Exploring Regional Disparities in India through a Comprehensive Index of Women Empowerment

Women empowerment, often defined as the process by which women gain autonomy, control over resources, and decision-making power, is a key determinant in the socio-economic advancement of a country. In regions where women enjoy higher levels of empowerment characterized by factors such as greater participation in the workforce, political engagement, access to financial resources, and freedom from traditional patriarchal constraints, the correlation between empowerment and improved educational access and health outcomes is markedly positive. This paper explores to quantify the regional disparity in women empowerment by constructing a comprehensive women empowerment index (WEI) for 17 major states of India, based on three broad indicators i.e., women socio-economic empowerment, health outcomes, and access to education. For this, the study uses secondary data namely, NFHS-5 for the year 2019-21, published by Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India. With the ranking of states in WEI, a clear and concrete picture of disparities is found unwaveringly, thus making it a critical focus for policymakers aiming to achieve balanced regional development across the country.

⓿ Access to education ensures a greater participation of women in decision-making and economic activities.

⓿ Improved maternal health and reproductive rights indicate higher empowerment levels, leading to better overall well-being for women.

⓿ Workforce participation and financial independence also serve as critical indicators of women’s autonomy and their ability to influence societal structures.

⓿ The paper attempts to measure Women Empowerment Index (WEI) in terms of three broad indicators: socio-economic empowerment, health outcomes, and access to education.

⓿ The study constructs a Women Empowerment Index (WEI) to quantify the regional disparities across 17 major Indian states.

⓿ The study uses NFHS-5 (2019-21) data from the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India.