The five women from rural India are changing the narrative. Dolly Sarpanch, Roshni Perween, Mausam Kumari, Rohini Patnaik and Varsha Raikwar are blazing new trails for other women to follow.

In a report this year, the World Bank has stated that even though women constitute half of India’s population, their benefits from the country’s economic prosperity remain disproportionately affected.

In rural India, women face unequal access to education, acute gender discrimination fuelled by patriarchal control over their lives, are often pushed into early marriage and have limited overall agency. Lack of employment opportunities, gender restrictions, domestic work and childcare responsibilities clip their wings and restrict them to conventional roles. However, some women are changing this narrative and showing how to break new ground. They are not only contributing to the rural economy, but also changing social dynamics within their communities.

Hailing from different parts of India, these women are standing up to counter gender bias in climate action, opposing child marriage and challenging social stigma and prejudices in the heart of rural India through their brave initiatives.