Women's Development in India

Development is a process of societal transformation from a traditional society to a modern society. It emphasises the elimination of poverty, unemployment, social, economic and gender inequality. Women are at the heart of development. Development plans ought to take into account women's abilities, rights and needs at every stage. It also means a better life which calls for equality of opportunities and social justice to all people across gender, caste/class and religion. The process needs to involve the poor and deprived men and women enabling them to get the benefit therefrom and to save their own future that can be possible only by political and economic empowerment. A development strategy without involving gender as a category appears wasteful and self defeating. The edited volume which comprises fourteen scholarly papers deals with the concept of development and various issues/problems and constraints, viz., political and economic empowerment of women, and suggests to resolve the degrading affecting the poor/neglected women adversely who are the victims of chronic poverty, unemployment, exploitation and gender inequality because of unequal productive and property relations. It provides policy insights and will be highly useful and valuable.