Education and Economic Dimension of Tribal Women Empowerment in Mayurbhanj

Abstract

The study aims to study the empowerment of tribal women in relation to their education and economic aspects. 110 working women from a tribal community in Mayurbhanj district were selected and their data was collected using the regression method. The results showed that age and health status were significant at 5% level, while education, vocational training, occupation, amenities in the house, economic status, and individual property were significant at 1% level. This indicates that the empowerment of tribal women is determined by their age, health status, education, and vocational training, and occupation, amenities in the house, economic status, and individual property. However, family size indicates a negative significance of women empowerment. The study highlights the need for economic empowerment of tribal women to overcome inequality, discrimination, and exploitation, and achieve their overall development in society. The findings underscore the importance of empowering tribal women to overcome inequality and promote their overall development. The study examines the education and economic aspects of tribal women empowerment in Mayurbhanj, a district in Odisha, India, primarily inhabited by Scheduled Tribes. The study reveals challenges such as low literacy rates, poor access to quality education, and socio-cultural barriers. Despite government interventions, enrolment, and retention of tribal girls in schools remain problematic. Economically, tribal women are primarily engaged in agriculture, forest-based activities, and manual labour, often under precarious conditions. Government initiatives like Self Help Groups and income-generating schemes often fall short due to implementation gaps and cultural barriers. The study emphasizes the importance of improving access to quality education and economic opportunities for tribal women's empowerment.