Intersections of Space and Gender: Re-Examining Women's Developmental Pathways in Rural India

Shivani Meena

Abstract: Development of women in rural India has emerged from a complex intersection of spatial, structural and socio-cultural, forces which has shaped their access to education, skill development, mobility and the economic opportunities. Whereas the national policies have significantly emphasized empowerment and the gender equality, their lived experiences in rural and marginalized regions have showed that continued inequalities are result of gendered spaces, patriarchal conditioning, and the uneven infrastructural development. Conceptualizing from feminist geography, the sociology of gender, and frameworks from various empowerment models such as Sen's Capability Approach, Kabeer's concept of agency, Nussbaum's human development model, and this study aims to re-examines the role of space and structure in shaping the women's developmental trajectories. This study critically reviews the existing pool of literature and tries to identifies major research gaps which includes very less attention to the spatial barriers and challenges in the rural regions, inadequate attention paid to the women's agency in the preview of cultural norms, and there is a lack of context-sensitive and participatory development models. It shows that rural women are not negotiators of space, power, and the opportunity rather they are active recipient of that. By amalgamating key insights from feminist geography and the sociological, and development studies, this research work suggests towards a multidimensional framework for understanding the way through which rural women navigate their everyday lives constraints which reshape the gendered spaces, and the way through which they exercise their agency in the pursuit of skill development and education. The review of literature underscores that there is need for the holistic, locally centered, and the participatory approaches which foreground women's needs and their voices along with their lived experiences in creating the inclusive and sustainable roadmap for the women empowerment in the rural regions in India.

Keywords: Gendered spaces, Rural women, Empowerment frameworks, Participatory development

How to Cite?: Shivani Meena, "Intersections of Space and Gender: Re-Examining Women's Developmental Pathways in Rural India", Volume 14 Issue 11, November 2025, International Journal of Science and Research (IJSR), Pages: 1600-1604, https://www.ijsr.net/getabstract.php?paperid=SR251122231925, DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.21275/SR251122231925