WOMEN AND POSITIVE DEVELOPMENT: ENHANCING SOCIAL PARTICIPATION OF RURAL WOMEN THROUGH LIFELONG AND LIFE-WIDE LEARNING

Women in general and rural women in particular are deprived of equal access and opportunities to education and skill training programs; and the situation is more deep-rooted in developing countries. However, the level of people’s education, skills, information and awareness, quality of their attitudes, values, and intensity of their aspiration and energies affect the extent and pace of socioeconomic development of a country. The world’s latest 2015 data reveal that out of 781 million people aged 15 years and over, who cannot read and write, nearly two-thirds are women; a proportion remain unchanged for the past two decades (UN, 2015). Data also reveals that the vast majority of this group live in developing regions, particularly in Sub-Saharan African and Southern Asia. Thus, lack of equal access and opportunity to education in the region impedes socioeconomic participation of rural women and women in general. Therefore, this study aimed to look at the importance of lifelong and life-wide learning to enhance social participation of rural women. Thus, a total of 169 survey respondents from Nalpathimala village of Kottayam district, Kerala State of India were participated in providing necessary data. Descriptive statistics such as percentage, mean point value, and standard deviation were employed for data analysis. Further, Chi-Square test of independence was employed to test either statistically significant relationship between lifelong and life-wide learning, and social participation of rural women exists or not. Accordingly, the major findings of this study reveal that lifelong and life-wide learning can importantly contribute in providing school dropouts of rural women opportunity to improve their skills and knowledge, so that they will attain capability within their society; to enhance their participation in decision-making at family and community level; to enhance awareness of rural women towards family and community health issues; to improve their self-confidence; and to boost their social inclusion, therefore, to feel secure in their society. In sum, this particular study discloses the existence of significant association between lifelong and life-wide learning, and social participation of rural women.