Rajbanshi Women and Empowerment: Through the Lens of Gender and Development Rubric
“Empowerment is the process by which the powerless gain greater control over the circumstances of their lives. It includes both control over resources (physical, human, intellectual, financial) and over ideology (believes values and attitudes)…”1 The status of women in a society is measured in terms of educational level, income level, employment, health status, decision making right autonomy as well as the various roles played by them in the family, society and the community. Indian women’s status, role and their problems are linked to the history and traditional social system of the country. Women constitute half of the population, yet they are not treated on par with men in many aspects of life. In our country (and world wide), women usually have been linked to home and hearth. This has usually resulted in their economic dependence, social neglect and political ignorance which in their turn have prevented women from empowering themselves.
