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

Reviews the position of women in society, with particular reference to their educational achievements and employment opportunities. Focuses on the potential of microcredit programmes and how women entrepreneurs affect the global economy. Assess where rural women stand in the development process today.

As India strives to improve overall social and economic conditions and gender relations through policies such as the abolishment of dowry, increasing the legal age at marriage, and promoting educational opportunities for girls, serious challenges remain, especially in rural areas. Gender Equality and Inequality in Rural India focuses on the extent to which economic development has resulted in positive changes in women's empowerment and reproductive health, as well as in sex preference. Based on a study from a village in Maharashtra where impressive gains in economic development have occurred in recent decades, Carol Vlassoff examines the impact of son preference on fertility and rural women's economic empowerment and other aspects of reproductive behavior. She provides evidence of the added value of their employment beyond the traditional wage labor and domestic spheres, and argues that policies aimed at closing gender gaps in social inequalities must be complemented by policies fostering employment opportunities for women. While many studies have demonstrated the importance of social empowerment for improved reproductive health, this is the first to separate out the differential effects of social and economic factors. This work goes even further than economic arguments by demonstrating, on the basis of a robust statistical analysis, that women's education and their professional labor force participation contribute to better health and wellbeing of rural society, including through reductions in fertility, son preference, and infant and child mortality.

To address the goal 5 (Gender Equality) of Sustainable Development, it is deemed vital that we first understand the gender inequalities and the contribution of the second gender, i.e. women. We need to bring women into the mainstream to bring both genders at par. Since most of our population lives in villages, we need to have an in-depth knowledge of rural women's role in the development and understand the means and ways to empower them holistically, be it in terms of education, social, technological, political, legal etc. Today's environment calls for a need for women in rural areas to go in for bringing the various drudgery-reducing technologies into practice as well as empower themselves economically through Self Help Groups (SHGs). Rural women must understand the coping strategies associated with climate change which is again a challenge, and the use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) to be more informed and empowered citizens for the welfare of their families, communities, societies and the nation at large. To attain the national goal of doubling the farmers' income by 2022, rural women's economic contribution must be increased through entrepreneurship. To make this dream come true, rural women need to be educated, malnutrition in rural areas; especially among women, needs to be removed, they will have to be technologically empowered, and rural women need to break the shackles of traditional hiccups and be aware of the latest information related to government programmes and schemes along with legal literacy concerning them to be able to understand the various provisions made available by the government for them and to enable them to enforce the same. This book encapsulated all the required dimensions of rural women empowerment: education, health & nutrition, technological empowerment, political empowerment instruments like the Panchayati Raj system, economic empowerment through entrepreneurship, etc. It covers the health challenges of women labourers, hill women, drudgery issues of brick layering women, women and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), and constriants to women's empowerment. A few case studies and success stories of women entrepreneurs find their place in this book. The book also provides solutions to the issues of rural women, such as knowledge about those government schemes and programmes that empower women and provides women strength with the golden rays of constitutional mandates to make them sabla from abla. In a nutshell, this book provides conceptual clarity regarding the concept of women empowerment, the different dimensions of empowerment, issues and strategies to cope with the same in one place.

With special reference to Dindigul District in Tamil Nadu, India.

There has been a long history of addressing women's rights and much progress has been made in securing it across the world in recent decades. However, important gaps remain and women's realities are constantly changing, with new manifestations of discrimination against them which emerges regularly. Some groups of women face additional forms of discrimination based on their age, ethnicity, nationality, religion, health status, marital status, education, disability and socio-economic status, among other grounds.

Women and men are equal in every human concern in this world. They are equally competing in almost all spheres of work and power and are equally achieving the set goals. Culture, economy and polity may be barriers to women in certain parts of the globe, still women and marching ahead with great conviction and confidence to keep themselves on par with their counterparts in every affair. This Book will be very much useful to the policy makers, planners, researchers, educationists and activists. Women and men are the inseparable units of this universe. Long live the affectionate bond between the two.

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.