Women’s Empowerment through Heritage and Policy Initiatives

Over the past decade, there have been widespread and concerted initiatives on several fronts to advance gender equality, environmental responsibility, and women's economic independence. As the world shifted away from a growth-oriented to a human development strategy, the subject of women's empowerment became front and centre. Several policies, initiatives, schemes, and programmes for promoting women's empowerment have developed out of the 19th and 20th century concern for women's empowerment evident in the thought and writings of social reformers in the Indian context. This rich legacy of women's empowerment was once again re-emphasized by our Constitutional framers. As awareness of the need for a cultural shift toward women's empowerment grew, 2001 was designated as an international milestone for this cause.