ROLE OF EDUCATION IN WOMEN EMPOWERMENT & DEVELOPMENT IN SHAHDOL DIVISION, (M.P.), INDIA

Differences in access to human capital continue to be one of the most critical dimensions of inequality of opportunity. Some of the most striking inequalities are visible along the gender dimension. For education to be equalizing, it must ease restrictions on women’s life chances and increase the opportunities available to them. This paper proposes to investigate the potentially powerful role education can play in improving women’s lives by looking at the social/ gender/ economic empowerment effects of education. The paper uses data from household and labour force surveys from Shahdol division of Madhya Pradesh to investigate education’s role in women’s labour market outcomes. While the economic dimension of empowerment is important as it encompasses the ability to access lucrative and rewarding occupations as well as the ability to both earn and control an income, it constitutes only one aspect of empowerment. The socio-cultural, inter-personal, political and psychological dimensions are also critical especially given the cultural constraints posed on women’s lives in the central region of Madhya Pradesh. Although much progress has been made, much remains to be done. Whilst educational policy makers and planners have attempted to identify and overcome barriers to women’s participation. Finally, this paper proposes to go one step further to identify whether empowerment correlates with education.