Hello Prof Roy

These might be of interest:

Rocca, C. H., Rathod, S., Falle, T., Pande, R. P., & Krishnan, S. (2009). Challenging assumptions about women's empowerment: social and economic resources and domestic violence among young married women in urban South India. International Journal of Epidemiology, 38(2), 577-585.

at: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/23415882

Sen, G., Ostlin, P., & George, A. (2007). Unequal unfair ineffective and inefficient. Gender inequity in health: Why it exists and how we can change it. Final report to the WHO Commission on Social Determinants of Health.

http://www.who.int/social_determinants/resources/csdh_media/wgekn_final_report_07.pdf

Luke, N., & Munshi, K. (2011). Women as agents of change: Female income and mobility in India. Journal of Development Economics, 94(1), 1-17.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3850789/

This is the RG link:

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/259249832_Women_as_agents_of_change_Female_income_and_mobility_in_India

This might not be quite as relevant:

Hunter, L. M., & David, E. (2009). Climate change and migration: Considering the gender dimensions. University of Colorado, Institute of Behavioral Science.

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/229051887

I haven't seen the full text if this:

Jayal, N. G. (2006). Engendering local democracy: The impact of quotas for women in India's panchayats. Democratisation, 13(1), 15-35.

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/233280385_Engendering_local_democracy_The_impact_of_quotas_for_women_in_India's_panchayats

This is a book:

Radhakrishnan, S. (2011). Appropriately Indian: gender and culture in a new transnational class. Duke University Press.

https://scholar.google.co.uk/scholar?q=Appropriately+Indian:+Gender+and+Culture+in+a+New+Transnational+Class&hl=en&as_sdt=0&as_vis=1&oi=scholart&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwi60czmuIzPAhUMIsAKHYYUC-wQgQMIGjAA

I hope these are some help.

Very best wishes,

Mary

Article Challenging assumptions about women's empowerment: Social an...

Article Climate Change and Migration: Considering the Gender Dimensions

Article Engendering local democracy: The impact of quotas for women ...

Article Women as agents of change: Female income and mobility in India

Thanks Mary....You are like an Angel....!!!!

Thanks  a ton Prof. Kislev..  😊

Thanks a lot Prof.  Singh.. 😊

The main driver of women empowerment across the world, I would say, is information explosion. Whether it is from formal education and training, independent study and discovery of new possibilities or from the media, I think unlocking of the mind has been the key. I am referring to the reality of the gradual dawning on many minds that women and men are in fact equal. The effects and outcomes are the increasing presence and influence of women on all fronts: education, politics, economy, etc.

Thanks Prof. Uchem for your opinion. If you have any supportive empirics in confirmity of your opinion/ hypothesis (in technical),  will you kindly share it with me? 

Have you read the following papers/abstracts?

Women Empowerment and Poverty Reduction through Participation of Women in Micro-finance with Reference to Bangladesh

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/274477796_Women_Empowerment_and_Poverty_Reduction_through_Participation_of_Women_in_Micro-finance_with_Reference_to_Bangladesh

Vulnerability of Women and Girls to HIV/AIDS and Its Impact in Developing Countries with Reference to Bangladesh

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/308107464_Vulnerability_of_Women_and_Girls_to_HIVAIDS_and_Its_Impact_in_Developing_Countries_with_Reference_to_Bangladesh

Introduction of Integrated Approach and Its Impact on Sustainable Socio-economic Development of Rural Poor People: A Study on Micro-financing Scheme of Association for Social Advancement (ASA). See abstract pp. 48-49

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/308061262_Introduction_of_Integrated_Approach_and_Its_Impact_on_Sustainable_Socio-economic_Development_of_Rural_Poor_People_A_Study_on_Micro-financing_Scheme_of_Association_for_Social_Advancement_ASA_See_pp_48-

Article Women Empowerment and Poverty Reduction through Participatio...

Conference Paper Introduction of Integrated Approach and Its Impact on Sustai...

Article Vulnerability of Women and Girls to HIV/AIDS and Its Impact ...

 Thanks for your communication..;-)

The  key to women's empowerment is the reform of family law, and  enforcement of reformed family law. Without reproductive and sexual freedoms, and equal decision-making authority within families, women's political agency and  citizenship  in the public sphere are virtually meaningless. UN Women (Report 2013) established that legal pluralism i.e. delegating control over family law to minority  authorities, failure to reform family law and failure to enforce reformed family laws constitute the greatest obstacle to women's empowerment.

There needs to be a foundation within women for external factors like family law and equal opportunity to work.  Women must have the feeling that they can.  This comes from the culture.  If they feel they can, and society and state provide opportunities then women will be empowered.  IF they feel they cannot, as many in the United States do, then no matter what laws or opportunities you will find no women movie directors, engineers, physicians, nuclear scientists etc.  

UN Women (Report 2013) concluded that reformed family law is a necessary prerequisite  to women's empowerment in the public sphere, especially since high levels of 'domestic' violence are correlated with unreformed family law.'  It may well not be a sufficient cause of empowerment, however, 'culture' is so diverse in large federations like the US, that cultural explanations aren't very helpful.

Yes, of course. It's a men's world in a simple word.

The most significant factor in women's empowerment is the sense among women internally that they can. This sense comes from culture, not from law. American women are weak because their cultural tradition for centuries treated them as property. No matter what changes in law and social conditions they are unable to feel capable, so you find that they do not show up in specializations such as science, engineering, medicine, most leadership position, etc. Their numbers are insignificant compared women in the Middle East and Asia. the most important factor is an internalized self-identity of ability whether conditions allow them or not. No such thing as a man's world and no evidence of any patriarchy which is imprecisely used

Lots of issues are there: individual, familial, social as well as national according to ecological concept. Yes, it varies according to context.

Yet there are patterns

Women's empowerment is a transgression, the limit of which is the revelation of the illusion of empowerment through exposing the fissures and contradictions of the means of women's "agency". I wrote on religion and nationalism as two arenas that empower women so as to silence their voices and curbs their empowerment.

Self-image of women themselves and a sense, derived from their cultural tradition, that they can.

I think a simple word is: education. It changes lives, minds, society, culture and even self-perception. That is true quality education that transforms.

I think is higher education as in my country at present women are more interested in acquiring higher education and getting a job and even opting to work than to get married considering the fact that at present marriage is less stable like before.

There are several factors not only single factor responsible for women empowerment. Firstly, we can conceptualize women empowerment in which domain mean political, household, educational, economic oriented, sale and purchase, familial, etc. Yes, off course it vary from class to class, caste to caste, race to race, and also have variabilities based on territorialisation.

Core rights are access to education and employment; however freedom within the family especially reproductive self-determination is fundamental according to UNWomen Report (2011-12). Reformed family law is also key...e.g. ending child marriage. Caste and class inequalities are also important, but also affect men.

Thanks for your insightful response.