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| Global Development and Digitalisation ISBN: 978-93-93166-12-8 For verification of this chapter, please visit on http://www.socialresearchfoundation.com/books.php#8 |
Women and Sustainable Development |
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Surender Singh Yadav
Assistant Professor
Economics
Government College, Kanina
Mahendragarh, Haryana, India
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DOI: Chapter ID: 16895 |
| This is an open-access book section/chapter distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. |
Abstract Sustainable development is broadly defined as development
which meets the requirements of the present without compromising the ability of
future generations to meet their own needs for years to come. It should be
based on balanced economic growth, stability in prices, competitive social
market economy, full employment and improvement in the quality of the
environment. In the past few years we have witnessed rapid technological
changes and industrialization. Women can play an important role in this because
she is the main agent or actor in the society who can make this development as
sustainable one by making it beneficial to the larger section of the society.
This article has been designed to understand the challenges and opportunities
for women, how women can act as an agent or actor in the society and to
highlight the contribution of women in sustainable development. The current pattern of growth has increased inequalities
in wealth and income worldwide, across and between the nations. The challenges
of financing sustainable development goals and monitoring and ownership if
handled properly can become opportunities for the women. Gender equality can
lead to sustainable development and can reinforce each other in powerful ways.
Government and other agencies should focus on women as critical agents for
community adaptation and to climate change. Women are central actors in
pathways to sustainability and green transformation. The lead of women in green
leadership, Role in Swachh Bharat Mission, Navdanya Movement, Chipko Movement –
Women Tree Huggers and Green Belt Movement have proved that women is an
important agent or actor in the society. One of the first environmentalist
movements which was inspired by women was the Chipko movement (Women
tree-huggers in India). Women have demonstrated their engagement in
environment-friendly activities. The ASHA workers (Accredited Social Health
Activists) have played a crucial role in improving the health of women and
children. According to Economic survey of 2017-18 due to urban migration of men
there is feminization of agriculture sector which involves the role of women as
cultivators, entrepreneurs and labourers. Women play a decisive role in
ensuring food security and in safeguarding local agro biodiversity. Key Words: Sustainable, Agent,
Environmentalist, Feminization, Biodiversity. Introduction Sustainable development is broadly defined as development
which meets the requirements of the present without compromising the ability of
future generations to meet their own needs for years to come. It should be a
key principle for all policies and actions of the government which are based on
freedom, democracy and respect for fundamental rights, fostering equality of
opportunity and solidarity. Sustainable development should be based on
balanced economic growth, stability in prices, competitive social market
economy, full employment and improvement in the quality of the environment. Women in the society fulfill the primary responsibility
for nutrition, child care and household management in almost all countries.
They play an important role in environmental management, as farmers, animal
tenders, and water and fuel collectors. Despite their major role in the
society, they are not adequately made part of the decision-making processes
related to the issues of environment and development at local, national or at
international levels. Their expertise, knowledge and perspectives are
overlooked for the years in the society.[1] In the past few years we have witnessed rapid
technological changes and industrialization. This has made the world to
progress at a rapid pace. This has raised many questions in front of the
society that are we actually developing or only growing, are the benefits of
development passed on the lower level of the society, is there any contribution
of women in this development? If we can find the answer of these questions then
only we can say that this growth has converted in development and will lead to
sustainability. Women can play an important role in this because she is the
main agent or actor in the society who can make this development as sustainable
one by making it beneficial to the larger section of the society. This article has been designed to understand the
challenges and opportunities for women, how women can act as an agent or actor
in the society, to highlight the contribution of women in sustainable
development. 2. Objectives of the
study: The main objectives of the study are as follows: 1. To discuss the Challenges and Opportunities for women. 2. To study the role of women as an agent of change in
the society. 3. To highlight the role of women in
Sustainable Development. Methodology The present study is based on secondary data. They
are collected from different publications of Government and private, books,
magazines, websites and various reports. The descriptive methodology has been
adopted to analyze the data and find the results on various issues and
challenges, women as an agent for the society and its role in sustainable
development of the economy. The conclusions and suggestions have been made on
the basis of these analyses. Review of Literature Despite the multiple roles of women in domestic work,
food production, family occupation and child caring generally they experience
the worst severities of extreme poverty. But in this era of rapid change in
globalization and technology we cannot think for the society as well as economy
to have sustainable development. Therefore an attempt has been made here to
review the literature on women and sustainable development to make this effort
more meaningful and effective. Fernandez et al. (2021) reviewed 28 papers from the Web
of Science published during 1980–2021. Most of the publications focus on gender
differences, impact on economy, social, and environment, and tourism (articles
reported involvement of female entrepreneurship, especially in the tourism
sector). The findings suggest that firms headed by women were more oriented
towards sustainability as compared to the firms headed by male and those firms
have high propensity to development due to their added values, quality of
services offered and impact on the environment.[2] United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development,
“The future we want” (2012), the document focused on the recognition of the
importance of gender equality and women’s empowerment across the three pillars
of sustainable development, economic, social and environmental. It resolves to
promote gender equality and women’s full participation in sustainable
development policies, programmes and decision-making at all levels.[3] Santos et al. (2018) and Deng et al. (2020) reveal a fast
rise in entrepreneurship studies on women from 2014 onwards. Such insights
would be beneficial for assessing research advancement in this area and
identifying gaps and opportunities for the advancement of women entrepreneurs’
contribution to sustainable development.[4] Manolova et al. and Popovic’-Pantic´ et al. (2020) report
shows that women entrepreneurs significantly improved the revenues by pivoting
from an offline wholesale model to an online model. Such findings tend to
challenge the traditional narratives from past literature, in which women
entrepreneurs are assumed to be non-adopters of information technology.[5] United Nations and World Bank studies show that focusing
on women in development assistance and poverty reduction strategies leads to
faster economic growth than ‘gender neutral’ approaches.[6] Challenges and Opportunities for Women: The dominant pattern of growth and development are
unsustainable in terms of economic, social and environment. It has led to
insecure livelihoods with billions of peoples living in extreme poverty in the
world and even without access to the basic services and social protections.[7] The
consequences of unsustainability and gender inequality are deeply rooted in the
dominant economy. The current pattern of growth has increased inequalities in
wealth and income worldwide, across and between the nations.[8] The challenges
of financing sustainable development goals and monitoring and ownership if
handled properly then they can become opportunities for the women. The knowledge of women is equally important for building
more economically, socially and environmentally sustainable path to manage and
adapt to climate change, production and access to food as well as to ensure
sustainable water, sanitation and energy services. Thus government and other
agencies should focus on women as critical agents for community adaptation and
to climate change. Despite some of the challenges in front of the women
which have lead to unsustainability, there are some opportunities also. We have
ample examples around the world that lead towards sustainability and gender
equality. Some of these are emerging from their everyday practices of
accessing, controlling, using and managing forests, soils water that sustain
their livelihoods and enhance their well-being. Several opportunities have been
created by the government of India through their different schemes at domestic
as well as at work place. These opportunities have opened different path for
women to confirm their role in the development of the country. The schemes of
the government have made the development sustainable one and have defined the
role of women. Women are central actors in pathways to sustainability
and green transformation. Gender equality can lead to sustainable development
and can reinforce each other in powerful ways. Women as an Agent or actor of Change in the Society Women are effective actors or agents of change in
relation to both mitigation and adaptation in the society. The discussions here
will mainly focused on how susceptible they are to climate change and how their
knowledge and expertise can be used for better programmatic outcomes which will
provide economic empowerment to women and will lead to sustainable development.
The following points here will highlight the role of woman as an actor or agent
of change in the society. Green Leaderships The tribal women from Udaipur, Rajasthan were transformed
into green entrepreneurs for making solar lamps. Women in the Barefoot College
in Tilonia, Rajasthan also trained to manufacture solar panels in a 6-month
programme. Such efforts need to be replicated and scaled up into viable
business models to turn women into green leaders.[9] Role in Swachh Bharat Mission The role of women can be best seen in the context of the
Swachh Bharat Mission which aims to create an open defecation free India by 2019.
Women understand the health benefits of clean ways and sanitation; they clinch
the need for toilets and the risks to their security. The women sarpanchs in
many states have scripted success stories and made a difference in their
villages by building toilets and creating awareness. Government subsidy have
made microfinance an important instrument. Women are at the leading role in
these interventions with credit being directed to women self-help groups
(SHGs).The success of the micro-lending programme by Gramalaya in Trichy, Tamil
Nadu, highlights how the development of loan fund for water and sanitation and
the mobilization of women’s SHGs are able to reduce barriers in their path of
creating credit and increase investment in these facilities. Women and Navdanya Movement Amrita Devi had sacrificed their life for protection of
the trees in Uttarakhand. Vandana Shiva and others have also contributed in
environment conservation and protection. They had organized women and people
through this movement of 1982. The technological advancement and pressure of
population are continuously putting a strain on the environment and on
country’s natural resources. Their over-exploitation has resulted in
degradation of resources mainly due to industrial pollution, soil erosion,
deforestation and urbanization. Therefore, safeguarding and promotion of
environment cannot be done without the involvement of the women in planning and
training. Hence, an attempt has been made to assess the role of women in
sustaining environment which leads to sustainable development. Chipko Movement – Women Tree Huggers The Chipko movement called women tree huggers in India
was the first environmentalist movement which was inspired by women. The
movement was an act against the state government's permission given to a
corporation for commercial logging. The women of the village did not allow to
cut the trees in order to safeguard their lifestyles which was largely
dependent on these forests. Deforestation was not in the favour of anyone but
only women fought to save the forests. This shows that how the women had made
the environment sustainable by playing a leading role. Green Belt Movement The Nobel Prize winner Wangari Maathai founded this
movement on the World Environment Day in June 1977. The starting ceremony was
very simple with plantation of seven trees by few women in Maathai’s backyard.
The participant in this movement planted 30 million trees on public and private
lands by 2005. The aim of Green Belt movement was to bring environmental
restoration along with society's economic growth. This also empowered the rural
women through environmental preservation. This problem started because men
wanted to cut the trees to use them for industrial purposes while women wanted
to keep them since it was their food resource and deforestation was a survival
matter for local people. Women and Sustainable Development The United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development
in June 2012, convened more than 100 heads of state to begin development of
Sustainable Development Goals, which would reduce poverty while preserving the
environment. Unfortunately, the conference missed a historic opportunity to
affirm the critical link between investing in women and achieving sustainable
goals. Women support their families by earning wage, traditional knowledge,
maintaining biodiversity, and
ensure household. Women and young girls continue to suffer the effects of poor
healthcare, education, and discriminatory policies despite of these critical
roles. Government has also realized that role of women in the path of
development cannot be denied and sustainable development cannot be achieved in
the absence of women. The government has launched many schemes and set the
targets of future to confirm the role of women in sustainable development of
the country. To understand the role of women in sustainable development it has
been divided in to three parts, its role in Ecological Development, Economic
Development and social sector. Women Entrepreneurs in Ecological Development Women have demonstrated their engagement in
environment-friendly activities. They run their businesses in the ways that
minimize negative effects on the environment. Garbage disposal and waste
management are the key areas by which they can make the environment safer. The
extra income can be generated by using these methods. The inborn ability of
neatness and carefulness of women are significant reasons for environment
friendly. Women entrepreneurs promote green practices which lead to
sustainability. Activities of Non-governmental organizations appear to be
prominent in creating awareness of green practices among emerging businesses.[10] Women entrepreneurs in Economic Development India is a fast developing country and need to focus on
sustainability. The biggest issue today we face is the empowerment of women.
Educating and empowering women has proved again and again towards rapid
socio-economic growth. Women in India make up 7.5% of the world’s total
population. While certain development indicators show that the women are
getting more access to healthcare and education and their quality of life is
improving. This change is heartbreakingly slow. The World Economic Forum’s
Gender Gap Index shows India’s rank 113 out of 135. The sex ration has declined
from 927 to 914 females to 1000 males from 2001 to 2011. The women ranking in
economic empowerment is 0.3 only. This is not a good state of affairs for any
society. Denying women opportunities to realize their potential is a waste of
human capital and bar to economic progress.[11] Women are the foundation
of the basic unit of society – the family. They demonstrate great innovation,
skill, intelligence, hard work and commitment in traditional roles also. The
education of women is therefore key area. But in a country where nearly 70% of
the population lives in rural areas, access to educational opportunities is
limited. Educating and empowering one woman can set off a chain reaction that
changes the life of her family and the community. The ASHA workers (Accredited
Social Health Activists) have played a crucial role in improving the health of
women and children. Women play a significant role in agricultural and its
allied fields. According to census of 2011, 55 percent are agricultural
labourers and 24 percents are cultivators. Women hold only 12.8 per cent of the
operational holding, which reflect the gender disparity in agriculture also.
Moreover, there is concentration of operational holdings (25.7 per cent) by
women in the marginal and small holdings categories.[12] According to Economic survey of 2017-18 due to urban
migration of men there is feminization of agriculture sector which involves the
role of women as cultivators, entrepreneurs and labourers. Women play a
decisive role in ensuring food security and in safeguarding local agro
biodiversity. They are responsible for integrated management. They must have enhanced
access to resources like land, water, credit, technology and training. Women Entrepreneurs in Social Development. The role of women in social development can be best
understood with the following points: (I) The Role of Women as Educators Women have made the society to transit from preliterate
to literate. Basic education is the key factor to a nation’s ability to develop
and achieve sustainability targets. Education can improve agricultural
productivity, enhance the status, reduce population growth rates, enhance
environmental protection and the standard of living. The role of
women is at the front end of the chain of improvements leading the community
towards long-term capacity. (II) The Role of Women as Caretakers Women are the primary caretakers of the families in every
country of the world. They always take the lead in helping the family in case
of economic and political changes. They play a key role in
supporting their families and community in achieving food and nutrition
security and improving rural livelihoods and overall well being of the society.[13] (III) The Role of Women in the Workforce Women’s role as formal and informal labour can transform
a community from a relatively autonomous society to a participant in the
national economy. Despite significant obstacles, women’s small businesses in
rural developing communities can form a networked economic foundation for
future generations. The role of women has expanded exponentially in recent
decades. International Women’s Day 2017 focuses on “Women in the Changing World
of Work: Planet 50-50 by 2030.” This theme was chosen to question how to accelerate
the 2030 Agenda. Women’s opportunities are still lagging behind those of men
worldwide. But, the current role of women is indisputable.[14] Conclusions It could be concluded from this study that women play a
big role in contributing to development like their male counterparts. They are
responsible for meeting majority of the family needs but still they have played
a major role in sustainable development. The efforts made by them are now being
recognized and not invisible. Thus government and other agencies should focus
on women as critical agents for community adaptation and to climate change. The
opportunities provided by the government have opened different path for women
to confirm their role in the development of the country. They are central
actors in pathways to sustainability and green transformation. The tribal
uneducated women from Udaipur and Barefoot College in Tilonia, Rajasthan have
transformed into green entrepreneurs by making solar lamps and solar panels.
The women sarpanchs in many states have scripted success stories and made a
difference in their villages by building toilets and creating awareness. Women
have contributed in environment conservation and protection. They had organized
other women and people through the Navdanya movement of 1982. One of the first
environmentalist movements which was inspired by women was the Chipko movement
(Women tree-huggers in India). The movement was an act against the state
government's permission given to a corporation for commercial logging. The aim
of Green Belt movement which was found by the women was to bring environmental
restoration along with society's economic growth. Women run their businesses in
the ways that minimize negative effects on the environment. Thus the role of
women in sustainable development is indispensable and cannot be denied. Suggestions Based on the results of the study, the following
suggestions are made: 1. Existing women organizations in the rural and urban
areas can easily be used as platforms to educate women to participate fully in
sustainable development, especially through green consumerism. 2. To ensure participation of women in National economy
government should provide opportunities to them for capacity building in
relation to business development and innovative entrepreneurs. 3. Environmental education is required to change in
attitude of the people and impact specific knowledge for sustainable
development. 4. Government should take initiative to ensure gender
equity regarding access and control of resources and in entrepreneurship. 5. Women education and access to education should be
given policy priority by the Government. References: 1. Kumar Arvind (2012), Women and sustainable
development - Women’s empowerment is a key factor for achieving sustainable
economic growth. |