The Future is Female: A Critical Study of Women's Empowerment in the 21st Century

Empowerment of women is the symbol or indication of prosperity, development or advancement of human society. It is a multi-dimensional concept. Where in the context of women, it is an exercise of powerless women becoming aware of their situation, organizing themselves, and asserting their rights to make choices, control resources, and access opportunities to improve their position. In the pursuance of constitutional mandate, the govt. has enacted several laws and acts for women empowerment. But due to lack of education, poverty, unawareness and orthodox thinking of society this effort could not get success as desired. Still victimized of cruelty, verbal abuse, physical abuse, sexual harassment, neglect, discriminatory treatment, poverty, illiteracy, unawareness and present unemployment. The present study deals with women empowerment in 21st century. The aims of this study are to find out women education in pre-colonial, colonial and modern India, the forms of empowerment of women, the violence against women, women rights, legal protection of women in Indian constitution, the Government schemes and programs for women empowerment, educational awareness. As a result, it is observed that the historical background of women education in Indian society in Vedic era women education was good. This study also shows that women empowerment refers to increasing and improving the social, economic, political and legal strength of the women, to ensure equal-right to women and to make them confident enough to claim their rights. A country?s all-round development is only possible when its women become powerful. women education is inevitable to rejuvenate woman empowerment. The women will be self-conscious socially, politically and economically by education. Overall, this study shows that by women empowerment Indian society is developed and changing in the 21st century.