That’s how English romance novelist Elinor Glyn defined the term “it-girl,” a phrase that entered the public imagination with the 1972 film It based on one of her novels and starring the original it-girl, Clara Bow.

Hollywood is perpetually on the hunt for this elusive quality, this blend of sexuality and innocence, of materialistic chutzpah and good valises, of swagger and sincerity that tend to sell tickets. As the Cameron Diazes, Drew Barrymores and Gwyneth Paltrows age out of group that includes Amy Adams, Michelle Williams, scarlet Johansson and Keira Knightlely, contenders to the crown that for years belonged to Jula Roberts, perhaps the last female movies star who everyone agrees actually guaranteed attendance in the theaters.

At the moment much of Hollywood is chattering about pretty Anne Hathaway, another dark-eyed, dark-haired beauty, who was plucked out of relative obscurity by Roberts’ own star-maker, Pretty Woman director Garry Marshall. Disney was explicitly looking for the next Audrey Hepburn when Marshall cast this New Jersey-raised actress, with one short-lived TV series to her credit, as the lead in the 2001 hit franchise, The Princess Diaries.

Seven years later, the 26-year-old Hathaway has finally been transformed into the it-girl of the moment, with a string of commercial hits to her name, and heat fueled by her unexpected but thoroughly wrenching performance as an addict on furlough from rehab for her sister’s wedding in Rachel Getting Married. Already, Hathaway is getting Oscar buzz.

And she’s getting the sympathy vote. Ironically enough, there’s often nothing that endears a star to her audience more than love’s travails ,a bad boyfriend or two.

Hathaway’s Italian boyfriend of four years, Raffaello Follieri, has recently been sentenced to prison for 54 months for fraud. The double whammy of on-screen and off-screen despair has curious despair has curiously combined to give Hathaway heft and maturity, making her more than just another pretty face.

Hathaway also has deftly managed the media circus Although it-girls inevitably magnetize attention, it’s not every starlet who’s forced to explain herself to such august pop culture pashas as David Letterman, who recently grilled Hathaway about her personal life.

Dressed demurely in black, Hathaway tried joking, “As far as relationships crashing and burning, I did pretty great. Scorch that earth.” But being Letterman, he wouldn’t desist, asking her questions such as, “Was there ever stuff missing out of your purse?” She mostly laughed, except for when she hid her face in her hands, literally trying to shield herself from his comic barrage.

Vanity Fair offered up a pretty good vivisection of her jet-set love affair with Follieri, and it “made her more interesting,” notes one top talent agent. “There is something about the poor girl, the ones that can never find the right love interest. It’s part of the type, if you look back through history.”

Indeed, although film historian Janine Basinger recoils at the thought that audiences enjoy seeing their cinematic icons suffer, she does note that a little glimpse of real vulnerability can burnish a star’s allure. “There is some thinking that it makes all the women identify with her.

Raise your hand if you’ve ever had a bad boyfriend. One the appeals for a female star is sense of vulnerability or being human, of not being greater than the rest of us, of not being detached from us because they’re more beautiful or have better clothes. Historically, we like women stars like June Allyson who seem human.

“Our stars don’t have to be perfect. They just have t be imperfect in a way we can tolerate, and that’s unpredictable and related to how we see them on-screen.”

Of course, Hollywood also appreciates Hathaway’s growing box-of-fice clout. Insiders per her price per movie between $5 milllion and $10 million, and Hathaway’s seeming imperfections dovetail nicely with what has become her commercial niche, the girl-power comedy. Streep (or Miley Cyrus or any of the tween stars) — have risen to glory with a devoted female fan base.

For yound women, the greater fantasy is not finding a man but finding yourself, becoming the person you were destined to be. (That’s the real theme of Titanic, perhaps the biggest chick flick of all time.)

Fox 2000 chief Elizabeth Gabler. Recalls Hathaway pitching herself for the The Devil Wears Parada, which, at that very early stage in the game, didn’t hve Streep attached to play the viperous fashion magazine editor.

She was absolutely committed to getting the role. She gave us script notes on the third act, sys Gabler. “Annie was feeling that her character would walk away (from her assistant’s life). She is in Paris, and has a changed perspective on life.” The studio wound up using a version of this idea in the film, and ultimately cast Hathaway in the part.

More comedies are coming down the pike starring Hathaway, including Bride Wars, a female version of the burgeoning bromance genre, about best friends (Hathaway and Kate Hudson) who inadvertently turn into battling bridezillas; The Fiance, about a woman who want to dump her fiancé much to her parents’ chagrin; and a sports comedy in the vien of Broadcast News featuring Hathaway as an aspiring and definitively spunky sportscaster.

As one studio executive noted, Hathaway is practically the only twenty something woman whom a studio would comfortably stake a romantic comedy on – and she’s still about half the price of a more established actress like Reese Witherspoon.

First, Lake Anna waterfront properties are ideal places to raise a family.  The residential areas around Lake Anna offer serene and clean surroundings.  You can enjoy great privacy at Lake Anna.  But if you are an outgoing individual, Lake Anna can offer exciting outdoor activities for you.  A state park is located very near the neighborhood as well as facilities for boating, water skiing, fishing, and lake sailing.  Lake Anna therefore can be considered a dream place.  If you want solitude, you can simply enjoy the quite environment of your property. But if you want great action, then plunge into the great outdoors and water sports activities at Lake Anna. 

Another compelling reason why you should own Lake Anna waterfront properties is that their values will never diminish.  The properties at Lake Anna are upscale and its neighborhood can be considered luxurious.  Lake Anna waterfront properties therefore are relatively shielded from the current housing slump.  So if you have a waterfront property at Lake Anna, you should expect that its value will increase every year as long as you properly take care of its shoreline vegetation and you keep your house in top condition.  Because of these, buying Lake Anna waterfront properties is a good investment where you can see the value of your investment growing each year. 

Lastly, residents of Lake Anna consider their homes as very far yet so near.  Because of the rural and countryside atmosphere at Lake Anna, you will feel that you are living in a very remote and peaceful place away from the hubbub and chaos of urban life.  However, do take note that Lake Anna is only 90 minutes away from Washington, DC. It is also very near the great cities of Richmond and Charlottesville.  There is also a nearby train station so you will not find it difficult to go to other cities and counties near Lake Anna.  The perfect location of Lake Anna waterfront properties make them ideal for people working in the big cities.  After spending a day in a stressful city, you can look forward to the solitude of your Lake Anna waterfront house to unwind and relax. 

Living in Lake Anna offers many benefits for you.  The neighborhood is very friendly and you can surely enjoy its serene surroundings.  Lake Anna however can also offer exciting outdoor recreational activities for you.  Most importantly, your Lake Anna waterfront property will remain valuable so your real estate investment is totally guaranteed.  These are the most compelling reasons why you should buy a Lake Anna waterfront residence now.

Stop The Anger And Achieve Total Emotional Well Being.

“It’s over,” the Back to Black singer said of their 17-month union. “There’s no way back for us now. It was never going to last. We were only together for sex. I fancied him like mad, like no one else I’ve ever known. But it’s not enough, is it?”

A pal of Winehouse’s had also divulged details of the pair’s sexual activities, which were highly excessive and involved plenty of hard drugs. Their abusive intimate life even involved sex romps with other women.

“They were into threesomes. It was Blake’s idea, but Amy said she’d been with women before, so it wasn’t a problem. She said she’s had a string of female lovers. Whenever Blake said he wanted three-in-a-bed, Amy would fix it.

“They didn’t care about sharing themselves with others because it turned them on. They thought they were on this sexual journey together. And the pair of them were into some really kinky stuff, not just the usual bondage and sex games but really gross stuff you couldn’t mention in a newspaper.

“Amy said that was the basis for their relationship. It was built on sex, so when he went inside prison there was nothing for them to fall back on. She’s not been to see Blake since he came out, and she’s had loads of opportunities. Without their rampant sex life, they’ve got nothing, it seems.

They were bad for each other, each pushing the other to excess, whether drugs or sex. Plus he sponged off her. And she’s awake to that now.”

For more gossip on Amy Winehouse and other troubled celebs, visit celebritygossiphollywood.com.

this is the website with more details….

http://www.guitarcenter.com/shop/product/Fender-FM-212DSP-100-Watt-2×12-Frontman-Combo-Amp-with-DSP-Effects?full_sku=103858965
yes…. i know… i accidentally put this in the wrong section.. i just decided to leave it here anyways….

Since a few years these type of web 2.0 community sites are popping up massively and allow you to view videos online submitted and uploaded by other members.

The most popular one is probably the youtube videos site, where millions of videos are served on a daily bases.

At youtube, you cannot only search and view online videos, but you can signup as a member as well and start uploading and sharing your own videos. And there are a lot more features that you can use when you become a member.

However, there is one big disadvantage; downloading youtube videos through youtube itself is not possible!

You might ask yourself, why would anyone be downloading youtube videos?

One reason can be, that You want to save it to your computer, to view or show the youtube video offline.

Or your internet line could be slow, so you would not be able to view the video without pausing. Downloading youtube videos could be a great solution.

Another reason may be that you want to copy the video as ipod download, so you can take the youtube video with you.

Just to name a few reasons here, why people want and are already downloading youtube videos.

Already downloading youtube videos?! Yes, because it is possible. But how would you be able to start downloading youtube videos?

Youtube probably chooses not to offer downloading of youtube videos, because youtube supplies the service for free and must make income out of ad serving which they serve through the youtube video pages.

That is why youtube needs you to come back each time to their site, so they can serve more ads and hopefully you will click so now and then on an ad, which will generate for youtube profit.

But because so many people -members- are looking for a solution for downloading youtube videos, it did not take long or there came solutions that enables anyone who wishes to download youtube videos.

With these so called, downloading youtube videos services, you can very quickly, easy & simple download youtube videos directly to your computer.

Tip #1 for downloading youtube videos: Use these services to download youtube videos (look below where)

You just search for the youtube video you want to download to your computer. Then you copy the link location of the youtube video and paste it in the field of the service ‘downloading youtube videos’ and hit submit. A download button will appear and once you click that you can start downloading the youtube video of your choice.

One tiny note: there is a little issue with almost all of these services; you will have to save, before downloading the youtube video. under a name where you have to add an extension (.flv – read: dot flv) after the name.
Recommended service for downloading youtube videos

Tip #2 for downloading youtube videos: Watch the how to video on this site, so you see how downloading youtube videos gets done

This way it should be possible for anyone, new to the internet or youtube and experienced users, to start downloading youtube videos right away. You just watch the 2 minutes how to video and you should be able to download your first youtube video within 20 minutes.

And last but not least, if you do not like to surf each time to the downloadingyoutubevideos.com service, then they offer as well their desktop software which you can download for free.

Tip #3 for downloading youtube videos: Download the software from the ‘downloading youtube videos’ site, so you can download youtube videos straight from your desktop (this way you do not have to surf to their site each time you want to download a youtube video)

Once you have downloaded & installed the software, you can activate the it by double clicking the icon on your desktop and you are on your way downloading youtube videos you want.

There are native clubs or youth groups in certain schools all over the US. If you’re a Native American and you want to become a member of a native youth group, then you should inquire at the different schools if they have such a club or youth group.

What can the Native American youths expect from the youth group? The group can help you to pass all your school subjects like culture, math, science, and other subjects. Summer camps, winter camps, and even spring break camps are held. These camps focus mainly in cultural knowledge as well as subjects like science and math. The camps are usually held out of town for about three days. While camping, the youth group members will grow closer because they will have more time in getting to know each other. The experiences they get from the camps can create lasting memories.

A lot of Native Americans especially the youth have troubles in being accepted for who they are. But if they can belong to a group with fellow Native Americans, they will feel more secure and confident. Sports activities are often held for the members such as soccer and basketball. There are sports clinics standing by to ensure the safety of the group members. The sports activities can also improve their camaraderie and sportsmanship.

Most members of the group love outings because they get to enjoy activities like horseback riding, rock climbing, rafting, and hiking. Outdoor activities are rejuvenating because they get to spend more time near nature. If they are suffering from stress, the activities can ease tress effectively.

Some of the Native American youth are in post adoption, guardianship, and relative care. These youths are often troubled and they lack self confidence and self-esteem. Their situation can be improved because some youth groups can provide certain services that can help them in their every day life.

The youth group can also help qualified members to take advantage of financial assistance, educational advocacy, and skills workshop offered by certain agencies. Finishing their studies is very important and if they can qualify to the standards set by certain agencies, they will be very happy. At least now, they don’t have to worry much about financial matters.

Native American youths will be very excited to know that there are youth groups that will welcome them as members. Once they find a youth group, then they can already enjoy the various youth activities. Now, they will belong to a group who accepts them as they are. They will be far from bad influences of modern society.

Native American youths can look forward to a brighter future with the help of youth groups. When you’re already in your teenage years and you find it hard to look for a group of friends, the best way to address your situation is to become a member of a youth group. You will get all the help you need and at the same time, have all the fun as a teenager.

Being a teenager happens only once in your life, so make the most of it.

The best business opportunity online will be dissimilar for you than say, the woman in the adjacent apartment. This is because an online marketing business venture will have to take into account what you like. Not to mention how much time you have to devote to the project and household duties too.When you decide on what line of work, you desire to start, all this will have to be considered. For example, if you really hate cats it is unlikely you would have any interest in selling cat care merchandise. On the other hand, if you love domestic dogs then a home based business opportunity dedicated to their wishes would be the perfect solution. As a matter of fact, it would more than likely be your best business opportunity online as you have fondness for the area. How you feel about a product or service is essential as you’ll have to drive customers to your visit your business site.

Clients can see even online when the person trading the product or service is just not into it. The entire concept of work from home ideas is to make an income online and you cannot do that with a subject you cannot tolerate. This applies to surveys and data entry as well, even though you’re not marketing a merchandise. You ought to avoid paid surveys and cancel your data entry if it does not capture your attention. Don’t give up though on home based business venture plans as there are some secrets to this business.

If you’ve discovered the best business opportunity online and it’s a topic you dislike, you can always hire help. Hire somebody to make written material for the web site for you, and set your residual revenue on automatic pilot. This will mind the subject of your contempt becoming noticeable to the buyers and furnish you with an online revenue. Earn supplemental income by choosing among the best work from home ideas and give up your normal line of work in a few months time.

A home run business opportunity can free you from worries over the national economy and losing your employed job. You are able to position your financial safety on something more substantial than a changeable corporation that could let you go the next day. Affiliate marketing, network marketing, skin care occupations and more are all home based business opportunity plans that you can embark on speedily. Set up your online marketing business opportunity and see your tension level decrease as your bank account develop.

You could be wondering what the best work from home ideas or respectable home based business ventures are. The quick answer is there are a large number in both areas that you might take advantage of. The’re data entry jobs, paid online surveys and many affiliate programs that can be tailored to any requirement. The foremost question you must resolve is: what are your requirements and wishes, and how do you want to attain them?

The best business opportunity online will be dissimilar for you than say, the woman in the adjacent apartment. This is because an online marketing business venture will have to take into account what you like. Not to mention how much time you have to devote to the project and household duties too. When you decide on what line of work, you desire to start, all this will have to be considered. For example, if you really hate cats it is unlikely you would have any interest in selling cat care merchandise. On the other hand, if you love domestic dogs then a home based business opportunity dedicated to their wishes would be the perfect solution. As a matter of fact, it would more than likely be your best business opportunity online as you have fondness for the area.

How you feel about a product or service is essential as you’ll have to drive customers to your visit your business site. Clients can see even online when the person trading the product or service is just not into it. The entire concept of work from home ideas is to make an income online and you cannot do that with a subject you cannot tolerate. This applies to surveys and data entry as well, even though you’re not marketing a merchandise. You ought to avoid paid surveys and cancel your data entry if it does not capture your attention.

Don’t give up though on home based business venture plans as there are some secrets to this business. If you’ve discovered the best business opportunity online and it’s a topic you dislike, you can always hire help. Hire somebody to make written material for the web site for you, and set your residual revenue on automatic pilot. This will mind the subject of your contempt becoming noticeable to the buyers and furnish you with an online revenue.

Earn supplemental income by choosing among the best work from home ideas and give up your normal line of work in a few months time. A home run business opportunity can free you from worries over the national economy and losing your employed job. You are able to position your financial safety on something more substantial than a changeable corporation that could let you go the next day. Affiliate marketing, network marketing, skin care occupations and more are all home based business opportunity plans that you can embark on speedily. Set up your online marketing business opportunity and see your tension level decrease as your bank account develop.

ABSTRACT

Women constitute almost 50% of the world’s population. As per as their social status is concerned, they are not treated as equal to men in all the places. Empowering may be understood as enabling people, especially women to acquire and possess power resources, in order to make decision on their own or resist decisions that are made by others that affect them. A person may said to be powerful when he/she has control over a large portion of power resources in society. The extent of possession of various resources such as personal wealth, such as land skills, education, information, knowledge, social status, position held, leadership trains, capabilities of mobilization.

It is now widely believed that empowerment of women i.e., providing equal rights, opportunities and responsibilities to women, will go a long way in removing the existing gender discrimination. Women empowerment in contemporary Indian society in forms of their work, education, health and media images in the forms of

their work, education, health and media images in the context of lineage, rule of residence and household chores, their context of lineage, rule of residence and household chores, their participation in social and political activities, their legal status in terms of marriage, divorce and inheritance of property, seeking wealth care should be taken into consideration. Empowerment in terms of knowledge and awareness of ones own life and society including legal raise their status with regarded to the lives. While empowerment deals with her or his expectation arising out of the situation. Similarly, a role deals with duties and obligations wile empowerment deals with rights. For instance, it is commonly assumed that the most is a woman, a wife a cook, a teacher of her children and daughter-in-law and so on.

Introduction

Women constitute almost 50% of the world’s population. As per as their social status is concerned, they are not treated as equal to men in all the places, through in the western countries women are treated on par with men in most of the fields, their counterpart in the east suffers from many disabilities. The disabilities on the one hand and the inequalities between men and women on the other, have given rise to what is known “Gender problem”. All one the world and particularly in South and East Asia and Africa the gender problem has assumed importance during the recent years the gender issue has become virtually a crucial point of argument. It is now widely believed that empowerment of women i.e., providing equal rights, opportunities and responsibilities to women, will go a long way in removing the existing gender discrimination. Women empowerment in contemporary Indian society in forms of their work, education, health and media images in the forms of their work, education, health and media images in the context of lineage, rule of residence and household chores, their context of lineage, rule of residence and household chores, their participation in social and political activities, their legal status in terms of marriage, divorce and inheritance of property, seeking wealth care should be taken into consideration. Empowerment in terms of knowledge and awareness of ones own life and society including legal raise their status with regarded to the lives.

Meaning

Before thinking about the empowerment of women, one needs to understand the exact meaning of the word empowerment. According to Cambridge English Dictionary empowerment means “to authorize”. In the context of the people they have to be authorized to have control over their lives. When applied in the context of development the particular segment of population, the poor, the women, the vulnerable, the weak, the oppressed and the discriminated have to be “empowered” to have control over their lives to better their socioeconomic and political conditions,. But the questions raised are, who empowers them and how to empower them? Ideally speaking no one empowers any one, the best way us ‘self empowerment’, by the segments of population mentioned above are handicapped both structurally and culturally to empower themselves without any outside help and affirmative action by the State and others. But still as long as these segments of population does not make any effort at self employment. It would be long and arduous task and process for the outsiders to empower them.

Role of women in development process

The principal of gender equality was recognized in the United Nations Charter in 1945 and the UN Declaration of Human Rights in 1948, the majority of development planners did not fully address the role of women in development process. In 1975, the first UN Conference of Women and Development was held

at maxico city under the motto, “Equality, Development and peace”. The need to integrate women into development was internationally proclaimed in the 1995 Bejing Conference. The Economic Survey (1999-2000) used an entire section on

gender inequality. It began with a reminder of the commitment made in the ninth plan document of allocating 30 per cent of resources for women’s development schemes through “Women’s Component Plans”. According to Menon and Probhu (2001), there was a strong plea for investing in women’s equality on the ground that this made economic sense and spoke of “the social rate of return on investment in women” being greater that the corresponding rate for men. According to Paten (2002), women’s development can be attained by improving here status and bargaining power in the economy.

Sushma Sachay (1998) argues that approaches and strategic for women

empowerment could be possible by outlining the mechanisms and tools that till

influence for women empowerment. Decisions making process, multidimensional

process that are enable worn to realize their full identity and powers in all walks

of life.

Concept of Women Empowerment

Empowering may be understood as enabling people, especially women to acquire and possess power resources, in order to make decision on their own or resist decisions that are made by others that affect them. A person may said to be powerful when he/she has control over a large portion of power resources in society. The extent of possession of various resources such as personal wealth, such as land skills, education, information, knowledge, social status, position held, leadership trains, capabilities of mobilization.

The National Policy on Education (1986) suggested certain strategies to empower women. Accordingly, women become empowered through collective reflections and decision making enable them to become agency of social change.

The global conference on Women Empowerment (1988), highlighted empowerment as the best way of making own partners in development the development of women and children in Rural Areas (DWCRA) program was initiated as a sub scheme of the national wide poverty alleviation program i.e., the Integrated Rural Development Program (IRDP). It aims at imparting self reliance to rural areas through income generating skill s along with group organization skills. Keeping this in view the year 2001 was celebrated as “The Women’s Empowerment Year”. Human resource development and empowerment of women unlock the door for modernization of society,. Instated of remaining as passive beneficiaries, women must become active partner. Participation and control over resources of power are considered as the critical indicators in the process of development discharged women especially in rural areas, possess the least proportion of these resources and as a result they are powerless and dependent on the powerful and wealthy.

Role and Empowerment

We will now realize the vital importance of the terms such as role, empowerment and function for an understanding of society. These terms tell us how individual and groups organize themselves as well as relate to each other. Very simple, role tells us about what is expected from individuals in a particular situation. While empowerment deals with her or his expectation arising out of the situation. Similarly, a role deals with duties and obligations wile empowerment deals with rights. For instance, it is commonly assumed that the most is a women, a wife a cook, a teacher of her children and daughter-in-law and so on. What happens when the mother is also the principal of the local village school? Not only does she have to deal with a range of roles and empowerments, but also with he tensions that may raise out of her ole s mother and her role as an administrator.

“Woman reposes more closely on the central surface of life, while man hunts it in the boundaries of existence, always concerned to overcome, and in the last analysis, to kill. A woman has a secret alliance with eternal life and man with the principle of death. Woman wants to embrace the contradiction of life and to reconcile them in the act of degree so. Man on the other hand release the tension between opposites by annihilating one of the sides, the one he finds unpleasant. He seeks the solution not in love and reconciliation, but in over coming and annihilation. He has a militant and not an erotic manner. The male principle borne of isolation, makes solitude thermal, seeks being in itself and disturbs life as a wholes his being is battle and self service, his willto- life is concerned with ascertaining his own person or overthrowing that of the stranger until the motive of salvation kindles with in him. Woman with her sustaining constitutions is at one and is harmony with the basis of the world. But man wants to change the world to bring it forward to overcome it”.

Women’s Empowerment in Contemporary India

Contemporary Indian society has been exposed to the broad processes of social transformation, agricultural modernization and economic development, urbanization and globalization. However, these processes have generated regional imbalances, sharpened class inequalities and augmented the gender disparities. Hence, women have become critical symbols of these growing imbalances. All these have affected adversely the various aspects of women’s empowerment in the contemporary Indian society. The family and women’s work is not enough to say that any society consists of men and women. It is equally important to look at how the two groups of people interact, as well as at the role and exceptions each group has of the other. Such roles and exceptions are a product of the stereotypes of each gender. By gender stereotype we mean attributes and qualities commonly associated with a gender. Thus, the first idea on gender role differences, which a child acquires, is that of women of one’s family marrying and leaving their homes to leave with different groups of people. Secondly, men appear to exercise far greater influence in decision making and are far more visible and audible than their wives. Third most of the tasks within the home are done by the mother, grandmother, sisters and so on. At meal times they carry food to the fields for the men. All these tasks, which consume time and energy, are not counted as work and there is no payment involved. In western countries, women’s groups, politicians and other concerned individuals have been arguing for payment for house work and childcare. In India, the question of payment for household jobs has not really been an important issue or demand. As we shall see, there are many other issues, which require urgent attention. At the same time, it is important for us to remember that non-payment should not also mean non-recognition. The fact that women are expected to perform all these tasks as a part of their conventional roles and on special merit is awarded to them for these tiring and tiresome jobs.

Women’s work participation

As per to 1981 figures 19.7 per cent Indian women were recorded as paid workers. Of whom over 87 per cent were in the unrecognized or informal sector of the economy. The work participation rate woman in 1991and 2001 was 22.3 and 25.7 per cent respectively. The increase in the work participation of women during the decade 1991-2001 is mainly due to the increase in the proportion of marginal workers (6.3 per cent to 11 per cent) in total female work force. It is held

by many observation of Indian economy that without women’s paid or unpaid labour the Indian agricultural economy would not be able to function. In the informal sector, there is no legal redressal for problems; no maternity or other leave benefits and little security of service. Working long hours as domestic servants, stitching clothes for the garment export industry, working on the assembly line of small electronics manufacturing units or the beedi, tobacco, cashew nut factories. A woman lives in fear of retrenchment, exploitation and low

wages.

Women’s Self-perception

According to Maithreyi Krishna Raj that though women were concerned about continuing their jobs, they were not looking for better prospects nor have they begun with a long-range carrier strategy. Once in a job, women rarely attempted to acquire further qualifications was by no means clear-cut. T.S. Papola’s study of workingwomen, which covered a range from those in supervisory post in industrial establishments to unskilled workers, showed that women were more different than men in respect of their promotion prospects.

Employer’s Attitude

Papol’s study showed that women were discriminated against at the time of promotions tended to be crowded into lower status electrical and primary school jobs. They were rarely promoted to executive and supervisory posts. As regards employment and promotion to supervisory category, male employers defend themselves by pointing out that women did not come forth to be recruited or promoted.

Traditional Positions of Authority in Urban Areas

In the urban areas, the working class, and men in particular have a wide range of job options available to them. The study by Leela Kasturi shows that when unemployed weavers from Tamil Nadu migrant to Delhi, the women folk found jobs only as domestic servants. While men become mechanics, cooks or drivers. The shift in residence meant a severance with an established way of life and the support of the extended family.

Working Conditions

For the majority of working class women, a job is essential. In relation to the limited chances for occupational mobility, when men and women work in the same occupation, female tasks are often the more arduous and time consuming. For instance, in paddy cultivation they spend long hours in sowing, weeding transplanting. In Kerala the extraction of the cashew seed from a corrosive liquid is women’s work. Again when both sexes do identical jobs, women often get paid

less than man. Protests are rare, apart from ignorance of legal and other rights; there is a fear of exploitation and sexual harassment by the landlord or contractor.

Traditional Role Expectations

Irrespective of social class there is at the level of belief, widespread commitment to the nation that a women’s job just not interfere or compete with her primary role of wife and mother. There is also concern with her physical safety and the respectability of the occupation. Clearly, working class familiar are far less able to ensure circumstances. NGO’s SHGs have been working to promote women more viable towards social, political, economic and cultural development micro finance is a significant factor and accessible to small and micro enterprises, socio-economic progress of poor women. Education and training also plays a major role in changing the life of poor women. The several institutions have been extending all types of vocational training, income generating activities and self-employment activities for poor women.

Empowerment of women is mainly related to their participation in decision making with regard to raising and distribution of resources i.e., income, investments and expenditures at all levels. Even though the Government of Karnataka has formulated and implemented various schemes of the social economic and overall development of the rural women, when the present position

of women is taken into account these schemes do not appear effective in enhancing the confidence and capability of the women. Empowering the poor women in rural areas to sustain their surrounding ecology is a necessity not only to stoop the ecological degradation but also for the physical survival of poor people. Almost every village in India has what is called “Common Property Resources (CDPs). Common Property Resources can be defined as “those resources, which are exploited by all people in the village free of cost by expending their labour.

References:

1. Chiranjeevulu, T. (2003). Empowering Women through Self-Help Groups – Experiences in Experiment, Kurukshetra, March.

2. Gopalan, Sarala (2002). Towards Equality – The Unfinished Agenda. Status of Women in India, National Commission for Women, New Delhi.

3. Kapadia, Karin (2002). The Violence of Development: The Politics of Identity, Gender and Social Inequalities in India. Kali for Women, New Delhi.

4. Krishnaraj, Maithreyi (2002). Growth and Rural Poverty. Economic and Political Weekly, September 21.

5. Manohar, Sujatha (2002). Women’s Empowerment – Law and Gender Justice. Paper Presented in the International Women’s Day, 8th March 2001. Department of Women and Child Development, New Delhi.

6. Sarkar, C.R. (2004). Poverty, Education and Economic Development.