Empowerment of Women: cases from cooperatives in Tamil Nadu

Abstract

Women constitute about 48% of the total population of India and among them 51% are illiterate. Women in India are given back seat in socio-economic affairs. Despite literacy campaigns and other government welfare schemes, only 4% are employed in the organized sector. It adequately indicates that a greater part of human resources in India is not utilized for social development and economic progress. Empowering women will be an ideal step to uplift the socio-economic status of women and national development in the larger interest. Fifty respondents comprising of directors/ presidents of ten primary co-operative institutions covering four different sectors from Tamilnadu state were studied. The result of the study indicated that the performance of the societies have not improved after the board assumed charge. The contribution of the family to the cooperatives, political involvement, and family status were the factors responsible for becoming the president/ directors. There was no significant improvement in their economic and social status. But their attitude towards thrift has changed. For managing the society,90 percent of them depended on the society’s staff members for accounts, audit and co-operative law. It was found that the members, staff and officials, apex institutions authorities and customers encouraged and also helped the respondents. The respondents have tried to contribute to the business development, but due to bureaucratic hurdles, it could not be implemented. Forty-six percent of the respondents opined that they would not allow their children to involve in the co-operative movement. Even among the respondents who will allow their children, only 38 percent mentioned that they would allow their daughters to involve in co-operatives.