Essay On Women Empowerment In India

Role of Women in Indian's Struggle for Freedom

Role of Women in India's Struggle for Freedom Introduction The history of Indian Freedom Struggle would be incomplete without mentioning the contributions of women. The sacrifice made by the women of India will occupy the foremost place. They fought with true spirit and undaunted courage and faced various tortures, exploitations and hardships to earn us freedom. When most of the men freedom fighters were in prison the women came forward and took charge of the struggle. The list of great women whose names have gone down in history for their dedication and undying devotion to the service of India is a long one. Woman's participation in India's freedom struggle began as early as in 1817. Bhima Bai Holkar fought bravely against the British...show more content... She gave up writing poetry and fully devoted herself to emancipation of women, education, Hindu–Muslim unity etc. She became a follower of Gandhiji and accompanied him to England. Whenever in England, she openly criticized British rule in India which caught the attention of scholars and intellectuals. Madam Cama (24 September 1861 – 13 August 1936) Madam Cama fought for the freedom of the country till the last in her own way, and helped many revolutionaries with money and materials. She unfurled the first National Flag at the International Socialist Conference in Stuttgart (Germany) in 1907. She declared "This flag is of Indian Independence! Behold, it is born! It has been made sacred by the blood of young Indians who sacrificed their lives. I call upon you, gentlemen to rise and salute this flag of Indian Independence. In the name of this flag, I appeal to lovers of freedom all over the world to support this flag." A thousand representatives from several countries were attended. She traveled a lot of places including America and propagates Americans about Indians struggling for Independence. Begum Hazrat Mahal (1820–1879) Begum Hazrat Mahal was a great Indian freedom–fighter who played a major role during India's First War of independence (1857–58). She was also known as the Begum of Awadh (Oudh) and was the wife of the then Lucknow ruler, Nawab Wajid Ali Shah. She led a band of her supporters against the British, and was

Gender Inequality And Womens And Empowerment

In world history, gender inequality and women's and empowerment have been an ongoing battle of victories and setbacks, especially for women. Women are disproportionately affected by gender inequality; they are often looked at with pity or a need to be protected from the outside world. This desire to protect women has evolved into a culture of restriction, when it comes to what women can and cannot do in their day to day lives. The Middle East is especially susceptible to devaluing women in society. The states that operate within this grouping are dominated by patriarchal societies that raise men and their standards above those of women. In Iran women have a difficult time making a name for themselves and are often left feeling very helpless and alone. Sometimes women have to fight just to be heard and are often silenced by the government in an attempt to level the playing field between the sexes. Ironically, in Bahrain the government appears to be in favor of women and establishing them as equals with their male counterparts. Yet, once inside of the country, it does not take long to realize this is not necessarily the case. It goes to show that just having laws in place that "protect" women is not enough to make a society shift their sexist views towards women in general. It takes an entire state changing their personal views in order to bring about large change in the area of gender equality and women's empowerment. This battle takes not just women standing up for

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Literature Review On Women Empowerment

3.0 Literature Review The literature review of the study revolves around the following: definition of women empowerment, importance of education, achieving empowerment through education participation in education and economic activities retrogressive, social, cultural and traditional values limited access to post – primary education, balancing productive and household and reproductive responsibilities limited economic empowerment and access to credit property ownership. Constraints overcoming social norms and attitudes that block equality in education through education, Theoretical Framework, policy suggestions and Agenda for reform and Recommendations.

3.1 Definition of women empowerment Women's empowerment is defined as the process in which their spiritual, political, social or economic status is raised. This also includes the right to raise their level of confidence regarding their own capabilities. Empowerment includes the following aspects–

1.The ability to take their own decisions,

2.To take information and have other facilities at their disposal which would enable them to take proper decisions.

3.Firmness while taking collective decisions,

4.Possessing positive way of thinking regarding the ability to bring about transformation

5.The ability to bring about improvement in one's own capabilities

6.The competence to modify other's attitudes in a democratic manner.

7.To participate in continuous and self–propagated development process and to take active Get

Role Of Women And Women 's Empowerment

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Role of women empowerment in economic growth in India

Dr. kirti shrivas

(Asst. professor)Dept. of Commerce, govt. college abhanpur

Abstract :Women's empowerment defined as improving the ability of women to access the constituents of development in particular health, education, earning opportunities, rights and political participations.

Womenempowerment in India is dependent on many different variables like education status, social status, geographical status and age. This paper is focused to economic participations and opportunities for women. There is very close relation between economic development and women's empowerment.

The main objective of this study is to identify an economic status of women's...show more content...

3. Economic empowerment: – It implies a better quality of material life for a sustainable livelihood owned and managed by women. There is a strong correlation between economic development and women's legal rights.

4. Political empowerment: – The existence of political system is favoring the participation by women in the political decision making process and in governance. infusing other government policies and decisions the affect on rural communities, changing town based peoples beliefs, networking with people in government and industry and other women to discuss and rural communities.

5. Economic empowerment:–

International Journal of Recent Trends in Engineering & Research (IJRTER)

Volume 02, Issue 11; November– 2016 [ISSN: 2455–1457]

@IJRTER–2016, All Rights Reserved 178

There is a bidirectional relationship of economic development & women empowerment defined as improving the ability of women to access the constituent of development. Economic development can also lead to the empowerment of women by freeing their time. The world that is interested in women's right favors for economic development. Women contribute to the Indian economy in many ways. Apart from her importance in the social framework, a women's vital role in village centric community activities, protecting our culture and in determining the consumption attitude makes her special for economy. The high growth

Women Employment in India

GENDER DISCRIMINATION

(Women employment in China and India)

Sunida Singh

Expo36@gmail.com

082

WE FORGET TO TAKE A PHOTO TOGETHER ^ ^

TABLE OF CONTENT

Introduction3 Gender discrimination4

Global Women Employment6

Women Employment in China..........................................................11

Women Employment in India14 * Labor force trends & legislation...................................................15 * Management..........................................................................16 * Changing Work Place...............................................................17

Successful case to promote women employment

AVON China, the company for women..............................................18

TATA India * About Tata Steel & Corporate Sustainability Services18 * Empowerment initiatives of Tata Steel help women to achieve feat19

* TATA Motors Grihini Udyog......................................................20...show more content...

Another setting where there have been claims of gender discrimination is banking; for example if one is refused credit or is offered unequal loan terms based on one's gender. Another setting where there is usually gender discrimination is when one is refused to extend their credit, refused approval of credit/loan process, and if there is a burden of unequal loan terms based on one's gender. Socially, sexual differences have been used to justify different roles for men and women, in some cases giving rise to claims of primary and secondary roles.

While there are alleged non–physical differences between men and women, major reviews of the academic literature on gender difference find only a tiny minority of characteristics where there are consistent psychological differences between men and women, and these relate directly to experiences grounded in biological difference. However, there are also some psychological differences in regard to how problems are dealt with and emotional perceptions and reactions which may relate to hormones and the successful characteristics of each gender during longstanding roles in past primitive lifestyles. Unfair discrimination usually follows the gender stereotyping held by a society. The United Nations had concluded that women often experience a "glass ceiling" and that there are no societies in which women enjoy the same opportunities as men. The term "glass ceiling" is used to describe a perceived barrier

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Information Technology and Women Empowerment in India

Abstract

Information Technology has revolutionized the world as never before and Indian women are no exception to it. Workforce trends show that a large ...show more content...

The fact that IT sector in the country has increased at an incredible rate of 35% per year for the last 10 years reinforces the view that India is world class in IT. The contribution of IT sector to national GDP will be around 8.5% during the year 2010–2011. The IT sector revenue is expected to increase from Rs 1276 billion in 2004–2005 to Rs 6435 billion in 2011. Availability and adequate supply of skilled and knowledgeable workforce and the quality of infrastructure is critical for the growth of IT in India. The IT sector is one of the largest employers of women, and therefore, can play a crucial role in women empowerment and the reduction of gender inequalities. As per NASSCOM (2010) estimates, women comprise 30–35% of the entire workforce in the IT sector. The number of software professionals has been growing continuously over the years. There is 60% increase in the number of women employees working in the Indian IT sector from 2006–2008 of the entire workforce of 400 million working in the IT sector, 30–35% is female and among them 20% work in urban India(NASSCOM 2008).

Today women with their smartness, grace and elegance have conquered the whole world. They with their hard work and sincerity have excelled in each and every profession. Women are considered to be more honest, meticulous, and efficient and hence more and more companies prefer hiring women for better performance and result.

There are several employment opportunities in IT for young

Dr.Nasir Zamir Qureshi Associate Professor, Department of Commerce, Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh.

Adil Amin Bhatt Research Scholar, Department of Commerce, Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh.

Women Empowerment

NATIONAL POLICY FOR THE EMPOWERMENT OF WOMEN

(2001) | | |Introduction | |The principle of gender equality is enshrined in the Indian Constitution in its Preamble, Fundamental | |Rights, Fundamental Duties and Directive Principles. The Constitution not only grants equality to | |women, but also empowers the State to adopt measures of positive discrimination in favour of women. | |Within the framework of a democratic polity, our laws, development policies, Plans and programmes have| |aimed at women's advancement in different spheres. From the Fifth Five Year Plan (1974–78) onwards has| |been a marked shift in the approach to women's issues from...show more content... Therefore, they remain largely marginalized, poor and socially excluded. | |Goal and Objectives | |1.11 The goal of this Policy is to bring about the advancement, development and empowerment of women. | |The Policy will be widely disseminated so as to encourage active participation of all stakeholders for| |achieving its goals. Specifically, the objectives of this Policy include | |(i) Creating an environment through positive economic and social policies for full development of | |women to enable them to realize their full potential | |(ii) The de–jure and de–facto enjoyment of all human rights and fundamental freedom by women on equal | |basis with men in all spheres – political, economic, social, cultural and civil | |(iii) Equal access to participation and decision making of women in social, political and economic | |life of the nation | |(iv) Equal access to women to health care, quality education at all levels, career and vocational | |guidance, employment, equal remuneration, occupational health and safety, social

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Most men view themselves as being the superior life–form in society. They justify this belief by saying that they are stronger and more capable; thus, making them more qualified for the important roles in society. They place themselves on pedestals and force women to believe in their own inferiority to men and their incapability to excel educationally, politically, economically, and domestically. But the truth is that women will eventually advance in all these areas and come to realize that they do not need men to survive. John Steinbeck, in his short story "The Chrysanthemums" depicts the trials of a woman attempting to gain power in a man's world. Elisa Allentries to define the boundaries of her role as a woman in such a...show more content...

From the time of the women's movement, women have proven to society that they are just as capable and qualify for the same roles that men perform. Since they have been given more educational opportunities, they have also proven that they are just as competent by accomplishing the same educational level as men. They also proved that they are capable of performing the same kinds of work that men have traditionally done. They have forced society to modify job titles (formally known to be only men jobs) to acknowledge the women who have gone into these fields: from fireman to firefighter; mailman to mail deliverer; policeman to police officer; and etc. Due to these new opportunities that have been made possible to women, more and more of them are joining the workforce each year. According to America Today, about 55% of the people who enter the workforce each year are female. At this rate, women will eventually dominate the work force; thus, dominating the economic system. Gaining this financial independent will allow women to surpass in other areas of society, which is also give them more political influence. The government positions currently being held by women in the White House and state capitals all over the United States prove that this is true. It is also comprehensible that women will eventually be able to take on the role of presidency as they have other government positions. It is only

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INTRODUCTION

The issue of gender inequality is one which has been publicly reverberating through society for years. Gender inequality is one of the most serious & ethical issues in India today. Gender inequality in India is described as a preferential treatment arising out of prejudice based on the gender. The aim of this research is to discuss the status of women in India in the past, present and future and discuss any political movements which took place in the society in order for Women to be regarded as equal.

BODY

India has always been one of the ancient civilizations to treat women with respect. Women in ancient India were held in high esteem and always held the position of a mother or a goddess. They occupied a dignified place in...show more content...

The best example of this is Indira Gandhi who served as the Prime Minister of India for 15 years of her life. She is known for being the world's longest serving woman Prime Minister ever.

Despite having so many laws about the women rights in India. There are still women suffering from inequality in certain parts of the country. Today, India ranks 101 out of 134 countries on the gender inequality index. Many women are forced to suicide because of the inequality factors such as dowry, rape, sex selective abortion, acid throwing, trafficking and domestic violence. A shocking gang rape incident took place with 23 years old medicine students on a public transport in New Delhi on the 16th of December 2012. This incident became very popular across the nation and was widely protested by many people in the country. Rape statistics are very high in India, it is recorded that 1 female is sexually harassed every minutes in India. Sexual harassment has a high impact on the mental stability of a woman which leads them to suicide.

In the modern day society equal access to property and land ownership is one of the most disputed issues with regards to gender inequality. Today women in India are often excluded from getting a share in the family's property because of the gender discrimination. In the Indian society, only men of the family have the right of inheritance. This is because daughter. There are

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http://www.onestopias.com/tutorials/sociology/basic–concepts/types–of–societies.asp http://www.cbd.int/decisions/ http:/

/www.preservearticles.com/economics/ http://in.news.yahoo.com

/internet–diplomacy–changing–world–highlighted–sonepat–meet–104338539.html http://www.onlinegkguide.com/current–affairs/india

/january–2011/ http://www.egyankosh.ac.in/bitstream/123456789/25474/1/Unit–1.pdf http://www.sociologyguide.com/basic–concepts

/Definition.php http://epw.in/epw/user/userindex.jsp http://www.indiaonline.in/Administration/AdminHierarchy/index.aspx http:/ /depot.gdnet.org/cms/grp/general/India_proposal.pdf http://india_resource.tripod.com/social.htm

http://mpra.ub.uni–muenchen.de/9962/1/MPRA_paper_9962.pdf...show more content...

Women's empowerment is vital to sustainable development and the realization of human rights for all. Where women's status is low, family size tends to be large, which makes it more difficult for families to thrive. Population and development and reproductive health programmes are more effective when they address the educational opportunities, status and empowerment of women. When women are empowered, whole families benefit, and these benefits often have ripple effects to future generations. The roles that men and women play in society are not biologically determined – they are socially determined, changing and changeable. Although they may be justified as being required by culture or religion, these roles vary widely by locality and change over time. Key issues and linkages: 1)Reproductive health: Women, for both physiological and social reasons, are more vulnerable than men to reproductive health problems. Reproductive health problems, including maternal mortality and morbidity, represent a major– but preventable – cause of death and disability for women in developing countries. Failure to provide information, services and conditions to help women protect their reproduction health therefore constitutes gender–based discrimination and a violation of women's rights to health and life. 2)

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Women Empowerment : The Lowland

By Jhumpa Lahiri

Women empowerment reflected in Indian Diaspora novel The Lowland by Jhumpa Lahiri.

Abstract: The aim of this article is to analyze the reflection of the women empowerment in the Indian Diaspora novel The Lowland by Jhumpa Lahiri. It is rightly said by Alfred North Whitehead– "It is in literature that the concrete outlook of humanity receives its expression." Literature is not only a reflection of the society but also serves as a corrective mirror in which members of the society can look at themselves and find the need for positive change. It is necessary to take a close look at some works of literature, in order to understand how literature actually reflects the society. Literature as a whole grows and changes from generation to generation. It is not static but dynamic. It means that each age has its own particular point of interest and its own particular way of thinking and feeling about things. So the literature which it produces is governed by certain prevailing tastes. These tastes last for a time only. The influence of literature on society is felt directly or indirectly. Women Empowerment is a burning issue of this modern age. So, an effort is done in this paper to reflect the traditional roles which women, especially, Indian women are expected to follow and the role which the women choose in context to a novel the Lowland.

Keywords: Women empowerment,Indian Diaspora novel, The Lowland

"I think women are foolish to pretend they are equal to

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PAPER PRESENTATION ON WOMEN EMPOWERMENT AND SELF HELP GROUPS

BY Mrs. REBECCA THOMAS Lecturer in Commerce NES Ratnam College, Bhandup(W).

WOMEN EMPOWERMENT AND SELF HELP GROUPS

Introduction

Women and children, who represent more than two–thirds (67.7%) of the country's total population, constitute the most important target group in the context of the present day developmental planning. Therefore their concerns are placed on the priority list of the country's developmental agenda.

For more than a decade' the term 'empowerment' has been widely used in relation to women as well as marginalized community in India, Today one hears this term much more often than terms like women's welfare, upliftment,development are awareness rising...show more content... In order to empower the rural poor especially the women, female workers must first empower themselves.Batilwala has identified three approaches to women's empowerment :the integrated development approach, which focused on women's survival and livelihood needs; the economic development approach, which aimed to women's economic position; and the consciousness approach, which organized women into collectives that address the source of oppression.

The consciousness raising approach asserts that women's empowerment requires awareness of the complex factors causing women's subordination. This approach organized women into collectives that tackle the sources of subordination (ASTHA, Deccan Development Society, Mahila Samakhya, WOP in India, and Nigera Kori in Bangladesh).

The Female empowerment approach stresses the capacity of women to increase their self reliance and internal strength. The empowerment approach to women's advancement in developing countries recognizes that the patriarchal structure of subordination must be addressed through women's organizations at the grass– root level. Such local groups can facilitate bottom up change by providing a social mechanism to raise women's consciousness about their subordination.

Broad categories of Empowerment

Empowerment can be broadly categorized as:

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Women in India

In the streets of India one finds increasingly fewer little girls. You can look in classrooms, streets, and homes to notice that the number of female children is in fact, diminishing. Although a female minority is not a new thing in India, the percentage of women to men has declined steeply. Radhika Balakrishnan reports that national censuses show the sex ratio went from 972 women for every 1000 men in the year 1901 to 936 women for every 1000 men in the year 1981. This number continued to decline to 927 per 1000 in 1991. It is not that female babies are less frequently conceived or more susceptible to disease, but rather that they are killed upon birth, or in some cases not born at all. Modern ultrasonic ...show more content...

It has been estimated that there are some 11.2 million abortions per year, of which 6.7 million are induced. In rural areas there are 3 illegal abortions for every legal one, and in urban locations that number can be as high as 5. The large number of abortions is reflected in the ratio of girl children to boy children. Although the national girl–boy ratio is 927:1000, it can be as low as 796:1000 in some states.

People commonly ask what someone's stance on abortion is. In itself the question is hard to address. There are always so many different situations that need to be taken into account and it is not a very pleasant topic to begin with. It is not as if anyone is ever going to answer with great conviction, "Yes, I am for it. I like it and I think that it is a great thing for society and a proper method of birth control." Instead, the views usually range from, "Well, I don't like the idea of it, but I can sympathize with patients who turn to it and find it perfectly acceptable," to, "NO! It is wrong and there are no exceptions!" I have always considered myself to be on the pro–choice side of the argument with the opinion that every woman has the right to do what she wants to her body. But in this special situation I feel infuriated

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National Policy for the Empowerment of Women

NATIONAL POLICY FOR THE EMPOWERMENT OF WOMEN

(2001)| IntroductionThe principle of gender equality is enshrined in the Indian Constitution in its Preamble, Fundamental Rights, Fundamental Duties and Directive Principles. The Constitution not only grants equality to women, but also empowers the State to adopt measures of positive discrimination in favour of women.Within the framework of a democratic polity, our laws, development policies, Plans and programmes have aimed at women's advancement in different spheres. From the Fifth Five Year Plan (1974–78) onwards has been a marked shift in the approach to women's issues from welfare to development. In recent years, the empowerment of women has been recognized as the central issue in...show more content...

New laws will be enacted and existing laws reviewed to ensure that justice is quick and the punishment meted out to the culprits is commensurate with the severity of the offence.2.2 At the initiative of and with the full participation of all

http://www.onestopias.com/tutorials/sociology/basic–concepts/types–of–societies.asp http://www.cbd.int/decisions/ http:/

/www.preservearticles.com/economics/ http://in.news.yahoo.com

/internet–diplomacy–changing–world–highlighted–sonepat–meet–104338539.html http://www.onlinegkguide.com/current–affairs/india /january–2011/ http://www.egyankosh.ac.in/bitstream/123456789/25474/1/Unit–1.pdf http://www.sociologyguide.com/basic–concepts

/Definition.php http://epw.in/epw/user/userindex.jsp http://www.indiaonline.in/Administration/AdminHierarchy/index.aspx http:/ /depot.gdnet.org/cms/grp/general/India_proposal.pdf http://india_resource.tripod.com/social.htm http://mpra.ub.uni–muenchen.de/9962/1

/MPRA_paper_9962.pdf...show more content...

Unpaid domestic work – from food preparation to care giving – directly affects the health and overall well being and quality of life of children and other household members. The need for women's unpaid labour often increases with economic shocks, such as those associated with the AIDS pandemic or economic restructuring. Yet women's voices and lived experiences– whether as workers (paid and unpaid), citizens, or consumers – are still largely missing from debates on finance and development. Poor women do more unpaid work, work longer hours and may accept degrading working conditions during times of crisis, just to ensure that their families survive. Intergenerational gender gaps: The differences in the work patterns of men and women, and the 'invisibility' of work that is not included in national accounts, lead to lower entitlements to women than to men. Women's lower access to resources and the lack of attention to gender in macroeconomic policy adds to the inequity, which, in turn, perpetuates gender gaps. For example, when girls reach adolescence they are typically expected to spend more time in household activities, while boys spend more time on farming or wage work. By the time girls and boys become adults; females generally work longer hours than males, have less experience in the labour force, earn less income and have less leisure, recreation or rest time. This has implications for investments in the next generation. If Get more content

Women Empowerment

The Drawbacks And Benefits Of Empowering Women

Abstract

This essay will examine the advantages and disadvantages of empowering women so that they can hold other positions apart from their traditional ones. Firstly, it will consider the disadvantages of women empowerment mainly in terms with economical and social stand in the general society. And all of which has proven it's drawbacks when the pressure of women empowerment transpires. Consequently, it will discuss the benefits of women empowerment and present the view on the social, economical and political contribution women as established in their empowerment. Finally, this essay will conclude that empowering women is rather necessary and needed then preferable.

(106 words)...show more content...

As the rise of intelligence in women takes place at work, the interest and effort of men also accelerates where to an extent, common patterns of gender bias is encountered in the work environment.

Similarly, the benefits of women empowerment also touches every aspect and facet of society. The initiative and the will to empower women gives both the privileged and the unfortunate the motivation to make a difference in ones social, economical and political structure of a nation. Sen and Grown (1985) points out that in order for reductions in external aid and resources may be compensated, this requires the participation of both men and women. Contrary to this point, some countries do not accommodate enforcement and implications on gender equality, certain efforts and rights have been put in the dim by social dictates, where the existing laws for gender equality are often disregarded when applied to women. Pakistan and India are two glaring examples of this. The suffering of women and the denial of their rights go hand in hand with the instability of nations, Clinton said. (Empowering Women Benefits All, 2012). Therefore, it is just and right to remove discriminating laws and empower women to the highest degree as much as economic and social proficiency is concerned.

Furthermore, empowering women can uplift the spirit and put to practice whatever talent a women has in her. Some people just need continuous support and motivation

IMPACT OF WOMEN ENTREPRENEURS ON SOCIETY

PRESENT STATUS, GROWTH AND IMPACT OF WOMEN ENTREPRENEURS Abstract

Women constitute around half of the total world population. So is in India also. They are therefore, regarded as the better half of the society. In traditional societies they were confined to the four walls of houses performing house hold activities. In modern society they have come out of the four walls to participate in all sort of activities. The Indian women are no more treated as beautiful showpieces. They are also enjoying the fruit of globalization marking an influence on the domestic and international sphere. They have carved a niche for themselves in the male dominated world. Indian women well manage both burden of work...show more content...

The family members and the society are reluctant to stand beside their entrepreneurial growth. To a certain extent, this situation is changing among Indian women and yet to face a tremendous change to increase the rate of growth in entrepreneurship.

b)Socio–cultural barriers – Women's family and personal obligations are sometimes a great barrier for succeeding in business career. Only few women are able to manage both home and business efficiently, devoting enough time to perform all their responsibilities in priority

c)Market–oriented risks – Stiff competition in the market and lack of mobility of women make the dependence of women entrepreneurs on middleman indispensable. They are not fully aware of the changing market conditions and hence can effectively utilize the services of media and internet.

d)Knowledge in Business Administration– Women must be educated and trained constantly to acquire the skills and knowledge in all the functional areas of business management. This can facilitate women to excel in decision making process and develop a good business network

e)Awareness about the financial assistance– Various institutions in the financial sector extend their maximum support in the form of incentives, loans, schemes etc. Even then every woman entrepreneur may not be aware of all the assistance provided by the institutions.

f)Identifying the available resources – Women are hesitant to find out

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Women in Sports

In the last one hundred years women have made tremendous inroads in many facets of life. Of that there can be little doubt. Women may now hold jobs, own property and participate in professional sports. Today women can compete in sports, once a vestige of male domination; there is now room for women in that arena. But even today women in sports are not portrayed in the same light as their male counterparts. To a large degree this is because of today's cultural ideal of women.

Since the beginning of this century women like Babe Didrickson and Billy Jean King have brought female athletes into mainstream acceptance. In earlier times women had not only not been encouraged to be physical it was thought to be harmful for...show more content... During this century women have been able to break out of the traditional female mold. Women have broken the chains that bond them to the home and have emerged into all sorts of male dominated arenas, including sports. Women have become athletes in theirown right. In the last ten years there has been validation for the female athlete. The WNBA was created giving women a professional league in a mainstream traditionally male sport for the first time since the All American Girls ProfessionalBaseball League went out of existence in the 1950s. And recently a woman made the cut and participated on the professional golf circuit with the men. Today, we see women athletes in the media regularly. Women's college basketball is given airtime on weekends just as men's is.

But even today women athletes are not on equal footing with men. Women are not permitted to be masculine, they can be athletes but they need to keep their femininity intact. Even a great athlete like Babe Didrickson was forced to change her image to suit our culture's sense of what a woman should be. And while a women may be given endorsements she is expected to look a certain way we she does them. She may sweat on the field or the court but not on camera.

Some women athletes are still not accepted. Women who body–build are not given the same respect as men who do. While many