Role of Indian knowledge systems in promoting gender equality and empowerment

The Indian Knowledge System (IKS) embodies centuries of ancient customs, traditions, and pre-existing knowledge. These elements helped mould and shape social norms and values in society. Schemes of IKS are found in numerous ancient texts, folklore, and community knowledge systems in India and have shaped multiple domains like Philosophy, Medicine, Agriculture, and even Spirituality. IKS flora and fauna feature women who have historically been subjugated and oppressed, leading to their significance being marginalised through patriarchal societies. This study aims to construct and comprehend IKS and its frameworks to interrogate patriarchy, perceive gender equity, and understand its effectiveness. It seeks to retrace the empowering narratives, often marginalised concerning historical documents and Indian Vedic literature, that enshrine women scholars like Gargi and Maitreyi. Additionally, it focuses on the more traditional cultures from matrilineal societies like the Khasi and Naga tribes where gender relations have facilitated women’s socio-political power. The study investigates contemporary approaches to Indian Knowledge Systems drawing from women’s traditional agricultural, herbal, and eco-friendly farming as pathways to empowerment and economic activity. In pursuit of women empowerment through economic participation, the study seeks to incorporate these facets into the modern education system, policy structures, and development programmes to bring about change towards gender equity. From this perspective, indigenous knowledge systems (IKS) can significantly contribute towards combating gender discrimination as well as enabling the creation of a more equitable society.