GOVERNMENT POLICIES FOR WOMEN

There is no denying the fact that the past three decades have witnessed a steadily increasing awareness of the need to empower women through measures to increase social, economic and political equality and broader access to fundamental human rights, improvements in nutrition, basic health and education. The present paper introduces the impact of government policies for women’s social and economic development. On the basis of the data collected the degree of empowerment is compared in the rural and urban areas. And it is measured on four indices; women’s mobility and social interaction; women’s labour patterns; women’s access to control over resources and women’s control over decision making. The critical aspect of social empowerment of women is the promotion of gender equality in which women enjoy the same opportunities, rights and obligations like men in all spheres of life. Economic development of women implies a better quality of material life through sustainable livelihoods owned and managed by women. It means reducing their financial dependence on male counterparts by making them a significant part of the human resource.