Gender disparities are part of every day life in developing countries. Although policy makers have attempted to empower women and increase their autonomy through different types of programmes, such attempts have not always been very successful. Based on extensive field studies undertaken in West Bengal, a major state in eastern India, this book reviews the challenges, opportunities and success of Government policies in empowering women through employment generation schemes. This book covers a wide range of subjects, ranging from urban self help groups to women entrepreneurs hailing from...

Based on a survey of women workers in Kolkata s IT sector, this book argues that growth of the IT sector has created a demand for skilled professionals. This has provided scope for highly educated urban women to create a space of self-expression and enjoy enhanced status and prestige within their families. These women workers carefully plan their career and daily activities, keeping in mind the need to balance diverse and conflicting needs of work and home. This kind of decision-making occurs outside the utilitarian framework and is better framed in terms of Herbert Simon s satisficing...

This book provides a multidisciplinary analysis of the many socio-economic challenges posed by COVID-19 pandemic across international boundaries, disrupting the economic system and life styles globally. It starts by setting the historical context of the pandemic and proceeds to describe the impact on the Indian economy, how certain sections of the population have become economically and psychologically vulnerable. International experts from diverse fields—development economics, macroeconomics, corporate finance, history, sociology, psychology, public policy, and urban studies—contribute...