IMPACT OF HIGHER EDUCATION ON SOCIO- CULTURAL EMPOWERMENT OF WOMEN: A CASE STUDY OF DHARWAD DISTRICT

Women empowerment is a concept that enables women to enhance their status in their family as well as in society and helps to take active participation in every sphere of social aspects. In terms of socio-economic situations and right to entitlement, it is widely acknowledged that women are the weaker and marginalized members of our society. Women's education, in particular, is currently at the focus of development debate. Higher education gives women the ability to make their own decisions. Higher education entails the complete development of a person's personality India is the world's second-largest country in terms of population. However, when we compare the current status of Indian women to that of women in other nations, we can see that the situation is far from good. Women in India encounter a variety of obstacles to achievement, including illiteracy, domestic abuse, a lack of drive and support, and so on. It is critical for the country's harmonic development that women walk hand in hand and shoulder to shoulder with men. The main goal of this study is to emphasize the importance of education, especially higher education, in women's empowerment. Based on a cross-sectional study among 510 women of the Dharwad District, an effort has been made to find out whether some socio-cultural factors like education, family type, and earning opportunity influence women’s decision-making capacity, and thereby, their empowerment or not. Along with this, the secondary data gathered from the government and non-government offices is also made use of.