Revista de Gestión Empresarial y Hotelera

Socio-Economic empowerment of women through choice-based family planning

Sanjay Suman

We all dream of a utopian world, where every individual is educated and empowered. Where poverty and malnourishment are in the distant past and where men and women are treated equally. Sadly, all of this is still a dream,far from reality. Today, India stands as the second most populous country in the world, set to surpass China as the ‘most populous country’ by 2027 . Although India can boast of the world’s largest young workforce and the economic growth potential therein, the population related problems are daunting. Despite declines in the total fertility rates of India, the vicious cycle of poverty and inequality continue.To break this vicious cycle, socio-economic empowerment of women through choice-based family planning and spacing play pivotal roles. As population growth reaches exponential proportions, there is an increasing need to focus on family planning. Family planning allows couples/families to attain their desired family size and determine the number and spacing of their children through use of contraceptive methods. It not only improves the health of families and reduce the burden of maternal and infant mortality but will also accelerate the overall socio-economic development of women, the pillars of any society. Family planning has the potential for far-reaching impact on gender equality, women’s empowerment, maternal and child health. It leads to greater educational and economic opportunities for women and an overall improvement in the quality of life for women, families and communities. In return, education empowers women not only financially but also enables them to make informed decisions. These women are in a better position to take decisions on whether, when and how many children they desire to have. Therefore, it is extremely important to emphasize the need to educate women to ensure they are empowered to enjoy their sexual and reproductive rights.Despite these benefits of family planning, what is stopping us from adopting it?