Sarcouncil Journal of Arts Humanities and Social Sciences

Abstract: The quality of any nation depends upon the quality of its people and members of all the genders constitute its population. So for any developing nation it is imperative that all of its population contribute towards its progress. But in India, women have been given a secondary status which is reflected in almost all aspects i.e. economic, social, political, educational and personal. A country can never develop if it keeps half of its population lagging behind. Thus women empowerment becomes a crying need of the time. Empowering women means upliftment of their economic, social and political status. It entails enhancing their feeling of self-worth, their ability to make their own decisions, and their rights to influence social change. Although, since independence various major steps have been taken for the empowerment of women by the government, but the status of women in Indian society has not changed significantly. This paper critically investigates the status of Indian women on the basis of reviewing secondary sources such as various journals, report of Government organizations, articles and websites. The paper explores women empowerment in India, including constitutional safeguards, government policies and programs