It is now believed that empowerment of women that is, providing equal rights, opportunities and responsibilities to women, will go a long way in removing the existing gender discrimination. Gender discrimination and gender disabilities are not uniformly found in all the countries even in the East. Further, there are regional variations also inside the big nations. For instance in a vast nation like India, women enjoy relatively greater freedom and more opportunities in the South than in the North. Women are not allowed to move freely, to take up to education to take up to jobs, to select their own life partners, in the North. Whereas in the South the level of literacy among women is comparatively higher and hence, there is less discrimination against them. Women are found to be studying in educational institutions even at a higher level and working in offices, banks, public and private departments, in a relatively larger number in the South. In comparison with the Western societies, women in general in South-East Asia are discriminated against. They are considered to be weaker section of the society. This state of affair of women warrants appropriate plan of action to strengthen and support them. Empowerment of women is a positive step in this direction.
