GIRLS’ EMPOWERMENT WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO THE INDIAN CONSTITUTIONAL PROVISIONS

A SNAPSHOT FROM THE GOVERNMENT-SPONSORED SCHOOLS

Abstract

Indian women enjoyed equal status with men in all aspects in ancient ages where Rig Vedic ideologies were the fundamental base for the society. In the pre-Independence era the status of women in the society were fluctuating with the regnant and regime. Sometimes women became a constituent part of decision making and sometimes they were clutched under patriarchal subjugation and suppression. But after the Independence the Constitution of India indentures that there shall be no gender-discrimination in the country. The democratic nature of India is exercised via the gender equality practices but its consequence should reach all sectors in the entire nation. Keeping this prudence in mind, this study attempted to explore the awareness of girls of government sponsored secondary and higher secondary schools in Purulia, a socio-economically backward district in West Bengal regarding the Constitutional rights and legal provisions. Probability cluster sampling technique was employed to select 345 Secondary girls from class IX & Class X and 430 higher secondary girls from class XI & class XII and total 775 girls were interviewed face-to-face through semi-structured interview schedule. Analysis of their response showed that 91.6% (n=316) of secondary girls didn’t know about the Constitutional provisions and women empowerment was totally new term for them. However, 70.47% (n=303) of higher secondary girls were acquainted with the Constitutional provisions but concept of women empowerment was unfamiliar to 95.82% (n=412) girls. Girls admitted that subject combinations in the curriculum and inherent messages from the co-curricular as well as Kanyashree club activities helped them to gather information about the empowerment through legal provisions. It was revealed from their responses that girls’ access to physical resources as well as their participation in school activities and community programs was free from gender bias..