“Why am I not allowed even to be born?” Measuring Social Development Using Gendered Indicators and Empowerment Evaluation

Abstract

Status of women in a society is very much embedded in the theories of economics, psychology, and sociology. Current research explores how social beliefs impact women and their lives in society. In an effort to quantify this impact a social development index is developed using secondary data on indicators like sex ratio, literacy ratio, average household size, population to area ratio and population growth rate as proxies of right to live, right to education, average responsibility share, right of mobility and right to birth control respectively. Furthermore, the current study explored the relationship of social development level per district to the perception of women in that district about their level of empowerment. Using correlation analysis, this social development index is then studied in relation to the women empowerment index built using participatory perception primary data. This study highlights those dimensions of empowerment most valued by the women and their complex relationship to the social ideology of women. Wealth of insight has emerged for future policymaking about empowering women.