ANNOUNCEMENTS
This thesis examines women's empowerment in the garment sector, focusing on worker-students at KPR Mills in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu. It investigates the employment of women from marginalized backgrounds in India's textile industry and explores how employment-linked education, financial independence, and supportive conditions affect women's agency. Using Jo Rowlands' empowerment framework, the study evaluates empowerment across personal, relational, and collective domains. A mixed-methods approach combined surveys from 75 participants with focus groups and interviews, representing Tamil Nadu, Odisha, Jharkhand, and Chhattisgarh. Findings show increased confidence in opinion expression, future planning, and income control, with enhanced household respect, though mobility remains limited by socio-cultural barriers. In the collective domain, strong institutional engagement within KPR Mills contrasts with limited external network involvement. Informal peer support flourished despite the absence of formal organizing. Participants expressed aspirations for community change, reflecting "power with" others. The study analyzed KPR Mills' support through education, skill development, and health initiatives, which created an enabling ecosystem. While these initiatives improved lives, limited social engagement and gender norms underscore empowerment as an ongoing process. The thesis advocates for a rights-based, relational, and institutional approach to empowerment in industrial contexts. KPR Mills shows how integrated interventions can transform lives, although empowerment remains shaped by social, familial, and structural realities. The findings contribute to discussions on gender, work, and development, showing that appropriate institutional design can transform restrictive environments.
Keywords: Women’s empowerment, garment industry, KPR Mills, Jo Rowlands framework, personal empowerment, mobility, financial autonomy, collective action, gender, Tamil Nadu, worker-students, education, institutional support.
