84% of women now involved in family decisions

Indian women are finally on their way to empowerment. The latest findings of the National Family Health Survey (NFHS 20152016) show marked improvement in the number of women participating in household decisions in both urban and rural areas.

According to the survey, currently there are 84 per cent married women who participate in household decisions. Significantly, women’s participation in decision-making rose both in urban and rural areas, indicating her greater role in the house. The survey reveals that 85.8 per cent women in urban and 83.0 per cent women in rural areas usually participate in household decisions, rising significantly from 76.5 per cent during NFHS III (2005-2006).

The good news is that the incidents of domestic violence have fallen from 37.2 per cent in 2005-2006 to 28.8 per cent in 2015-2016.

At present, 38.4 per cent women own a house and a land alone or jointly with others. The other major gain that women have achieved is the last 10 years is opening of their bank accounts. There has been a sharp increase in the number of women having bank accounts, from 15.1 per cent in 2005-2006, it has gone up to 53 per cent during the recent survey. A new category added to the women empowerment section in NFHS-4 — women having a mobile phone that they themselves use — shows usage of phones going up in urban areas than in rural areas. According to the NFHS IV, 61.8 per cent of women in urban areas as compared to 36.9 per cent in rural areas have mobile phones that they themselves use.

Besides, women are more aware about diseases now. From 17.1 per cent women in 2005-2006 that had comprehensive knowledge about HIV, it has gone up to 20.9 per cent in 2015-2016, who know about the virus. Men are better off though, with 32.3 per cent of them having comprehensive knowledge about HIV/AIDS. A significant number of women have undergone examinations for cervix cancer, breast cancer and oral cavity.