The government will soon launch a study to assess the status of women in the Union Territory so as to frame policies and make need-based interventions based on the findings.
The Department of Women and Child Development had already floated an expression of interest inviting reputed research organisations and non-governmental organisations to participate in the selection process.
“We hope to select an organisation soon to carry out the survey in all the four regions of the Union Territory. It will be an elaborate survey to create a database on the status of women. The statistics collected would be the basis for framing policies and intervention programmes aimed to empower women in Union Territory,” Director of Women and Child Development S. Ashokan told The Hindu.
The last date for submitting the EoI is October 21. The study would be conducted in three to six months, he added.
As per the 2011 census, Puducherry is the only Union Territory where the number of women outnumbered the population of men. The Union Territory has 1,037 women per 1,000 men as against the national average of 943 women per 1,000 men.
“So, it is essential to launch a study to find their socio-economic conditions, health and nutritional levels, educational qualifications and their aspirations,” said Mr. Ashokan.
A background paper prepared by the Department said the organisation selected to conduct the study would focus on collecting details of socio-economic status besides gathering details about age of marriage, role in decision making, discrimination faced by them and nature of violence and abuse they faced, if any.
The entrusted organisation would be also tasked with the responsibility to gather information about the impact of various women-centric programmes, schemes and interventions by the government.
It would also gather details about women’s access to institutions that ensured their safety, representation in local governance, political aspirations, awareness level on various laws, availability of legal aids, schemes and programmes, the paper said.
Another critical objective of the study was to find out the freedom available for women for making personal decisions and about their felt needs. Also, the study would cover women’s knowledge about and access to technology.
