About the Book Women's empowerment is a potent tool that enables them to think critically, and independently; to inculcate a sense of self-worth and self-confidence; as also to have a say in the decision-making process. Despite the availability of a number of policies for the cause of women's empowerment at all levels of administration there is a visible gap in its implementation, which, among other reasons, may be attributed to the patriarchal structure of Indian society. As a result, these patriarchal values control the social structure, and impose restrictions on women wishing to be themselves, to acquire higher education, to migrate from home and to find . employment of their choice. However, in recent times, the discourse on women's empowerment has received much attention in India and elsewhere. It has grown from strength to strength and metamorphosed into a multi-dimensional phenomenon with a multi-dimensional approach. Genuine attempts have been made to address issues related to women so that they are suitably empowered to chart their own course in life. Women's empowerment in India operates through a number of factors such as the educational status, social status (caste and class), and environment (urban/rural). Important and diverse issues related to social discrimination, lack of education, access to health benefits, and economic securities have received special . emphasis. The articles in this anthology are an endeavor to highlight some of these diverse and important facets of women empowerment and bridge the expanse between policy and praxis.
About the Authors Deepa Ji Dhaul is an alumna oust. Bede's College Shimla and graduated in English Honors. She did her Masters in English Literature from HPU; Shimla Her M. Phil is on the writings of Manju Kapur. a gender based study. She has done her PhD on the writings and speeches of Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan and her area of specialization lies in rhetorical analysis.
She has presented papers on gender in various national seminars and has written articles on diverse topics of literary interest. She is a well travelled and is currently working on a project based study concerning women empowerment.
She taught at her alma mater, St. Bede's College, Shimla, before moving to the Himachal Pradesh University Centre for Evening Studies where she teaches, as a Guest Faculty in the Department of English.
Usha Rani is an Assistant Professor in the Dept. of Hindi at the ICDEOL, Himachal Pradesh University, and Shimla She has done B.A., B.Ed. from Kangra and Masters in Political Science and Hindi from Himachal Pradesh University. She has done her M. Phil and PhD on the famous writer Mrinal Pande specializing in her literature. She also holds a PG Diploma in Translation and is NET qualified. Her area of specialization is gender and most of her work revolves around women's issues, like female feticide, feminism and women empowerment. She has worked on women writers like Mrinal Pande and Amrita Pritam and has authored four books, including a collection of radio plays. She has attended many national and international seminars and likes to write poetry. She has also worked as guest announcer with the All India Radio, Shimla.
Book's Contents and Sample Pages
