Kerala Vision 2047 cannot rely only on women’s education, welfare participation, or workforce entry. True women power emerges when women control assets, make economic decisions, and shape markets rather than merely participate in them. Idea 2 focuses on transforming women from income earners into economic decision-makers across households, enterprises, cooperatives, and local governments. By 2047, women in Kerala must be visible not just as workers, but as owners, allocators of capital, and strategic planners of economic activity.
Today, despite high literacy and strong social indicators, asset ownership among women in Kerala remains uneven. Land, housing titles, business ownership, and financial instruments are still predominantly held or controlled by men in many households. Kerala Vision 2047 must set a clear goal: at least 50 percent of all new household assets created in the state between now and 2047 should be jointly or solely owned by women. This includes housing titles issued by government agencies, land allotments, cooperative shares, MSME registrations, and startup equity. Asset ownership is not symbolic; it directly influences bargaining power, safety, resilience to shocks, and intergenerational outcomes.
Housing is the most powerful entry point for women’s economic power. Under Vision 2047, every housing scheme implemented by the Kerala State Housing Board, LIFE Mission, and local governments should mandate women’s ownership or co-ownership. By 2047, the target should be that over 80 percent of government-supported housing units list women as primary or joint title holders. This single shift can dramatically alter household decision-making, reduce domestic insecurity, and improve children’s outcomes. Housing-linked credit, renovation grants, and energy subsidies should flow preferentially through women account holders.
Beyond housing, land and productive assets must be addressed. Kerala’s land scarcity makes individual land ownership difficult, but collective and cooperative models offer opportunity. Vision 2047 should promote women-led land pooling for agriculture, aquaculture, floriculture, and agro-processing. By 2047, at least 30 percent of cooperative land and common production assets in Kerala should be governed by women-led boards. This moves women from labor roles into governance roles within the rural economy, especially in SC, ST, and coastal communities.
Financial power is central to economic agency. Kerala already has a strong network of women’s self-help groups, particularly through Kudumbashree. Vision 2047 must evolve this model from micro-credit consumption support into serious capital formation. The goal should be to convert at least 20 percent of women SHGs into registered producer companies, cooperatives, or MSMEs by 2047. Average credit size per women-led enterprise must scale from tens of thousands to lakhs and crores, supported by state-backed credit guarantees and interest subvention tied to performance.
Women’s control over savings and investments must also increase. By 2047, every adult woman in Kerala should have access to at least three formal financial instruments: a transaction account, a long-term savings or pension product, and an investment or insurance product. State-supported financial literacy programs should focus not on basic banking but on asset allocation, risk management, and enterprise finance. The objective is to create a generation of women comfortable with balance sheets, credit terms, and long-term financial planning.
Entrepreneurship is a critical lever for women’s economic power, but it must move beyond stereotypical sectors. Kerala Vision 2047 should deliberately push women into high-value domains such as manufacturing, logistics, renewable energy services, health technology support, food processing at scale, and digital services. By 2047, at least 40 percent of new MSMEs registered in Kerala should be women-owned or women-led. Public procurement policies should reserve a defined share of government contracts for women-led enterprises, not as charity but as market access.
Women’s participation in local economic planning must be institutionalized. Today, women are present in local governments, but often excluded from core financial and infrastructure decisions. Vision 2047 should mandate that all local body budget committees, infrastructure planning committees, and public works oversight groups include women in key decision-making roles. By 2047, women should chair at least one-third of local economic committees across panchayats and municipalities. Decision-making authority, not representation alone, is the measure of power.
Workforce participation must also be reframed. Women’s power increases when work is stable, well-paid, and compatible with life cycles. Vision 2047 should aim to raise women’s workforce participation rate to at least 50 percent while ensuring quality employment. Flexible work models, childcare infrastructure, safe transport, and digital work platforms must be treated as economic infrastructure, not social welfare. The state should track not just participation but wage parity, job continuity, and career progression for women.
Special attention must be paid to women from marginalized communities, including Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, fisher communities, and migrant households. Asset ownership gaps are widest here. Vision 2047 must ensure that women from these communities are prioritized in land allotments, housing schemes, enterprise grants, and skill programs. By 2047, asset ownership disparities between social groups must narrow measurably, making women’s empowerment genuinely inclusive.
Cultural change underpins economic change. Women’s control over money and assets often triggers social resistance. Vision 2047 must therefore invest in public communication, school education, and community leadership programs that normalize women’s financial authority. Men must be engaged as partners in this transition, understanding that households and communities become more resilient when women have economic power.
By 2047, women in Kerala should be visible as property owners, enterprise founders, cooperative leaders, budget decision-makers, and investors. This is the true meaning of women power: not symbolic inclusion, but structural control over resources and choices. Kerala Vision 2047 must make women’s economic decision-making a defining feature of the state’s development model, setting a benchmark not just for India, but for societies globally.
