Role of Empowered Women in Viksit Bharat
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.56450/JEFI.2025.v3i04.002Keywords:
Women’s empowerment, Viksit Bharat 2047, maternal health, child health, life-course approach, GYAN framework, community medicinelife-course approach, community medicineAbstract
India’s vision of Viksit Bharat 2047 aspires to transform the nation into a developed, equitable, and prosperous society by the centenary of independence. Women’s empowerment is central to this transformation, particularly through its influence on maternal and child health outcomes. This narrative review and conceptual policy analysis examines women’s empowerment across the life course—childhood, adolescence, reproductive years, and later life—and explores its cumulative impact on population health and national development. Drawing upon national surveys, global health reports, and policy frameworks, the article integrates the life-course perspective with the GYAN (Gender, Youth, Adolescent, Nutrition) framework to position women’s empowerment as an intergenerational investment strategy. Evidence suggests that improvements in female education, economic participation, decision-making autonomy, and nutritional security significantly reduce maternal and child mortality, enhance human capital formation, and contribute to long-term economic growth. By aligning empowerment indicators with Viksit Bharat 2047 goals, this paper provides a structured framework for policy integration within community medicine and public health. Strengthening women’s empowerment across all stages of life is therefore not only a social imperative but a strategic necessity for achieving sustainable national development.
Downloads
References
1. Government of India. Viksit Bharat 2047: Vision Document. New Delhi: NITI Aayog; 2021.
2. World Bank. Gender equality and development. World Development Report 2012. Washington (DC): World Bank; 2012.
3. de Agostini P, et al. Life course approach to women’s health. Bull World Health Organ. 2016;94(7):483–492.
4. Ministry of Women and Child Development. Beti Bachao Beti Padhao Initiative: Progress Report. New Delhi: MWCD; 2019.
5. International Institute for Population Sciences (IIPS) and Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW). National Family Health Survey (NFHS 5), 2019–21. Mumbai: IIPS; 2021.
6. Black RE, Victora CG, Walker SP, et al. Maternal and child undernutrition and overweight in low income and middle income countries. Lancet. 2013;382(9890):427–451.
7. World Health Organization. Trends in maternal mortality: 2000 to 2020: estimates by WHO, UNICEF, UNFPA, World Bank Group and the United Nations Population Division. Geneva: WHO; 2023.
8. World Health Organization. WHO recommendations on antenatal care for a positive pregnancy experience. Geneva: WHO; 2016.
9. World Health Organization. WHO recommendations on skilled birth attendance. Geneva: WHO; 2018.
10. World Health Organization. WHO recommendations on antenatal care for a positive pregnancy experience. Geneva: WHO; 2016
11. Cleland J, Conde-Agudelo A, Peterson H, Ross J, Tsui A. Contraception and health. Lancet. 2012 Jul 14;380(9837):149–56. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(12)60609-6
12. UNICEF. Improving breastfeeding, complementary feeding and nutrition in infants and young children. New York: UNICEF; 2018
13. Bhutta ZA, Ahmed T, Black RE, Cousens S, Dewey K, Giugliani E, et al. What works? Interventions for maternal and child undernutrition and survival. Lancet. 2008 Feb 2;371(9610):417–40. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(07)61693-6.
14. UNICEF. Immunization coverage: are children around the world being vaccinated? New York: UNICEF; 2023. Available from: https://data.unicef.org/topic/child-health/immunization/
15. UNESCO. Global Education Monitoring Report 2020: Inclusion and education – All means all. Paris: UNESCO; 2020.
16. HelpAge International. Women in later life: Gender inequality and the rights of older women. London: HelpAge; 2018.
17. World Health Organization. Primary health care on the road to universal health coverage 2023: monitoring report. Geneva: WHO; 2023.
18. International Labour Organization. World Social Protection Report 2020–22: Social protection at the crossroads – in pursuit of a better future. Geneva: ILO; 2021.
19. UN Women. The Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action turns 25. New York: UN Women; 2020.
20. NITI Aayog. SDG India Index & Dashboard 2023. New Delhi: Government of India; 2023.
21. UN Women. Progress on the Sustainable Development Goals: The Gender Snapshot 2022. New York: UN Women; 2022.
22. World Health Organization. Core health indicators monitoring framework: global reference list 2022. Geneva: WHO; 2022.
23. International Labour Organization. Care work and care jobs for the future of decent work. Geneva: ILO; 2018.
24. World Economic Forum. Global Gender Gap Report 2023. Geneva: WEF; 2023.
25. ITU & UN Women. Bridging the gender divide: Measuring ICT and gender indicators. Geneva: ITU; 2021
26. UN Women. Turning promises into action: Gender equality in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. New York: UN Women; 2018.
27. Ministry of Women and Child Development. Status of Women in India Report. New Delhi: MWCD; 2021
28. UN Women. Flagship Programme: Making Every Woman and Girl Count. New York: UN Women; 2018.
29. de Agostini P, Lundgren R, Kohli N. Life-course approach to women’s health. Bull World Health Organ. 2016;94(7):483–92.
30. Cornwall A, Rivas AM. From ‘gender equality and ‘women’s empowerment’ to global justice: Reclaiming a transformative agenda for gender and development. Third World Q. 2015;36(2):396–415.
31. ITU & UN Women. Bridging the Gender Divide: Measuring ICT and Gender Indicators. Geneva: ITU; 2021.
32. Barker G, Ricardo C, Nascimento M. Engaging Men and Boys in Changing Gender-Based Inequity in Health. Geneva: WHO; 2007.
33. UN Women. Gender Equality Glossary: Monitoring & Evaluation. New York: UN Women; 2022.
34. OECD. Gender Equality and Development: A Multi-sectoral Approach. Paris: OECD; 2019.
35. WHO. Women and Health: Today's Evidence Tomorrow's Agenda. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2009.
36. UNESCO. Global Education Monitoring Report 2020: Inclusion and education. Paris: UNESCO; 2020.
37. McKinsey Global Institute. The Power of Parity: How Advancing Women’s Equality Can Add $12 Trillion to Global Growth. Washington (DC): McKinsey & Company; 2015.
38. Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. GYAN Framework: A policy for gender and adolescent nutrition interventions. Government of India; 2023.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Pranita Priyadarshini Nayak, Akanksha Tomar, Suneela Garg (Author)
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
