This book recognizes that the adoption of women empowerment as an objective for sustainable, people-centered development implies a more comprehensive approach than previously followed development approaches. This research explores two primary areas women empowerment as a tool to sustain the development as an ongoing process. In the first chapter the concepts of Women Empowerment and Sustainable Development are discussed. An attempt has been made to trace the evolution of both the concepts and their meaning to people even at the local level. The focus of the study is women empowerment and how this issue is encountered in their lives as an agent of change and development. It is recognized that there is no acknowledgement of their contribution to agriculture and household services. In the second chapter the socio-economic profile of the rural women is examined. It is appraised that the socio-economic status defines the levels of interaction with the rest of the environment in the society. In this part of the study many variables i.e., age, caste, education, occupation, property, family is evaluated. Chapter III provides some insights into the social norms of the hill society and its impact on the lives of women. Chapter IV concretely demonstrates implications of political empowerment amongst women. It tries to illustrate that a focus on political empowerment is essential to the achievements of other development objectives as well as important in its own right. Chapter V discusses how women is dependent on the outside agencies i.e., non-governmental agencies and government agencies capacities to incorporate gender equality concerns in social, economic and political development concerns. It reiterates the fact that there is sufficient scope and capacity for women's empowerment to mainstream development partnership. In Chapter VI the role of environment in the lives of rural women is discussed. It explores how the daily chores of rural women so closely associated and influenced by the immediate environment. In the last Chapter, it is concluded that despite an obvious presence as citizens, women stay under-represented in governing structures.
