6 Ways To Empower The Girl Child In India

If we truly want to empower a girl child, then the first step one needs to take is to identify the issues that are barriers to their growth and then take the necessary steps to remove them. 

6 steps that can help in empowering the girl child

If one were to truly analyse, the list of barriers that girls face across the world, particularly in India and especially in rural areas, there would be several. However, in that list, some stand out more prominently than others and tackling these on a priority basis would bring about change. 

Here are the 6 ways in which girls can be empowered:

1. Education 

When a girl is not given her right to education, she is kept away from her true potential. When households face financial crisis, the boys of the house are sent to school, while the girls are kept at home to handle domestic responsibilities. However, when girls are given a chance to go to school, they are not only able to make better decisions for themselves but also for those around them. Educated girls can also go on to get employment and should they become entrepreneurs, they could offer employment to others as well. 

2. Gender stereotypes 

Perhaps one of the biggest barriers to the empowerment of women worldwide has to be gender stereotyping – the society that we live in often creates bias based on gender. Women are not considered worthy of certain roles, they are not deemed fit for particular jobs and in rural India, they are mostly seen as a burden on the family, who needs to be married and sent off to another family, which is why investments in the girls of the family are not seen as viable. When merit and talent are given a higher ranking in comparison to gender, it is our society as a whole that will thrive! 

3. Health and well-being 

In rural India, health often takes a backseat, especially when it comes to women – menstruation remains a taboo subject and several girls are forced to drop out of school when they start their periods. Without proper sanitary and hygiene products, infections and illness become a common hassle. Women often don’t have proper medical support and assistance during pregnancy and childbirth, which could lead to major health problems. However, when women have access to proper medical facilities, they become healthier citizens of the country and they can keep people around them healthier too. For instance, a healthy mother will be able to give birth to healthy children and will be able to inculcate proper hygiene habits. 

4. Early marriage 

Even though the government of India has set an age limit on marriage, there are still innumerable cases, wherein girls are married off at an early age. This is seen most commonly in families from rural areas and where there are financial issues – by marrying the girl off, the responsibility of one person is reduced. However, marrying a girl off before she is mentally and physically ready could lead to problems later on – early marriages can lead to early childbirth and too many children. This is where the importance of girl child education comes into focus – when a girl is educated, she will most probably choose to get married at a later age, have children at the right time and perhaps choose to have fewer children. 

5. Bringing the community in

Everyone exists within a society and depends on their community – empowering a girl child cannot be done in isolation; the community needs to come together. It is believed that if a girl is educated, she might not find a suitable groom. However, the community needs to understand the benefits of educating the girls and only then will true nation-building happen. 

6. The role of NGOs

The role of NGOs in women’s empowerment in India and educating girls cannot be denied – with organisations like Educate Girls leading the charge from the front, things are starting to look up. Educate Girls helps identify girls who are out of school and helps enrol them in local schools. When you donate to Educate Girls, you are helping empower girls in rural India, who when given the chance to fly will soar! By identifying these barriers and helping remove them, we are building a better nation for ourselves and our future generations too!