BHUBANESWAR: Odisha has recorded significant gains across multiple indicators in women empowerment, the NFHS-6 report has revealed.
The percentage of women, aged 15-49 years, who have a bank or savings account that they themselves use has increased to 90.6 per cent (pc) in 2023-24 from 86.5 pc in NFHS-5. Similarly, the percentage of women who own and use a mobile phone has risen sharply from 50.1 pc to 63.6 pc.
The use of hygienic methods of menstrual protection among young women aged 15-24 years has also improved significantly, from 81.7 pc to 88.7 pc. However, the percentage of married women participating in key household decisions declined marginally from 90.2 pc to 87.2 pc.
Despite progress, the urban-rural divide remained clearly distinct in the survey. While 95.4 pc of young women in urban areas use hygienic menstrual protection methods, the figure stands at 87.5 pc in rural areas. Likewise, 79 pc of urban women own and use a mobile phone compared to 60.7 pc in rural Odisha.
The survey also points to a substantial decline in gender-based violence in the state. The proportion of ever-married women, aged 18-49 years, who reported experiencing spousal violence has declined sharply from 30.3 pc in NFHS-5 to 18.9 pc in NFHS-6. Incidents of physical violence during pregnancy also declined from 3.5 pc to 2.6 pc. The share of young women, aged 18-29 years, who experienced sexual violence by the age of 18 reduced marginally from 0.7 pc to 0.5 pc.
However, rural women continue to face a higher burden of violence. Nearly 19.6 pc of ever-married women in rural areas reported experiencing spousal violence compared to 15.2 pc in urban areas. Similarly, physical violence during pregnancy was reported by 2.8 pc of rural women against 1.7 pc of their urban counterparts.