On the International Women’s Day on Wednesday, Odisha had something to cheer up as the conservative Odia society did set a trailblazer for the country in the realm of financial empowerment of women with a whopping 63.5 per cent women now owning immovable assets like house and/or land jointly or alone, which is the highest proportion nationally among all big and progressive States.
Nationally, only 38 per cent women own immovable assets like house and/or land jointly or solo. Rural Odisha leads in the country with as many as over 65 per cent women owning house/land jointly or alone.
Notably, the rural-urban divide tilts favourably towards rural Odisha as only 56 per cent women in urban Odisha could own property jointly or alone.
Such revelations were brought to the fore by the 2015-16 National Family Health Survey-4 released recently.
Moreover, Odisha also seems to be in the cusp of PM Modi’s cashless revolution as only 22 per cent of women who worked in the last 12 months received wages in cash vis-a-vis around 25 per cent nationally.
On counts of women empowerment and cashless revolution, progressive States like Kerala, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, Maharashtra, West Bengal and Andhra Pradesh were behind Odisha.
However, Odisha has miles to cover in ensuring complete financial empowerment of women as a mere 56 per cent of the State’s women have personal bank accounts against 71 per cent in Kerala.
Personal bank accounts are considered nerve-centres of financial empowerment because it enables a woman’s access to financial liquidity and reduces dependence.
The rural-urban divide tilted towards urban Odisha with nearly 66 per cent of women having personal saving accounts vis-a-vis 54 per cent rural women. Among neighbouring States, Odisha finished second to AP in bank accounts though Odisha emerged topper, dwarfing AP in urban areas where more women have bank accounts.
Women’s financial empowerment is considered game-changer because it enables them to become important stakeholders in decision-making throughout their lifecycle, especially in twilight years. With women jointly owning property, Odisha records lower incidences of destitute widowhood vis-a-vis neighbours like WB and AP.
Odisha, however, fared behind WB and Chhattisgarh in women participation in household decisions. Only 81 per cent women participate here against 90 per cent in the above States.
Despite the Mission Shakti by State Government, women participation in household decisions could post a marginal 1.5-per cent rise during the decade 2005-06 to 2015-16.
Similarly, mobile revolution is yet to touch rural women as only 32 per cent own mobile against 65 per cent in urban Odisha. WB and Bihar stayed ahead Odisha in mobiles.
But the villain-of-piece is spousal violence. Odisha’s 35 per cent married women undergo such violence vis-a-vis national average of 29 per cent. Also, proportionately more rural women than the national average have borne the violence even in pregnancy days.