Vol. 3, Issue 11, Part F (2017)

Abstract
A critical aspect of promoting gender equality is the empowerment of women, with a focus on identifying and redressing power imbalances and giving women more autonomy to manage their own lives. The roles that men and women play in society are not biologically determined; they are socially determined and changeable. The Constitution of India grants equality to women in various fields of life. The discrimination and deep-rooted gender bias still exists in all sectors on the basis of caste, community, religious affiliation and class. A large number of women are either ill equipped or not in a position to propel themselves out of their traditionally unsatisfactory socio-economic conditions. They are poor, uneducated and insufficiently trained. They are often absorbed in the struggle to sustain the family physically and emotionally and are discouraged from taking interest in affairs outside home. Female infanticide continues to be common. Statistics show that there is still a very high preference for a male child in states like UP, MP, Punjab etc. The male to female ratio is very high in these states. The empowerment of women is located within the discourse and agenda of gender equality and is increasingly being taken in the agendas of international development organizations, perhaps more as a means to achieve gender equality than as an end in itself.