“Socio-Economic Determinants of Empowerment among Scheduled Tribe Women in India”

Abstract

Women’s empowerment has emerged as a central concern in development discourse; however, the experiences of Scheduled Tribe women in India remain inadequately examined within mainstream empirical research. Positioned at the intersection of gender and social marginalisation, tribal women encounter distinctive socioeconomic constraints that shape their opportunities, agency, and decision-making capacity. This study examines the socio-economic determinants influencing empowerment among Scheduled Tribe women in India, focusing on how variations in education, employment, household economic conditions, and demographic characteristics contribute to differences in empowerment outcomes. Empowerment is conceptualised as a multidimensional construct encompassing economic participation, household decision-making autonomy, and access to resources. The analysis reveals marked disparities in empowerment levels across socio-economic groups, highlighting education and work participation as particularly influential factors. Economic security and household wealth further emerge as significant contributors to women’s agency, while social and demographic factors condition the extent to which empowerment is realised. The findings underline that empowerment among tribal women is not uniform but shaped by layered structural conditions that either enable or constrain individual agency. By highlighting the socio-economic pathways through which empowerment operates, this study contributes to a more nuanced understanding of gendered inequality within tribal communities. The paper offers important insights for policy interventions aimed at advancing inclusive, context-sensitive strategies to enhance the empowerment of Scheduled Tribe women in India.