying its nature and problems.