HOW TO BECOME A CHANGEMAKER: PATHWAYS FOR WOMEN INDIGENOUS TRIBES IN MIZORAM, INDIA

AUTHOR: Alinery Lianhlawng

This paper begins with the background and overview of gender inequality and challenges in education to give a clear picture of issues and challenges for women in the Mizo society. A definition and conceptual framework of women’s empowerment by Naila Kabeer is presented to further illustrate three models: resource, agency, and achievement. The research explores and further investigates a broad range of literature and discourse of relevance to women’s empowerment through case studies and interviews and specifically focus on education through case studies and interviews. The research attempt to inquire about the cultural understanding and potential role of social entrepreneurship in women empowerment in the context of Mizoram. Importantly, how social entrepreneurship links with education and how can it be used as an instrument of women empowerment. Analysing these case and interviews provide in-depth meaning and understanding, looking at different mechanisms, strategies, best practices and examples of how to promote women’s empowerment to integrate into broader perspectives and holistic approaches. Based on the findings and analysis, recommendations are provided for the social enterprise Rochun: Pay it Forward as a set of guidelines for standard practices and the implementation of plans going forward, expansion, improvement in providing essential educational service focusing on women empowerment through building libraries and leadership consultation.