Abhivyakti Media for Development has been working with youth, especially in the North Maharashtra region of India. From our experiences, the organisation realised that, in the field of development, the term ‘youth’ often pertains to male youth. India is largely a nation of villages and it has large rural populations. Due to gender inequality, women, especially in the rural areas, are not given priority to work in any other sector of livelihood other than household work. Being deprived of many opportunities for social advancement, most women are forced to work in the agriculture sector. The prevailing social system believes that women do not need access to education and livelihoods since they only need to do household work in their family homes, rendering them unable to stand up on their own feet. Against this background, the education, empowerment and livelihood of young girls and women are high on Abhivyakti’s priority list of, and one of its primary work strategies.
