Abstract

Empowerment is the process of improving women’s economic and social status in society while simultaneously protecting them from all forms of violence. This study has been made in this to assess women empowerment and decision-making in the four southern states in India. According to the needs of this study, all of the data was taken from the fifth National Family Health Survey (NFHS-5). The major objectives of this study are: (i) To identify the socio, economic and demographic characteristics of women among the four southern states (Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala and Telangana); (ii) To compare women empowerment and decision-making in these southern states; (iii) To compare the type of violence against women in these southern states. In the states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Telangana, most of the women in the sample belong to the age group of 25-29. In Kerala majority of women belongs to the age group 35-39 and 45-49. About 23.6 percent of households are in the female headship in the three states except for Andhra Pradesh. According to household structure, more than half of them belong to the nuclear family in these four southern states. Regarding employment, more than half percent of the women were not employed in the past 12 months in all states. The percentage of women who are not employed was highest in the state of Kerala and lowest in the state of Telangana. Among the employed women majority of them are engaged in the non-agriculture sector. 91percent of women in Kerala decide how to spend their cash earnings, but in all other three southern states, this proportion is less than 80 percent. It is a positive indicator of women empowerment. Many married women are unemployed, and they do have not their own money, even though they have the decision-making power for how their husband’s cash earnings are spent. The majority of decisions are made jointly by husband and wife. The women in nuclear families have more autonomy in decision-making in all the states studied. Considering socio-demographic variables, the state of Kerala has a larger proportion of women engaging in decision-making than other states. More than three-quarters of women in all four southern states have a personal banking or savings account. Physical violence occurs at a higher rate than sexual violence in all of the states studied. Kerala women are subjected to less physical and sexual violence. Women’s educational attainment aids them in playing a substantial part in family decision-making. As a result, comprehensive measures to improve women’s educational status are important.

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Data Sharing Statement

Funding