Education is the basis for the full promotion and improvement of the status of women. It is the basic tool that should be given to women in order to fulfil their role as full members of' society. Governments should strengthen the participation of women at all levels of national educational policy and in formulating and implementing plans, programmes and projects. Special measures should be adopted to revise and adapt women's education to the realities of the developing world. Existing and new services should be directed to women as intellectuals, policy-makers, decision-makers, planners, contributors and beneficiaries, with particular attention to the UNESCO Convention against Discrimination in Education (1960). Special measures should also be adopted to increase equal access to scientific, technical and vocational education, particularly for young women, and evaluate progress made by the poorest women in urban and rural areas. There is a growing realisation that investing in women's health is investing in the health of families, communities and societies, in other words, investing in health for all. Committee on empowerment of women rightly observes the need of Gender Specific approach to health. The women health services have four components : care of general medical problems, care of gynaecological problems, obstetric care and family problems. The purpose is to provide planned maternal and child health services to ensure that expectant and nursing mothers maintain good health, have a normal delivery and bear healthy children. There is a need to look at health for women in a holistic and integrated way including physical, mental and social health. Efforts should be made to promote functional literacy, with special emphasis on health, nutrition and viable economic skills and opportunities in order to eradicate illiteracy among women and to produce additional material for the eradication of illiteracy. In this book, we have stressed the need of educating the women so that they become responsible for their own health. This requires a definite policy approach and action. It is hoped that this book having nine chapters would be useful to all those interested in women health as on their health depends the health of the family, society and the universe.
