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B. Shadrach
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Amartya Sen suggests gender equality in terms of increasing human capabilities and enhancing opportunities for both men and women alike. He recognises that without equality in capabilities and opportunities, women cannot be on the same level playing field with men. In his vision for Mission 2007 and for the National Virtual Academy, M S Swaminathan goes a step further than Amartya Sen in setting higher standards creating an army of over 1 million knowledge workers in India, half of which are women from the grassroots as those who enhance capabilities of their community members and provide opportunities for their communities. Building capacity and empowerment of over 1.2 million rural knowledge workers in India one man and one woman in each village by 15th August 2007 is perhaps the most ambitious but highly effective engendering effect the world will have ever witnessed if only the multistakeholder partners responsible for Mission 2007 would ensure recruiting and empowering them. Such an effort will prove the social theorists right who believed long ago in rediscovering the role of women as agents of social change or the change-makers. The analysis of community based social capital by L J Hanifan cited in this publication will easily be manifested rightly so by women acquiring human capabilities through knowledge, skills development and opportunities.
While women are recognised as the change agents, they are seldom seen as the backbone of the national economy in most of the developing nations. In recent decades, South Asia has witnessed a shift from depending upon the so-called male-centric formal employment to women-centric informal employment. The phenomenon of feminisation of informal employment is interesting, as it tends to indicate a bias towards women, but in reality is only making their situation worse. The effects of globalisation and the networked world have only marginally impacted among women and have engendered development, mainly for those 78.4 per cent of the women workers in India that are engaged in the informal sector. The mechanisation of manpower without creation of new or alternative employment for the poor, affecting women more than men, has only resulted in jobless growth, and a growing urban and rural divide. Further, the situation is all the more precarious as women are unable to enter competitive markets, access credit and finances, and, access information technology. These factors add to their continued human and income poverty.
These trends need to be reversed through ICT-enabled marketing opportunities, knowledge empowerment and production capabilities among women. As we continue our journey in gender mainstreaming, the work towards achieving the Millennium Development Goals, the learning points from Beijing+10 Plan of Action review, and the national efforts in South Asia are welcome steps. The best example is the Indian Finance Ministers reference to gender in his budget speech on 28 February 2005: Last July I promised to consider gender budgeting. Honourable members will be happy to note that I have included in the budget documents a separate statement highlighting the gender sensitivities of the budgetary allocations under 10 demand for grants. The total amount in Budget Estimate 2005-06, according to the statement is Rs.14, 379 crore. Although this is another first in budget making in India, it is only a beginning and in course of time, all departments will be required to present gender budgets as well as make benefit-incidence analyses.
I am confident that gender sensitive policies and the use of ICTs among grassroots women in greater number will bring about a new world order, perhaps, resulting in recognising the power of womanhood in a healthy economy and the society at large.
B. Shadrach
Editor-in-Chief
Basheerhamad.shadrach@oneworld.net
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