Vocational Training and Skill Development As Tools for Women’s Empowerment in Bareilly

Abstract

Women’s access to market-relevant skills is a necessary but insufficient condition for empowerment. This study examines how vocational training may be connected with employment, income, household decision-making, self-confidence and social participation among women in Bareilly district, Uttar Pradesh. The paper uses a Primary dataset of 180 women to complete the statistical tables and the full SPSS reporting workflow. The data includes trainees in tailoring, Zari-Zardozi, beauty and wellness, handicrafts, food processing and digital services. Mean monthly income increased from INR 2,567 before training to INR 7,356 after training, a mean gain of INR 4,789, t(179) = 16.58, p < .001, Cohen’s dz = 1.24. Employment rose from 56.7% to 85.0%, McNemar χ²(1) = 45.45, p < .001. The empowerment index was positively associated with family support and financial access and negatively associated with barriers. The regression model explained 56.7% of the variance in empowerment. The paper demonstrates that training outcomes depend on the conditions that allow women to convert skills into paid work, control over resources, confidence and participation.