International Journal of Commerce and Management Research

Authors
Adevally Soujanya

Abstract
The study reveals that women of India are relatively disempowered and they enjoy somewhat lower status than that of men in spite of many efforts undertaken by government. Gender gap exists regarding access to education and employment. Household decision making power and freedom of movement of women vary considerably with their age, education and employment status. It is found that acceptance of unequal gender norms by women are still prevailing in the society. More than of the women believe wife beating to be justified for one reason or the other. At earlier time they were getting equal status with men. But they had faced some difficulties during post – Vedic and epic ages. Many a time they were treated as slave. From early twenty century (national movement) their statuses have been changed slowly and gradually. Today we have seen the women occupied the respectable positions in all walks of the fields. Yet, they have not absolutely free some discrimination and harassment of the society. A few number of women have been able to establish their potentialities. Therefore, women have to fight the traditional Indian male – dominated society to emerge as stronger and independent entities. While all these are positive developments, cases of rape, harassment at workplace and dowry deaths are rampant. Illiteracy and ignorance about their rights are still prevalent among a majority of the women. Today the empowerment of women has become one of the most important concerns of 21^st century. But practically women empowerment is still an illusion of reality. We observed in our day to day life how women become victimized by various social evils. Women empowerment is the vital instrument to express women’s ability to have resources and to make strategic life choices. Empowerment of women is essentially the process of upliftment of economic, social and political status of women, they traditionally under privileged ones, in the society. The study concludes by an observation that access to Education, employment and Change in Social Structure are only the enabling factors to Women Empowerment.