This is a book about understanding women’s empowerment and pathways as well as roadblocks to women’s economic empowerment in rural India, as understood through an evaluation-based research of a state-funded social sector programme located in the education department – Mahila Samakhya (MS) – in Bihar, one of the socially and educationally most underdeveloped Indian states. The book presents findings of the three-year research that adopted a mixed-methods approach and evaluated the impact of MS on various facets of empowerment of women coming from the most marginalized communities. The study, therefore, tries to go beyond evaluating the MS programme and uses the research findings and insights to raise certain critical issues pertaining to social policy planning and implementation, especially in the context of women’s education and empowerment. Please note: Taylor & Francis does not sell or distribute the Hardback in India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka

Contributed articles.

The extent of empowerment of women in a nation is largely determined by three factors - economic, social, and political identity. India's Tenth Five Year Plan (2002-07) called for a three-pronged strategy of social empowerment, economic empowerment, and providing gender justice to create a positive environment of economic, and social policies for women, and eliminating all forms of discrimination against them. The government of India has initiated various schemes spread across a broad spectrum, such as women's need for shelter, security, safety, legal aid, justice, information, maternal health, food, nutrition etc., as well as their need for economic sustenance through skill development, education, and access to credit and marketing. In order to address the phenomenon of domestic violence, which is widely prevalent but remains largely invisible in the public domain, the Protection from Domestic Violence Act, 2006 was enacted by the Indian Parliament. This collection of 35 papers examines various areas of interest including socio-economic status, women entrepreneurship, women in politics, role of information and communication technology in empowering women, and domestic violence.

In this book by Subhas C. Parida and Sasmita Nayak the concept of Human Resource Development in the national context is highlighted. The HRD for women covers a wide range of areas like education in wider context, political empowerment of women and other development programmes of women sponsored by the government. In this book women education since Vedic period, provisions in the Five-year plans, literacy dropouts at school level, gross enrolment ratio in India are briefly analysed. In the second part of the book, the political empowerment of women at both national and international level has been critically discussed along with the obstacles for women and their strategies. The book is a unique document for the researchers, academicians, NGOs and the government to bring changes which is the need of the hour.

This Book Traces The Evolution Of Indian Women Through The Mists Of History To The Present Efforts To Empower Them And Give Them Their Rightful Place In Society. Attempts In This Direction Have Not Been Dramatic Or Aggressive But Rather After The Old Indian Fashion Of Combining Chance With Continuity. It Was Gandhiji Who Brought A Dramatic Chance Among Our Women, When At His Bidding They Came Out In Large Numbers From The Shelter Of Their Homes To Take Their Part In The Struggle For India'S Freedom. Once The Old Shackles Were Removed, It Was No Longer Possible To Replace Them In The Same Way. Attempts Were No Doubt Made To Go Back, But They Were Bound To Fail. This Book Brings Much Information, Which Will Enlighten The Reader'S Mind And Give Him And Idea Of What Our Women Have Done And Are Doing.

Globally, women are facing social, economic, and cultural barriers impeding their autonomy and agency. Accelerated women empowerment programs often fail to attain their targets as envisaged by the policymakers due to a variety of reasons, with the most prominent being the deep-rooted cultural norms ingrained within society. In the era of globalization, empowerment of women demands new approaches and strategies that encourage the mainstreaming of gender equality as a societal norm. The Handbook of Research on New Dimensions of Gender Mainstreaming and Women Empowerment is a critical scholarly publication that examines global gender issues and new strategies for the promotion of women empowerment and gender mainstreaming in various spheres of women’s lives, including education and ICT, economic participation, health and sexuality, mental health, aging, law and judiciary, leadership, and decision making. It provides a comprehensive coverage of all major gender issues with novel ideas on gender mainstreaming being contributed by men and women authors from multidisciplinary backgrounds. Gender perspective and intersectional approach in the discourses make this handbook a unique contribution to the scholarship of social sciences and humanities. The book provides new theoretical inputs and practical directions to academicians, sociologists, social workers, psychologists, managers, lawyers, policy makers, and government officials in their efforts at gender mainstreaming. With a wide range of conceptual richness, this handbook is an excellent reference guide to students and researchers in programs pertaining to gender/women's studies, cultural studies, economics, sociology, social work, medicine, law, and management.

Ram Narayan Prasad, b. 1941, Professor of Public Administration, Mizoram University.