It is said that' behind every man’s success there is a woman’.  In our society there is great disparity between a man and a woman. Male dominates the.  Woman economically and socially where as the women are assigned, invariably, a dependant role. A woman on her marriage, though highly educated, gives up her all other needs and entirely devotes her life to the welfare of the family, in particular she shares with her husband, her emotions, sentiments, mind and body .This sacrifice is embodied and engraved into the mindset of the society as the natural destiny of women by misinterpreting the benign mandates of various religions.

The history of mankind is witness to the fact that the religion has been used as a facade to perpetuate violence against women from time immemorial. The solution to this problem should not be pursued under the banner of religion. Solutions to such problems of related to horizons of basic human rights, culture, dignity and decency of life and dictates of necessity in the pursuit of social justice should be invariably left to be decided on considerations other than religion or religious faith or beliefs or national, racial or communal constraints. A nation that does not respect its women cannot be described as a civilized nation at all. Such a nation cannot grow and develop and will ultimately perish due to its own rudimentary. Thus; the national consensus should concentrate on betterment of women by suitably empowering them. Women have inherited this maltreatment from generation to generation, sometimes voluntarily and at other times with protest. The end result, however, remained the same. The patriarchal nature of society always allowed legitimizing the most heinous acts and omissions on the part of men women. Manner of violence are numerous:

Sati system is the most ancient mode of committing violence against women in which the unfortunate woman has to face the rigors of double jeopardy. Firstly, she has to bear the grief of her husband's death and to aggravate it she is forced to give her life away. If we reverse the equation then there is no obligation on the part of husband to do the same. In fact, neither a man nor a woman should be forced to take his/her life. ,The same appears to be not only inhuman but also equally barbaric.

The concept of dowry was initially followed as a practice of giving voluntarily some share in the property of the father to the daughter at the time of her marriage. The main purpose of that practice was to give some share to the daughter who was not entitled to property unlike her brothers. This practice   has, however, taken a precarious shape and the same results in many unfortunate dowry deaths.

We need to make deeper inroads into the system of society - the way in which it is organised, the way in which women are unequally represented. Women should be given opportunities in decision making in family, home and other places. Woman's access to the resources and government will surely boost the nation's economy. Women will not gain power and greater control over their lives if they do not know about the society they live in, its economic, social and political system, and the place of their country and the Pacific in the wider world. Women need to understand the broader context in which their activities take place. Women, to gain power, need to have knowledge of:

1. The political system
2. Development choices made by governments and how these affect men
Women have to come up in the society and this can be only done if the society doesn't contradict them. Prejudice against a woman violates our fundamental principle that all are created equal. Over centuries men have been trained anp educating women to consider they are inferior and to accept their superior position. As a result, not only men are prejudiced against women, but also some women prejudice against themselves because they believe they are inferior and only fit for household chores

ECONOMIC EMPOWERMENT:

In nearly every country, women work longer hours than men, but are usually paid less and are more likely to live in poverty. In subsistence economies, women spend much of the day pp.rfon11ing tasks to maintain the household, such as carrying water and collecting fuel wood. In many countries women are also responsible for agricultural production and selling. Often they take on paid work or entrepreneurial enterprises as well. 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 survice. 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 parents view daughters as less likely to take paid work or earn market wages, they may be less inclined to invest in their education, women's fastest route out of poverty.

EDUCATION EMPOWERMENT:

Education is important for everyone, but it is especially significant for girls and women. This is true not only because education is an entry point to other opportunities, but also because the educational achievements of women can have ripple effects within the family and across generations. Investing in girls' education is one of the most effective ways_ to _reduce poverty. Investments in secondary school education for girls yield especially high dividends. Girls who have been educated are likely to marry later and to have smaller and healthier families. Educated women can recognize the importance of health care and know how to seek it for themselves and their children. Education helps girls and women to know their rights and to gain confidence to claim them. However, women's literacy rates are significantly lower than men's in most developing countries. The education of parents is linked to their children's educational attainment, and the mother's education is usually more influential than the father's. An educated mother's greater influence in household negotiations may allow her to secure more resources for her children. Educated mothers are more likely to be in the labour force, allowing them to pay some of the costs of schooling, and may be more aware of returns to schooling. And educated mothers, averaging fewer children, can concentrate more attention on each child. Besides having fewer children, educated mothers are less likely to have mistimed or unintended births. This has implications for schooling, because poor parents often must choose which of their children to educate.

POLITICAL EMPOWERMENT:

Throughout much of the world, women's equality is undermined by historical imbalances in decision-making power and access to resources, rights, and entitlements for women. Either by law or by custom, women in many countries still lack rights to:

• Own land and to inherit property
• Obtain access to credit
• Attend and stay in school
• Earn income and move up in their work, free from job discrimination

CONCLUTION:

 Women need to know these things to be able to work together to mobilize for change. A wider understanding of society, and of power and where it lies, would also enable women to identify other oppressed groups, who might also be joined in struggles for improvements in living conditions, wages, for better access to government, etc