"Empowerment is now increasingly seen as a process by which the one's without power gain greater control over their lives. This means control over material assets, intellectual resources and ideology. It involves power to, power with and power within. Some define empowerment as a process of awareness and conscientization, of capacity building leading to greater participation, effective decision-making power and control leading to transformative action. This involves ability to get what one wants and to influence others on our concerns. With reference to women the power relation that has to be involved includes their lives at multiple levels, family, community, market and the state. Importantly it involves at the psychological level women's ability to assert themselves and this is constructed by the 'gender roles' assigned to her specially in a cultural which resists change like India. The questions surrounding women's empowerment the condition and position of women have now become critical to the human rights based approaches to development."
Dr. Rakesh Chandra
Professor of Philosophy &Director,
Institute of Women's Studies,
University of Lucknow,
Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh,INDIA
Dr. Rakesh Chandra
Professor of Philosophy &Director,
Institute of Women's Studies,
University of Lucknow,
Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh,INDIA
