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1. INTRODUCTION
Women empowerment is not an old phenomenon. In oriental belt of the globe it has got currency only in the recent past. Even the western thinkers looked at the women empowerment in the second half of the last century. It was first time noticed by a group of western development experts in research and investigation that womens participation in the development does not happen unless women become united. This has given birth to a school of thought named Women in Development which has remarkably set a specific trend in including women in theories of development and this stream was strong in 1970s. The educated women do not want to limit their lives in the four walls of the house. They demand equal respect from their partners. However, Indian women have to go to a long way to achieve equal rights and position because traditions are deep rooted in Indian society. Despite all the social hurdles, many women have become successful in their works. These successful women have made name and wealth for themselves with their hard work, diligence, competence and will power. The concept of women empowerment originated from the Brazilian educationist Paulo Frerie. Women in India now participate in all activities such as education, politics, media, art and culture, service sectors, science and technology, etc. Since the drawn of civilization women have obviously been working as an important agent of development but this crucial contribution of women is yet to be recognized. Male domination has enchained women to apartment. Women as an independent target group, account for 495.74 million and represent 48.3 % of the countrys population, as per the 2001 census. No country can achieve its potential without adequately investing in and developing the capabilities of women .In the interest of long term development it is necessary to facilitate their empowerment. In many developing countries, including India, women have much less access to education, jobs, income and power than men. Even after five and half decades of planned development Indian women have not achieved expected success in the mainstream of life. Our country will be
unable to have a competitive edge over others until and unless the status and role of women is improved.
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