Empowerment and Gender Equality among Tribal Women in Rajasthan

Abstract

There are tribal women in the state of Rajasthan in India that suffer troubles due to a combination of reasons. These are tribal women of the state and the country as a whole due to history. They do not have enough access to any state or national protective services. They are a huge part of India’s Schedule Tribes and are still among the most unprivileged of people in the country. Particularly the groups of Bhil, Meena, Garasia, and Sahariya have the most of these unprivileged disadvantages. These disadvantages span to areas of education, health, and access to services as well as employment opportunities. The research conducted between 2001 and 2021 in the review is of multiple disciplines and it looks at the different kinds of empowerment that women in these tribes in this country receive. The data is borrowed from published materials and literature, state documents, and documents from international and local non-government organizations. The review mentions that there are different outcomes and results for the Self-Help Groups (SHGs), the Forest Rights Act (FRA), and the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), which are the major initiatives and actions of the policies. The advocacy of these policies are positive actions which have resulted in financial inclusions of the women and brought about inclusivity of the women in the SHGs as well as assisted inclusively of the women in the intransitive norms. The advocacy of the policies and the positive actions are the same for the FRA and MGNREGA. They are actions which have positive results in terms of employment and access to use of required resources but the actions are not as a result of the actions that are required to access of employment and resources as well as inequitable actions. The reservations of political seats that are designed for women members of the homes and the families, the system empowers women and the system is also designed, and it adds to the powers that are given to women. These also do not actually empower women to make their own choices. The women make little or no choices. They are only puppets to the men who are still part of the actions and the decisions that are maintained as actions and decisions. Although Rajasthan tribal women do have some economic options, tribal women and other marginalized women, do not have complete freedom and agency over their lives. Socio-cultural barriers including restricted mobility, gender-based violence, early marriage, and social exclusion, persist. During the past and the current sociological analysis there have been a few attempts to describe the norms and gaps that exist in Rajasthan socio-economics, including the lack of longitudinal policies. The review identifies critical gaps that need to be addressed in the Rajasthan context. It argues for more context-sensitive, intersectional, and participatory research to capture the complex interplay of structural and normative factors shaping empowerment. Ultimately, the review emphasizes that sustainable empowerment requires not only policy reforms but also transformative shifts in gender relations, governance structures, and socio-cultural norms within tribal communities.