Discourse on Women & Empowerment edited by Vibhuti patel

This book has adopted an interdisciplinary perspective to examine political economy of Gender and Empowerment. The discourse on gender implications of micro and macro realities by authors focus on women’s predicaments in the private and public spheres of life. It brings to the fore women’s agency in the midst of multifaceted hurdles posted by patriarchal powers. It shows how patriarchy thrives on control of women’s sexuality, fertility and labour for male hegemony over economic resources, psychological an emotional command and cultural dominance. The articles deliberate on conceptual understanding on gender questions, challenges to conventional social work approach to gender issues, survival struggles of women and girls from womb to tomb, pre-birth elimination of girls by sex selective abortion and pre-conception selection of son, increasing intensity, newer forms of violence against children in the domestic arena and society- chid sexual abuse and gender differences on emotional intelligence- coping strategies and anxiety.
The work women do contributes substantially to the well being of families, communities and nations. Women all around the world have been doing paid, underpaid and largely unpaid work in homes, factories, fields, forests and mines. Over and above 3 Cs-cooking, cleaning and caring, large number of women do activities such as collection of fuel, fodder and water, animal husbandry, kitchen gardening, raising poultry that augment family resources. It women would not this work; these goods would have to be purchased from the market.
With this perspective in mind the articles analyse work profile of women in the context of economic globalisation, women workers in post-independent Eritrea, meaning of just and caring economy, women’s right to land and housing, impact of productive loans in urban poor habitat in Mumbai and Women’s Leadership in Microfinance.