KARNATAKA - of Planning Commission

Gender and Human DevelopmentDespite the strongcorrelation between poorhuman developmentindicators and genderdisparity, there areother kinds of genderdiscrimination, which,perversely, are worse inplaces where traditionalhuman developmentindicators are good.Nowhere is this moreapparent than in theaversion to daughters,known otherwise as ‘sonpreference’.Table 8.1 reveals the sharp distinctions among thedistricts and the regions of the state overall. Whilethe districts of south Karnataka are generally atthe top of the composite index (with the exceptionof Davangere), followed by the districts of BombayKarnataka, the districts of Hyderabad Karnatakaare near the bottom of the composite index. Thesedistrict-and region-wise indicators are forerunnersof a scenario that is played out along a range ofother dimensions having to do with work andincome as well. 1Is gender congruent with poverty?Despite the strong correlation between poor humandevelopment indicators and gender disparity,there are other kinds of gender discrimination,which, perversely, are worse in places wheretraditional human development indicators aregood. Nowhere is this more apparent than in theaversion to daughters, known otherwise as ‘sonpreference’. The intensity of such forms of genderdiscrimination, as evidenced by worsening sexratios, oddly enough, is not correlated with poorhuman development indicators. Violence againstwomen is not always associated with regions of loweconomic growth and poor human developmentindicators. These phenomena suggest that genderviolence is assuming new forms as the economygrows. An improvement in human development,which does not always mean a commensurateimprovement in all forms of gender equity, canscarcely be regarded as a process that trulyenlarges people’s choices.Empowerment‘Empowerment’ has emerged as a key concept inpolicy discussions on gender over the last decadeand a half. The concept, in recent times, hasbecome so elastic that it has lost the dimensions,1An important caveat at the start of this discussion is the majorchanges in the delineation of district boundaries. In 1989,Bangalore Rural district was split from Bangalore. In 1997,Bagalkot district was split from Bijapur, Chamarajnagar districtfrom Mysore, Gadag district from Dharwad, Haveri district fromDharwad, Koppal district from Raichur, Udupi district fromDakshina Kannada; and Davangere district was created fromparts of Bellary, Chitradurga and Shimoga. This carving out ofnew districts has meant that our analysis of changes over timehas been limited to using those sources that provide comparabledistrict-wise fi gures.which originally gave it strength and shape.Empowerment, conceptually, has certain keycomponents: (i) it radically shifted from the oldtop–down ‘welfare’ approach of treating womenas a disadvantaged group in need of handouts,towards a recognition of the structural roots ofgender bias; (ii) it addressed the issue of powerand powerlessness that goes with gender andother forms of inequality; (iii) most signifi cant isthe recognition that a change in power relationsrequires not only a change in control over externalresources such as land and income but also achange in the person’s sense of self-worth andconfi dence; (iv) it emphasised the importance ofgroup processes and solidarity as a way of breakingthe cycle of hopelessness and helplessness thatunequal gender relations perpetuate.As has happened with many other concepts,‘empowerment’ has been so overused andmisused that it has lost its core meaning. Oneoften fi nds a programme being described as aprogramme for women’s empowerment withoutany clarity as to how it will actually changeexisting power relations. Rescuing the concept ofempowerment so that it can have more analyticalcontent for policies requires us to examinewhether there has, in actual fact, been a change inmindsets, i.e. a paradigm shift away from the old‘welfare’ approach and whether there has been acorresponding change in policies and institutionssupported by a key ingredient of systemic change,namely investment or is it ‘business as usual’, withsome tinkering? Some of these issues (fi nancingand gender audit) are addressed in chapter 3,Part III.Human development: Genderdimensions and differentialsFor any patriarchal society to move towardsgreater gender equality, as part of a process ofhuman development, requires change at manylevels – in values and norms, in structures andinstitutions, and in behaviour and practices. Thiscan happen if women are empowered in economic,political and socio-cultural terms. They need moreaccess to resources, greater political voice andsocial transformations that lead to their exercisinggreater agency and autonomy in the decisions172