CURRENT STATUS OF WOMEN

Current Status of Women in India

According India’s constitution, women are legal citizens of the country and have equal rights with men (Indian Parliament). Because of lack of acceptance from the male dominant society, Indian women suffer immensely. Women are responsible for baring children, yet they are malnourished and in poor health. Women are also overworked in the field and complete the all of the domestic work. Most Indian women are uneducated. Although the country’s constitution says women have equal status to men, women are powerless and are mistreated inside and outside the home.
India is a society where the male is greatly revered. Therefore women, especially the young girls, get very little respect and standing in this country. The women get meagre amounts of food to eat, considering the families are poor and have little to begin with. This creates a major problem with malnutrition, especially for pregnant or nursing women. Very few women seek medical care while pregnant because it is thought of as a temporary condition. This is one main reason why India’s maternal and infant mortality rates are so high. Starting from birth, girls do not receive as much care and commitment from their parents and society as a boy would.
Even though the constitution guarantees free primary schooling to everyone up to 14 years of age (Indian Parliament), very few females attend school. Only about 39 percent of all women in India actually attend primary schools. There are several reasons why families choose not to educate their daughters. One reason is that parents get nothing in return for educating their daughters. Another reason is that all the females in a household have the responsibility of the housework. So even though education does not financially burden the family, it costs them the time she spends at school when she could be doing chores. In addition, even if a woman is educated, especially in the poorer regions, there is no hope for a job. Most jobs women perform are agricultural or domestic which do not require a formal education.
Because women are not educated and cannot hold a prestigious job, they take on the most physically difficult and undesirable jobs. Most women are overworked with no maternity leave or special breaks for those who are pregnant. Plus women do the majority of the manual labor that uses a lot of energy compared to the men who do mostly machine operating . This is mainly because the work the women perform does not require a lot of skill and are smaller tasks.
Tthe social condition of women is a matter of great concern.Where, at the one hand, they are considered in the Indian religious scriptures as respectable and worthy of worship, on the other hand they are, in practice, exploited, tortured and humiliated. Gender discrimination and injustice is widely practiced in the society whereas Law prohibits such acts.
Discrimination is widespread in families in daily life. Girls are not imparted education at par with boys and at some places there are differences in food items of both. Girls are less attended in sorrow, happiness, food and education than boys. If there is demand by the girls for equal treatment, they are made aware that they were girls, and 'those were boys' and they are perpetually persecuted. Women in India lead their lives generally under the shadow of inequality and discrimination. So far as half of the population is prey to inequality, exploitation, backwardness and injustice and is deprived of human rights, democracy can not be established in India in real terms.

Description
2011
2001
Approximate Population
8.46 Crores
7.62 Crore
Actual Population
84,580,777
76,210,007
Male
42,442,146
38,527,413
Female
42,138,631
37,682,594
Population Growth
10.98%
13.86%
Percantage of total Population
6.99%
7.41%
Sex Ratio
993
978
Child Sex Ratio
939
896
Density/km2
308
277
Density/mi2
796
718
Area km2
275,045
275,045
Area mi2
106,195
106,196
Total Child Population (0-6 Age)
9,142,802
10,171,857
Male Population (0-6 Age)
4,714,950
5,187,321
Female Population (0-6 Age)
4,427,852
4,984,536
Literacy
67.02 %
60.47 %
Male Literacy
74.88 %
71.16 %
Female Literacy
58.68 %
50.29 %
Total Literate
50,556,760
39,934,323
Male Literate
28,251,243
23,444,788
Female Literate
22,305,517
16,489,535

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Description
Rural
Urban
Population (%)
66.64 %
33.36 %
Total Population
56,361,702
28,219,075
Male Population
28,243,241
14,198,905
Female Population
28,118,461
14,020,170
Population Growth
1.73 %
35.61 %
Sex Ratio
996
987
Child Sex Ratio (0-6)
941
935
Child Population (0-6)
6,152,022
2,990,780
Child Percentage (0-6)
10.92 %
10.60 %
Literates
30,351,065
20,205,695
Average Literacy
60.45 %
80.09 %
Male Literacy
69.38 %
85.79 %
Female Literacy
51.29 %
73.31 %

Andhra Pradesh Population 2011
As per details from Census 2011, Andhra Pradesh has population of 8.46 Crores, an increase from figure of 7.62 Crore in 2001 census. Total population of Andhra Pradesh as per 2011 census is 84,580,777 of which male and female are 42,442,146 and 42,138,631 respectively. In 2001, total population was 76,210,007 in which males were 38,527,413 while females were 37,682,594.

Andhra Pradesh Population Growth Rate
The total population growth in this decade was 10.98 percent while in previous decade it was 13.86 percent. The population of Andhra Pradesh forms 6.99 percent of India in 2011. In 2001, the figure was 7.41 percent.

Andhra Pradesh Literacy Rate 2011
Literacy rate in Andhra Pradesh has seen upward trend and is 67.02 percent as per 2011 population census. Of that, male literacy stands at 74.88 percent while female literacy is at 58.68 percent. In 2001, literacy rate in Andhra Pradesh stood at 60.47 percent of which male and female were 71.16 percent and 50.29 percent literate respectively.

In actual numbers, total literates in Andhra Pradesh stands at 50,556,760 of which males were 28,251,243 and females were 22,305,517.

Andhra Pradesh Density 2011
Total area of Andhra Pradesh is 275,045 sq. km. Density of Andhra Pradesh is 308 per sq km which is lower than national average 382 per sq km. In 2001, density of Andhra Pradesh was 277 per sq km, while nation average in 2001 was 324 per sq km.

Andhra Pradesh Sex Ratio
Sex Ratio in Andhra Pradesh is 993 i.e. for each 1000 male, which is below national average of 940 as per census 2011. In 2001, the sex ratio of female was 978 per 1000 males in Andhra Pradesh.

Andhra Pradesh Urban Population 2011
Out of total population of Andhra Pradesh, 33.36% people live in urban regions. The total figure of population living in urban areas is 28,219,075 of which 14,198,905 are males and while remaining 14,020,170 are females. The urban population in the last 10 years has increased by 33.36 percent.

Sex Ratio in urban regions of Andhra Pradesh was 987 females per 1000 males. For child (0-6) sex ratio the figure for urban region stood at 935 girls per 1000 boys. Total children (0-6 age) living in urban areas of Andhra Pradesh were 2,990,780. Of total population in urban region, 10.60 % were children (0-6).

Average Literacy rate in Andhra Pradesh for Urban regions was 80.09 percent in which males were 85.79% literate while female literacy stood at 73.31%. Total literates in urban region of Andhra Pradesh were 20,205,695.

Andhra Pradesh Rural Population 2011
Of the total population of Andhra Pradesh state, around 66.64 percent live in the villages of rural areas. In actual numbers, males and females were 28,243,241 and 28,118,461 respectively. Total population of rural areas of Andhra Pradesh state was 56,361,702. The population growth rate recorded for this decade (2001-2011) was 66.64%.

In rural regions of Andhra Pradesh state, female sex ratio per 1000 males was 996 while same for the child (0-6 age) was 941 girls per 1000 boys. In Andhra Pradesh, 6,152,022 children (0-6) live in rural areas. Child population forms 10.92 percent of total rural population.

In rural areas of Andhra Pradesh, literacy rate for males and female stood at 69.38 % and 51.29 %. Average literacy rate in Andhra Pradesh for rural areas was 60.45 percent. Total literates in rural areas were 30,351,065.
A BRIEF HISTORY

The Committee on status of women in India recommended in 1974. The constitution of statutory autonomous commission for women at the centre and the state for vigilant supervision to facilitate redressal of grievances in cases of actual violation of existing law and to accelerate the social and economic development of women. National perspective plan for women also recommended the constitution of apex body of women. On 1990 the National Commission for women Act was passed in the parliament and National Commission for women was setup in 1992. It is a statutory and autonomous body. The primary mandate of the NCW is to seek justice for women, safe guard their rights and to promote women empowerment.
AP WOMEN’S COMMISSION
In 1998 the AP Women’s Commission Act was passed in legislative assembly and published on 19th March 1998 in the Andhra Pradesh Gazette for general information.
ACT NO -9 of 1998
An Act to provide for the constitute of a women’s Commission to improve the status of women in the state of Andhra Pradesh and to inquire into unfair practices affecting women and for matters connected therewith or incidential thereto. The Commission consists of one Chairperson and six members who are women residing in the AP. The tenure of the commission is 5 years.
Activities of the Commission.
To study the laws in force for equality and fair treatment to the women.
To monitoring of the working of laws pertaining to the women.
Monitoring the recruitment and promotions made in state and public sector duly giving equal opportunities to the women.
To inspect women jails, Hostels, Homes, Shelter homes etc.
To report the Govt about unfair practices towards Women/girls duly sorting remedial action.
To study and recommended to the Govt about welfare measures to be adopted and implemented by the Govt. The Commission on receiving a written complaint from any women alleging that she has been subjected to any unfair practice or on a similar complaint from her relatives or women organization shall made an enquiry and take decision for further process. If the Commission finds that it there is unfair practice, it will referred to the concerned Govt dept to take action. The APWC will receive 50-70 petitions in a month approximately.
The Nature of cases includes
Domestic Violence/Dowry Harassment
Sexual Harassment
Work place Harassment
Service matters
Missing, Rape and Kidnap cases.
The Commission receives written petitions by post or by hand and same will be registered and file to process the case. Based on the nature of the petition. The Commission initiated the action as follows.
Call for counseling
Commission advice to approach the concerned authorities
Refer to Police station to file the case.
Refer to concerned authorities to conduct the enquiry and to take action.
Refer to protection officers to file the case under DV Act. The AP Women’s Commission take up the counseling to secure speedy settlement of disputes related to marriage and family affairs if they are not approached to the court. Once the case is filed in the court the APWC will not entertain such cases. The proper guidance will be given to women how to approach the authorities to settle their matters. The APWC also direct the concerned authorities to file the action taken report on women harassment cases at police station Govt and public organizations.
The progress on settlement of cases will be monitored monthly at AP Women’s Commission.

Andhra Pradesh shows the way in convergence of schemes
AARTI DHAR

Unique integration of programmes across key departments to improve health, nutrition services
Showing the way in implementing the much-talked about convergence of schemes for better results, the Andhra Pradesh government has initiated a unique integration of programmes across key departments to improve health, nutrition, water and sanitation services offered to women and children.
And, the State government’s strategy to improve the health and nutrition status of women and children — inter-departmental coordination — has attracted the attention of the Centre too. The strategy is being studied by the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare for possible replication elsewhere. The 12th Plan also focuses on convergence of programmes.
Realising that it would not be able to achieve the health-related millennium development goals (MDGs) by 2015 at the current pace of decline in maternal mortality ratio (MMR) and infant mortality rate (IMR), the State government worked upon the scheme that would fast-track the improvement of maternal and child health indicators without any duplication of efforts by various departments.
TO ROPE IN SHGS
The added advantage in the process is attaining a demand-driven mode of service delivery that is more sustainable than the programme-driven mode where the results depend on the managers. The State government will involve the self help groups (SHGs) to mobilise and bring about behavioural changes among user groups and create a groundswell of demand for these services.
A combination of mobile technologies and Geographical Information System (GIS) will be utilised to establish a harmonised information system to monitor service delivery and track outcomes.
Andhra Pradesh has been able to achieve a total fertility rate of 1.8, which is less than the replacement level; has introduced emergency transport service (available on 108); and introduced Fixed Day Health Services (available on phone 104).
Despite these gains, at the current rate of decline in major health indicators, there is a fair chance that the MDGs would be missed as the MMR (per lakh live births) is 134 as against the national average of 212 and target of less than 100 by 2015; and the IMR (per 1000 live births) is 46 as against the national average of 50, far behind the target of 23 as per the MDGs. Similarly, over 42 per cent children are malnourished and 59 per cent pregnant women are anaemic in the State.
“Though each department has been achieving excellent results independently, we have reached a plateau as far as implementation of programmes is concerned and the gains are not very high. Remember we are dealing with people and not just figures, so we did realise something more had to be done,” Ajay Sawhney, Principal Secretary (Health) Andhra Pradesh — who was instrumental in drawing up the convergence plan (now a government order) — told The Hindu from Hyderabad. Incidentally, his wife Nilam Sawhney heads the Women and Child Department in the State.
As per the convergence strategy, 20 key interventions have been identified for reduction of MMR, IMR and malnutrition: age at marriage, early registration of pregnancy and births, anaemia among pregnant women, institutional delivery, early initiation of breast feeding, complementary feeding, awareness against sex selection abortion, new-born care and care of adolescent girls.
The interventions will be monitored by convergence committees at all levels and the district level report will be sent to the Commissioner (Health and Family Welfare). Formats will be prescribed for monitoring relevant indicators and the community will be involved — particularly the SHGs and voluntary organisations using appropriate tools. Convergence committees will be functional from village level.
MCP CARD
The use of maternal and child protection (MCP) card will be a powerful convergent tool as it covers all components for delivering quality services. There will be a common database of beneficiaries as part of a harmonised MIS from which each of the departments (Health, Medical and Family Welfare, Women Development and Child Welfare and Rural Development) can access information.
Keywords: A.P. government programmes, women health, Women Development and Child Welfare and Rural Development
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in India women's education never got its due share of attention. From medieval India women were debarred from the educational field. Even though the constitution guarantees free primary schooling to everyone up to 14 years of age (Indian Parliament), very few females attend school. Only about 39 percent of all women in India actually attend primary schools. There are several reasons why families choose not to educate their daughters. One reason is that parents get nothing in return for educating their daughters. Another reason is that all the females in a household have the responsibility of the housework. So even though education does not financially burden the family, it costs them the time she spends at school when she could be doing chores. In addition, even if a woman is educated, especially in the poorer regions, there is no hope for a job. Most jobs women perform are agricultural or domestic which do not require a formal education. Although scenario in urban areas has changed a lot and women are opting for higher education but majority of Indian population residing in villages still live in medieval times.

literacy rate http://www.mapsofindia.com/census2011/literacy-rate.html While there has been a 3.8 per cent drop in the overall growth rate, there is still scope for improvement as 14 states and Union Territories have registered over 20 per cent growth in population figures.
Among the major states, Bihar has recorded the highest decadal growth in population (25.4 per cent), surpassing West Bengal, which occupied the first position in 1991-2001. More than two-third of the country's population lives in rural areas.
As per census 2011, 833.5 million people live in rural areas, while 377.1 million people live in urban centres.
Delhi has the highest proportion of urban population at 97.5 per cent.
Top five states in terms of urban population are Goa (62.2 per cent), Mizoram (52.1 per cent), Tamil Nadu (48.4 per cent), Kerala (47.7 per cent) and Maharashtra (45.2 per cent).
The literacy rate in India has risen to 73 per cent in comparison to 64.8 per cent in 2001.
While male literacy rate stands at 80.9 per cent, which is 5.6 per cent higher than the previous census, the female literacy rate has been recorded at 64.6 per cent, an increase of 10.9 per cent since 2001.
The gap in literacy rate between urban and rural areas and between males and females has also declined.
In Census 2011, the gap stands at 16.3 points. India's sex ratio in 2011 stands at 943 (females against 1000 males), which is 10 per cent more than the last census, when it was 933.
Haryana has the worst sex ratio at 879, while Kerala is the best at 1,084.
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India is a society where the male is greatly revered. Therefore women, especially the young girls, get very little respect and standing in this country. The women get meagre amounts of food to eat, considering the families are poor and have little to begin with. This creates a major problem with malnutrition, especially for pregnant or nursing women. Very few women seek medical care while pregnant because it is thought of as a temporary condition. This is one main reason why India’s maternal and infant mortality rates are so high. Starting from birth, girls do not receive as much care and commitment from their parents and society as a boy would.
007 | Source:
Pravda.Ru

Indian women continue to face pressure to produce a male child, data from a new survey suggest.
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Close to 90 percent of married women with two living children don't want more children if they have at least one son, but that number slips significantly to just more than 62 percent if the women have two girls, according to government survey results released Wednesday.
In some states, such as the poor and underdeveloped Bihar, 80 percent of women with two daughters and no sons wanted to have another child.
Women face great social pressure to produce a male child in this nation where the cultural preference for boys is rooted in the custom of dowry, with families often going into debt to provide gifts for the groom's family.
The numbers show that "we still have much to do to reduce the discrimination against girls and in tackling this son preference," said A.K. Shiv Kumar, a development economist and an adviser to UNICEF.
India's latest census data shows that the preference for boys has skewed the gender ratio in population of more than 1.1 billion people. Experts say that sex-selective abortions are responsible for the number of girls per 1,000 boys slipping from 945 in 1991 to 927 in 2001.
Fresh data from India's National Family Health Survey released Wednesday show that even as the country continues to show strong economic growth, its social indicators are dragging, mostly due to poor access to health care and information. India's economy is likely to grow by 9.2 percent in the fiscal year that ends in March.
In an indication that women lack adequate legal protection, the data released Wednesday show that nearly 45 percent of married women between the ages of 20 and 24 were married before India's legal age of 18. A majority of marriages in India are still arranged by families and this is especially true when men and women are married early.
Also, 16 percent of women surveyed between the ages of 15 and 19 were pregnant at the time of the survey. The numbers also show the health gap between urban and rural India, with women in the countryside getting pregnant much younger.
"This is an indicator of the state of women's health and the overall status of women in this country," said Kumar, adding that it also indicated the low priority health care had in policy planning. India allocates just two percent of its federal government spending to health related expenditure compared to 16 percent in a developed nation like France, according to UNICEF data.
The first set of data was released earlier this month and showed that almost half of India's children suffered from malnutrition, putting the country in the same league as Burkina Faso and Cambodia, reports AP.
Wednesday's additional data showed that close to 80 percent of Indian children between 6 months and 35 months suffered from anemia.
The survey the third conducted since 1992-1993 covers about 230,000 people between the ages of 15 and 54, more than half of them women, and was conducted through face-to-face interviews all across India between December 2005 and August 2006. It has no significant margin of error.
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Because women are not educated and cannot hold a prestigious job, they take on the most physically difficult and undesirable jobs. Most women are overworked with no maternity leave or special breaks for those who are pregnant. Plus women do the majority of the manual labor that uses a lot of energy compared to the men who do mostly machine operating . This is mainly because the work the women perform does not require a lot of skill and are smaller tasks.
The Literacy rate in India has improved a lot over the last one decade. Especially after the implementation of free education in the villages the literacy rate has gone up tremendously in states like Himachal Pradesh andRajasthan .

As per the data published by the 2011 census India has managed to achieve an effective literacy rate of 74.04 per cent in 2011. In the 2001 census the country's literacy rate stood at 64.8 percent. The most notable thing that came across in the 2011 census is the sharp rise in the literacy of females over males. According to the report released by the latest census there are almost 74 per cent literates that constitute the total population of India aged between seven and above. While male literacy rate stands at 80.9 per cent, which is 5.6 per cent higher than the previous census, the female literacy rate has been recorded at 64.6 per cent, an increase of 10.9 per cent since 2001.
The gap in literacy rate between urban and rural areas and between males and females has also declined.
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The health of women depends on their emotional, social and physical well-being which are determined by different social, political and economic contexts of their lives.
India being large country, has a diverse population- socially, culturally and economically; yet, the common major problem that women here face in availing healthcare, is inequality, between men and women; among women of different geographical regions, social classes and indigenous and ethnic groups across the country. There are several factors responsible for the current status of women, one is the culture itself. Women are subjected to selective malnourishment from birth. There is strong preference for the male child in several states promoting illegal sex determination and female foeticide. This not only poses threat to the expectant mother’s physical and mental health but also imbalances the sex ratio, thereby giving rise to several other social problems.1 The girl child is treated as a financial burden on the family because of customs like dowry at the time of marriage. This is a major reason why sex determination and female foeticide is rampant in some places.2 Many a times women are not free to control their fertility and decision regarding medical termination of pregnancy is influenced by husband or other family members. There are states with remarkable decline in the fertility rates of females, yet female foeticide continues and strong preference for male child remains.3
In the patriarchal societies like Indian, women on an average have less power, status, autonomy, independence and financial resources. They are mostly the carers, providing both domestic labor and health care for husband, children and elders whenever required. The male child preference exists mainly because of the patrilineal nature of these societies where the property and title are inherited by only the male lineage.
The major gender specific cause of death in India continues to be the maternal mortality, despite this being one of the key agenda in the national health care programs.
The maternal mortality rate is 212 per 1000 which is almost 6 folds higher than that of china. Women’s post natal health appears to take second place for all once the process of child birth is over.7 The percentage of women receiving post natal care within two days of delivery across states gives a glimpse of the same.8 (Table 1) The mothers who do not avail antenatal care and / or give birth unattended by the trained personnel, invariably indulge into wrong practices related to child care and hence the child health complications adding to the infant mortality rate (IMR).
Early marriage and early child bearing are important factors adding to maternal mortality rate (MMR)
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School attendance by age In the school year 2005-06, 71% of children age 6-17 attended school—77% in urban areas and
69% in rural areas (IIPS and Macro International, 2007). As Figure 3.1 shows, 66% of girls age 6-17 attended school, compared with 75% of boys in the same age group. The sex ratio of children 6-17 attending school in the 2005-06 school year is 889 girls per 1,000 boys.

The GAR estimates (Figure 3.6) also lead to similar conclusions. Gender disparities are much greater in rural areas and at the secondary school level; and age-inappropriate school attendance is more common at the secondary school level than at the primary school level for both boys and girls.
Summary and Key Findings
Children’s school attendance
 Only two-thirds of girls and three-fourths of boys age 6-17 years are attending school. The sex ratio of children attending school is 889 girls per 1,000 boys.
 There is gender equality in school attendance in urban areas; but, in rural areas, the female disadvantage in education is marked and increases with age.
 Age-appropriate school attendance is lower than any school attendance for both boys and girls. However, boys and girls who are in school are about equally likely to be in an age-inappropriate class.
 School dropout beyond primary school is a major problem for both girls and boys.
Literacy and educational attainment among adults
 The percentage of adults who are literate is much lower in rural than in urban areas; nonetheless, even in urban areas one-fourth of women and more than onetenth of men are not literate. Gender disparity in literacy is much greater in rural than in urban areas and declines sharply with household wealth.
 Forty-one percent of women and 18% of men age 15-49 have never been to school.
 Educational attainment remains very low: even among the 20-29 age group, only
27% of women and 39% of men have 10 or more years of education.
 The percentage of ever-married women with 10 or more years of education has risen very slowly from 11% in NFHS-1 to 17% in NFHS-3.

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Women’s Occupational Distribution
In keeping with the predominantly rural nature of the Indian economy and the low average educational level of women, most women who work are employed in agriculture. There is, however, great variation by marital status in the proportions of employed women age 15-49 employed in agriculture: 64% of currently married employed women work in agriculture, compared with 41% of divorced, separated, and deserted employed women and 44% of never married employed women.
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Empowerment is the only answer: Will the empowerment of women mean a difference to their present status? The answer could be mixed, though the positive side overshadows the negative side. with all the social attitudes towards women, an empowered woman is in a far better position than a lay, unlettered and helpless woman. And this empowerment has to cover the political, economic, social and legal fields. What is empowerment: It is giving lawful power or authority to act. If people were empowered they would be able to participate in the planning, execution and implementation of developmental schemes.Apart from Political Empowerment Economic and Social Empowerment are crucial. Empowerment and development are closely related. Empowerment leads to development, which further leads to greater empowerment. Women who proved well due to political empowerment:As regards political empowerment we have come a long way. We had an “iron lady” in Indira Gandhi; women like Sarojini Naidu, Vijayalakshmi Pandit Rajkumari Amrit Kaur, Dr. Sushila Nayyar, Sucheta Kripalani have done not a little to mould modern India. There are veteran MPs and Ministers in the Centre and the States. Ms.Mayawati and Ms.Jayalalithaa, have proved to be astute politicians while Ms.Mamata Banerjee has shown that she is still a force in Indian politics, to be reckoned with.
Political Empowerment at the National Level
All the same, women empowerment in national and State politics has just been a non-starter. It has taken 56 years and 13 Lok Sabha for the percentage of women members in the House to move up partially from a mere 4.4 percent in 1952 to 8.8 percent in 2004, a figure that is far below the average of around 15 percent in countries which have elected legislatures. Position in Panchayats: In December 1992, Parliament passed the 73rd and 74th Constitutional Amendments providing for 33% reservation for women in the Panchayat Rajbodies. In the last decade after the legislation came into force, the women as Presidents and members of the Panchayats have played a signal role in local bodies. Women have stormed male bastions of power not only in the village panchayats, but in the municipal councils and municipal corporations in towns and big cities.

Social Empowerment: Political empowerment of women is only a part of the overall mainstreaming of women. At the political level only a microscopic minority of women, at the helm of affairs, can effect the change in the life of women. It is the economic and social empowerment of women that needs to be given greater importance. This could be achieved a lot though education. Education of women means greater awareness of their role in society. Awareness of their rights, better knowledge of housekeeping and better performance of their roles as a housewife and mother. Education and training have opened up the avenues of employment and self-employment in the organized sector. As never before women are working in diverse fields as doctors, engineers, IAS officers, IPS officers, bank officials and in a wide range of sectors in the unorganized sector. In agriculture, most of the operations are run by women.

Steps taken by Govt for social empowerment: The Department of Women and Child Development has been implementing special programmes for the holistic development and empowerment of women with major focus to improve their socio-economic status. There has been policy shifts from time to time based on the shifts in emphasis. While the focus earlier was welfare and development of women, now the focus is on ‘women’s empowerment’. In fact, the year 2001 was declared as “Women’s Empowerment Year” to bring greater focus on the programmes for women.A programme of Support to Training-cum-Employment for Women (STEP) was launched in 1987 to strengthen and improve the skills for employment opportunities for women below the poverty line, in traditional sectors of agriculture, small animal husbandry, dairying, fisheries, handlooms, handicrafts, cottage and village industries, sericulture, social forestry and wasteland development where women are employed on a large scale. The scheme was essentially designed for the marginalized and assetless women, female-headed households and other poor women. Other major government programmes to empower poor women have been the Swayamsidha launched in March 2001 and the Swa-Shakti Project (earlier known as Rural Women’s Development and Empowerment Project), launched in October 1998. All these projects are designed to empower the lower socio-economic groups in the country.WOMEN DEV CORPN IN STATES
Empowerment paves way for glory: Here give some good points through your analysis
Conclusion: Empowerment by itself may not place women on an equal footing with men. The greatest need of the hour is change of social attitude to women. Take the classic case of dowry. Dowry is still rampant in a virulent form even among the highly educated a girl may be, dowry is still demanded. We have seen the case of Nisha and she and her parent too were willing to pay the dowry. Only when the demands crossed the limits, she fought back. How many girls are there who can toe her line? Women’s empowerment means a lot, but the ultimate goal of the equalization of man and woman would materialize only when her complementary role is recognized by the society.