Gender equality is a major fact to get sustainable development. Developed countries are providing equal opportunities and platforms for both genders and ensuring women's participation in national progress.

1. WELCOME

2. A STUDY ON THE ROLE OF WOMEN IN SUSTAINABLE
DEVELOPMENT WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO
EDUCATION AND SELF SUFFICIENCY
S A R AT H C H A N D R A N R .
R E S E A R C H S C H O L A R
D E PA R T M E N T O F E D U C AT I O N ,
U N I V E R S I T Y O F K E R A L A

3. INTRODUCTION
 Women play a greatest role in the sustainable development of
a nation. Because we know that the basic unit of a nation is
family. Other higher levels are society and country.
 These higher levels are formed as a result of the in-
cooperation of families. If we think about families, mothers
are the backbone of every family.
 In this situation, women literacy, education and economical
self sufficiency has much importance.
 Women act as the agents who transfer the cultural heritage of
nation, various values in society, traditional knowledge etc.

4. Sustainable development of a country determines poverty
eradication and environmental conservation.
Environmental conservation means that we are conserving
nature for coming generations of every organism.
Participation of each individual is needed for the sustainable
development of a country.
Gender equality is a major fact to get sustainable
development. Developed countries are providing equal
opportunities and platform for both genders and ensuring
women participation in national progress.
So India also needs to concentrate more and more to empower
women by means of educationally and financially. Education
and development of a country are interconnected.

5. MEANING OF SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
 Sustainable development is the development that meets the
needs of the present without compromising the ability of
future generations to meet their own needs.
 The ultimate aim of that sustainable development is the
conservation of earth and protection of different types of
species.
 Sustainability can be defined as the practice of reserving
resources for future generation without any harm to the nature
and other components of it.
 Various systems are involving in this development such as
ecological, social, political, cultural etc.

6. IMPORTANCE AND INVOLVEMENT OF WOMEN IN
SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
Women’s contribution and participation have very high
significance to the sustainability of a nation. We know that
India is the second largest country in population.
Now days our country is using male human resource as
directly and mostly female human resource as indirectly. If we
use this female human resource also as a direct manner, easily
our country can become developed. It will lead to the gender
equality also.
If women have to contribute in national development, first we
need to empower them through educationally and
economically. Education and economically self sufficiency
are the two keys of the empowerment of women.

7. SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT BY WOMEN
EDUCATION
 According to Alfred Marshell, education is the most valuable
of all capital that is invested in human beings and therefore
considered it as a national investment.
 All developed countries have high rates of literacy with a few
expectations; countries which are educationally advanced
enjoy better standards of living. Thus education is a major
factor in economic growth also.
 For increasing female productivity on top of enhancing the
well-being of families and also nation. Without education, it is
more difficult for women to move out of poverty and they
enter into a vicious circle of reduced employment
opportunities and occupational mobility, lower income, early
marriage, poor child health care and increasing fertility.

8. IMPACT OF WOMEN EDUCATION IN SOCIETY
 Major impact of woman education will happen in family
through the increasing of standard of living.
 Women have their own duties in family. Education helps to do
such duties without misconception.
 Gender inequality will be reduced in the society.
 Women education will help to the general welfare of the
society.
 Value based true education will enhance self esteem.

9. SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT OF A COUNTRY BY SELF
SUFFICIENT WOMEN
 Women empowerment and economic development is closely related.
Female economic power also enhances the wealth and well being of a
nation.
 Investments to advance women's economic opportunity include
financial inclusion, women and agriculture, enterprises growth,
technology access capacity building, business leadership. Through the
women empowerment we can reduce poverty and population growth.
 Union and Kerala governments implemented various projects for
women to attain economic self sufficiency.
 Important projects are Mahatma Gandhi’s National rural employment
guarantee scheme, Kudumbasree Project etc.

10.  Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee scheme
was started on February 2, 2006 by Union Government.
 This scheme ensures hundred days work per year and getting two
hundred and twelve rupees (2014-2015) as daily wage in Kerala.
 Kudumbasree is women oriented, community based, poverty
reduction project of the government of Kerala.
 It was launched on May 17, 1998. The aim of the project is
empowerment of women through forming self help groups and
encouraging their entrepreneurial or other wide range of activities.
 The purpose of this project is to ensure the active participation in
national development through poverty eradication.

11. RECOMMENDATIONS FOR WOMEN EMPOWERMENT
 Promote women literacy.
 Provide skill development programs and vocational education.
 Encourage women entrepreneurship
 Society should encourage working women and give respect to
them.

12. CONCLUSION
 Presently India is a developing country. Our GDP is increasing
year by year. If we observe our nation carefully we can see it is
merely a physical development not a sustainable one.
 If a development is sustainable that should conduct with the
environmental consideration and also should ensure the
participation of both genders and weaker sections of this society.
 Certain states in India like Kerala are ensuring gender equality
and concentrating to empower women.
 Kerala state is a role model for other Indian states and
developing countries. Kudumbasree project is one of the better
examples for women empowerment.
 We expect other states will also follow Kerala model and women
get empowered.