By Dr. A. R. Khan
Per aspera ad astra—through hardships to the stars—is a phrase that perfectly captures the ongoing journey of women empowerment in India.
From centuries of struggle against social limitations, economic deprivation, and legal hurdles, Indian women have steadily ascended toward dignity, autonomy, and leadership.
While empowerment is about building agency and access—the ability for women to make real choices—emancipation highlights freedom from centuries-old social and cultural restraints, such as the end of practices like sati and child marriage, which were challenged by social reformers like Raja Ram Mohan Roy and Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar. Development is the gradual improvement in women’s lives through education, health, and economic opportunity. Liberation is the radical socio-cultural overhaul, challenging deeply rooted patriarchal and systemic inequalities: a cause championed by leaders like Pandita Ramabai, Savitribai Phule, and, more recently, activists behind the women’s liberation movements.
India’s journey reflects this progression. Women held high status and agency in ancient times, with access to education and property rights, as glimpsed in epics like the Mahabharata. Social decline during the medieval period, exacerbated by invasions and rigid customs, imposed severe constraints on women’s lives. However, the British era saw the rise of reform, as social movements and grassroots campaigns started to challenge and dismantle oppressive traditions. The participation of women in the freedom struggle—exemplified by Kasturba Gandhi, Sarojini Naidu, and Aruna Asaf Ali—gave the cause national prominence, a turning point that has echoed ever since.
The post-independence period formalized empowerment in legal terms, with the Indian Constitution becoming the bedrock of equality and dignity. Key constitutional provisions—Articles 14, 15, and 16, among others—guarantee equality before the law and protect against discrimination on grounds of sex. The Directive Principles, especially Article 39 and 42, direct the state to promote fair livelihood, equal pay, and maternity relief. Article 51A(e) calls on every citizen to renounce practices demeaning to women, a powerful normative statement.
Recent judicial activism by the Supreme Court has emboldened the cause of women’s rights. Progressive verdicts have expanded the meaning of equality: granting women permanent commission in the armed forces, affirming daughters’ equal rights in inheritance, supporting reproductive autonomy, and denouncing exclusionary employment practices. Such decisions turn constitutional words into lived reality, as in the landmark ruling granting unmarried women equal access to abortion, and the abolition of instant triple talaq as unconstitutional.
Contemporary India stands transformed by powerful government initiatives. Women are now the focus of ambitious, forward-looking programmes. Schemes like Lakhpati Didi, which empowers rural women to earn more independently, and Drone Didi, which trains women for high-tech agricultural roles, leverage modern technology and entrepreneurship. Mission Shakti brings together safety, security, and ‘women-led development’ under a comprehensive umbrella. Efforts such as Beti Bachao Beti Padhao—targeting deeply entrenched biases in child sex ratio and literacy—have changed millions of lives, and monthly stipends and skill development initiatives ensure that financial autonomy reaches even the furthest corners of India.
Key recent committees and international benchmarks have also shaped India’s approach. The Committee on the Status of Women in India (CSWI) and the Parliamentary Committee on Empowerment of Women scrutinize existing laws and propose new reforms. International reports such as UN Women’s “Turning Promises into Action: Gender Equality in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development,” the Global Gender Gap Report published by the World Economic Forum, and the periodic reviews under the UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) offer valuable metrics and policy suggestions for accelerating progress. These comparisons highlight areas—like political participation, educational parity, and healthcare—where India is advancing and where gaps remain.
Around the globe, best practices such as Nordic countries’ parental leave policies, Rwanda’s gender quotas in parliament, and the widespread expansion of microfinance demonstrate the manifold routes to empowerment. India, drawing inspiration from such successes, adapts them for local realities, while pushing innovations like digital literacy programs for women and entrepreneurial support for female-led startups. Data-driven policies and intersectional frameworks—addressing not just gender, but caste, class, and disability—ensure that future reforms are more inclusive.
None of these changes occur in isolation. Indian films and the surging power of social media have reconfigured the cultural landscape. Films like Queen, Pink, Thappad, and Dangal tell stories of women’s agency and courage, shifting public perceptions and inspiring real-world action. Regional cinema also increasingly shuns stereotypes, portraying women as leaders, creators, and revolutionaries. Meanwhile, social media platforms amplify voices otherwise marginalized, provide tools for organization and advocacy, and help forge powerful new communities—#MeToo and #IWillGoOut movements, for example, have mobilized public consciousness and pushed institutions toward accountability.
Reflecting personally, my own journey from the rural heartlands of Bihar to present-day India has revealed immense change. In my childhood, girls and women were rarely encouraged beyond their traditional roles; education was scarce and autonomy had sharp limits. Today, I see girls from the village excel in engineering, business, politics, and the arts. Cell phones and internet access, coupled with government initiatives and changing family attitudes, have unlocked a new world—one where possibilities are not limited by gender but are shaped by ambition and resolve.
As Latin wisdom counsels, Per aspera ad astra—through hardships to the stars—the narrative of women empowerment is not a story of fleeting progress but of relentless advancement in the face of daunting odds. Empowerment is dynamic; it is shaped by law, culture, education, economics, and, crucially, by the agency of women themselves.
Encouragingly, technical innovations are expanding horizons. Digital literacy and skill-building programs make women stakeholders in new economic domains. Entrepreneurship ecosystems and AI-driven unbiased hiring models remove some older barriers. Gender mainstreaming and intersectional policy approaches bring together diverse communities for more nuanced progress.
Despite challenges, the future is radiant with promise. Women’s empowerment is no longer a distant aspiration but an unfolding reality—one made possible by persistent activism, progressive lawmaking, grassroots innovation, vibrant cultural storytelling, and, above all, by the indomitable spirit of Indian women. As the old proverb puts it, “Where women are honored, gods rejoice.” In modern India, every step forward is a celebration of dignity, justice, and hope—a journey that continues from the village paths of Bihar to the brightest corridors of influence and change.
Audentes fortuna iuvat—fortune favors the bold. Let every citizen, policymaker, filmmaker, and tech innovator join hands so that this bold future belongs to all.
