INTRODUCTION

Women constitution half of our population & play specific & crucial role either visible or invisible crucial in society & history. A women creates life nurtures it guards & strengthens it on their tasks as mother they play vital role in development of nation. But womens status has been gradually held to be lower in comparison to their male counterparts. A woman in Bihar as in many parts of world has no identity of her own. She is mother, wife, daughter, sister of the man. She receives her identity through her relationship to a man.

DOWRY & THE LAW

Dowry normally means giving gifts during marriages to son-in-law or his parents in cash or kind dowry today is being demanded and paid without any relation to the brides fathers income and wealth the dowry is prohibited act of 1961 is the first attempt by the government of the India to recognize dowry as a social event to curb its practice. The act modified with dowry prohibition (amendment) act of 1984, which has been again modified with dowry prohibition bill 1986. Womens organizations have played key role in this process of change. The 1961 act defines dowry and make practice of dowry both giving and taking a punishable offence. Any agreement on dowry is void. If it is given at all, it will be the womens property. The dowry prohibition (amendment) act, 1984 makes offence coinable by enlarging the meaning of the term dowry. The main features of amendment act are as follows Any property given or agreed to be given in connection with a marriage to the bride or bride groom or any other person is considered as dowry. Any person giving or taking dowry or abetting the giving or talking of dowry is also punishable imprisonment which is not less then 6 months but which may extend to 2 years and with a fine which can extend 10,000 rupees or the amount of value of the dowry which is higher. Neither the bride nor the person giving presents to her at the time of marriage is liable for punishment if the presents have been given to her without any demand on that behalf and presents are entered in the list maintained in accordance with rules. In spite of this significant new amendment of the dowry prohibition act 1961, the bride groom or his parents continued to demand dowry from parents of the bride failing which they take to violence against the bride and some times such violence results in her death.

1. Women's position in the Indian society in the past. They enjoyed; social respect in the Vedic age but were pushed into the background in Brahmin age. With the coming of Islarrv they completely lost their glory. 2. Their participation in the freedom movement. Time changed and, women came in the forefront of national liberation movement. This marked the beginning on' a new era. 3. Their position is the society after independence. With the advent of freedom, the Indian women recaptured their dignity. The Indian Constitution granted full equality to women. 4. The steps taken by the Government to improve their condition Hindu Code Bill and Hindu Succession Act gave them right to the parental property. 5. Modern women in the Indian society. Modem women are conscious of the fast changing world of competition and are making a sustained effort to rise in life. But this change can be perceived only in the cities. 6. Conclusion. Some orthodox people are scornful of the emergent new woman. Some women are also going astray in the names of liberation. Both these attitudes are wrong.

Case study for dowry

(1) Poisoning A young woman of samastipur was poisoned to death by her in-laws for dowry. On that day her brother had gone to his sisters house to bring her on the occasion of chath festival. He was stunned when he saw his sister in a peculiar state with saliva coming out of her mouth. On seeing her brother all she could say that he was late in giving TV, set to her in caves and consequently she had been positioned by her husband. (2) Strangulation. A newly wed woman of Patna was strangulated to death by her husband as her parents failed to present a TV in dowry. (3) Battering. A newly girl of Samastipur was allegedly battered her to death for dowry by her husband and mother-in-laws.

RURAL INDIAN WOMEN

India with a population of more than 1.02 billion is the world's second most populous country. India is one of the few countries where males significantly outnumber females, and this Imbalance has increased overtime. India's maternal mortality rates in rural areas are among the world's highest. From a global Perspective, Indian accounts for 19% of all lives births and 27% of all maternal deaths. Although India was the first country to announce an official Family Planning Programmed in 1952, its population grew From 361 million in 1951 to 1.02 billion in 2001. The Indian Constitution grants women equal rights with men, but strong patriarchal traditions persist, with women's lives shaped by customs that are centuries old. The primary issue, all women in the Swayam Shikshan Prayog (SSP) were struggling with, was that of every day survival. Insufficient incomes and lack of employment were reported to be their most pressing concerns. The most common problems were the lack of basic amenities in the rural areas, such as food, water, fuel, fodder and health facilities. In addition, the deterioration of natural environment and the fact that many of their traditional occupations in rural areas were no longer viable and these were the conditions that were making it increasingly hard for women to continue sustaining their families, as they had done in the past.

WOMEN ARE MALNOURISHED

Gender disparities in nutrition are evident from infancy to adulthood, particularly in rural areas. Gender has been the most statistically significant determinant of malnutrition among young girls and malnutrition is a frequent direct or underlying cause of death among girls below the age of five in rural areas. Girls are breastfed less frequently and for shorter duration in infancy. Nutritional deprivation has two major consequences for women; they never reach their full growth potential and are anemic. Both are risk factors in pregnancy with anemia ranging from 50-70% in rural areas. This condition complicates childbearing and results in maternal and infant deaths and low birth weight of infants.

RURAL WOMEN AND POOR HEALTH

Surviving through a normal life cycle is a resource-poor women's greatest challenge. The practice of breast-feeding female children for shorter periods of time reflects the strong desire for sons. If women'' are particularly anxious to have a male child, they may deliberately try to become pregnant again as soon as possible after a female inborn. Conversely, again women may consciously seek to avoid another pregnancy after the birth of a male child in order to give maximum attention to the newborn son. A primary way that parents discriminate their girl children is through neglect during illness. When sick, little girls are not taken to Doctors as frequently as their brothers.

As adult, women get fewer healthcares than men. They tend to be less likely to admit that they are sick and they will wait until their sickness has progressed before they seek help or help is sought for them. Studies on attendants in rural primary Health Centers reveal that more males than females are treated in almost all parts of the country.

MATERNAL MORTALITY
Indias maternal mortality rates in rural areas are among the highest in the world. A factor that contributes to India's high maternal mortality rate is the reluctance to seek medical care during pregnancy - it is viewed as a temporary condition that will disappear. Evidence from the state of Bihar, Rajasthan, Orison, Uttar Pradesh. Gujarat finds. registration for maternal and child health services to be as low as 522% in rural areas as compared to 21-51% in urban areas. Even a woman, who has had difficulties with previous pregnancies, is usually treated with home remedies only for three reasons, (a) the decision that a pregnant woman seeks help rests with the mother-in-law and the husband, (b) financial considerations and (c) fear that the treatment may be more harmful than the malady. One village level study of rural women in Maharashtra determined on the basis of physical examinations that some 92% suffered from one or more gynecological disorder.

CONTRACEPTION USE
Women's health is harmed by lack of access to and the poor quality of reproductive services. About 25 million couples, representing roughly 17% of all married women, want no more children but are not using contraceptives. The causes of this unmet need remain poorly understood. Lack of decision making power in the family, opportunity cost involved in seeking contraceptives, fear of child death and poor quality of contraceptives - all play an important role. It is also a fact that a large number of illegal abortions are carried out. As a result abortion related mortality rate is very high, particularly in rural areas due to lack of facilities and trained physicians.

IMPACT OF JOBS ON MATERNAL HEALTH

Working conditions result in premature and still births. A study in a rice growing belt of coastal Maharashtra found that 40% of all infant deaths occurred in the month of July to October. The study also found that a majority of births were either premature or still births. The study attributed this to the squatting position that had to be assumed during July and August, the rice transplanting months.

IMPACT OF POLLUTION ON WOMEN

Women's health is further harmed by air and water pollution and lack of sanitation. The high incidence of malnutrition present amongst women and their low metabolism

and other health problems affect their capacities to deal with stress. The smoke from household biomass (made up of wood, dung and crop residues) stoves within a threehour period is equivalent smoking twenty packs of cigarettes. For women who spend at least three hours per day cooking, often in a poorly ventilated area, the impact includes eye problems, respiratory problems, chronic bronchitis and lung cancer. As most of the rural women suffer from anemia which makes them more susceptible to carbon monoxide toxicity, which is one of the main pollutant in the

VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN IN INDIA

Indian society is male-dominated. Even so many years after independence, women in the Indian society do not enjoy the same rights as men. Forms taken by violence against women. 1. Maltreatment of married women on account of inadequate dowry, which forces many of them to commit suicide; 2. Physical outrage, particularly on women wearing ornaments; 3. Sexual assault that may later blackmail a woman into prostitution. How to check this violence. 1. Social workers can play a significant role. 2. There should be some restraint on film industry that demonstrates violence. 3. Hoardings exploiting the female form should be banned. 4. Women should organize themselves and fight for their rights. India shed the shackles of slavery long ago; still women in our country continue to be helpless victims of male supremacy. In almost every stratum of our social life they are treated as interior beings. We may shout about constitutional equality between men and women but we shall have to go a long way before women will find at quall, safe and honorable place in our society. The privileged being called man is always there to lord it over women A few brave souls, no doubt, do now and then stand up to fight against this injustice, but this isolated effort is too feeble to shatter the stronghold of male hegemony. One of the most hideous aspects of our society is the dowry system. It is a complex phenomenon and there are several dimensions to it. It Jedoces a young girl into a saleable commodity and lowers her dignity. In case she brings an inadequate dowry, it exposes her to the risk of maltreatment after marriage. We feel indignant at the brutality of an illiterate youth who beats his wife and demands from her parents gifts which they cannot afford. But what should we say about the greed of a doctor, an engineer, or a civil servant who, even after selling himself to the highest bidder in the matrimonial market, maltreats his wife? Thousands of girls immolate themselves at the altar of this evil every year, some of them before marriage because they cannot afford dowry and some after marriage because the dowry is insufficient to quench the rapacity of the in laws. As to our legislation, for all the anti-dowry measures in its armory, the government has not been able to contain the menace.

No less an evil is the physical outrage on women. We persist in our wretched belief that women are weak, helpless creatures who need constant watching by their fathers, brothers, husbands and sons at different stages of their life. It reads today like a fairy tale that in the reign of a certain king, a woman laden with ornaments could move freely without any fear. How often does one hear of ladies living in busy localities murdered, even in broad daylight, all because they had some yellow metal with them? The race of chain snatchers is increasing. In temples, at fairs and festivals, in crowded public places, and in the buses, these lynx eyed brutes abound and carry on their depredation even where policemen ate on duty. Greed is not the only motive force behind the crimes against women. Sex hunger is another. Young girl. Are decoyed on promises of a decent job or marriage. And once a girl has fallen, she is black-mailed into a life of vice. A study of the denizens of red light quarters will amply bear out the general adoption of this modus operandi. If we want to get a feel of the rottenness of our social milieu, we have only to know the experiences of working girls. From the starting bus stop to the place of their work, they are exposed to the vulture eyes of males of all ages and all classes. If the way lies through a deserted place, there is always the danger of facing a potential mokster. The journey from home to the office is nothing short of a nightmare. Violence against women in India is becoming more frequent and is alarmingly on the increase. A heavy responsibility falls on the shoulders of our social workers. The politicians can at least tighten the reins of our film industry that trades in violence and female molestation. Public display of big hoardings only serves to excite the young minds. But the biggest responsibility will be that on the women themselves. They must organize themselves. They have borne the tyranny of man far too long. The time has come for a crusade. It is, indeed, shocking that when we talk of our Tromp-bays and Tarapurs, we appear technological grants, but when we think of our attitude towards women and enumerate the crimes against them, we appear as social wolves.

CASE STUDY FOR VOILENCE AGAINST WOMENS:

*Burning. A very tragic incident occurred in Tulia village under Rajpakar police station of Hajipur when a person poured kerosene all over the body of his daughter-in-laws set her on fire. The helpless daughter-in-law screamed but she breathed her last.

MODERNIZATION, URBANIZATION

INDUSTRIALIZATION,

AND

Modernization: Modernization is a process which brings desired types of changes in the social structure, value orientation, motivation, norms, material culture and a Way of life. As a whole, the process of modernization includes both Tangible and intangible changes.

Industrialization: According to the Encyclopedia of Social Sciences, "Industrialization is the system of production that has arisen from the steady development, study and use of scientific knowledge". It is based on the division of labors and on specialization and uses of mechanical, chemical and power driven, as well as organizational and intellectual aids in production. Urbanization: Urbanization is a process which reveals itself through temporal, spatial and sect oral changes in demographic, social, economic, technological and environmental aspects of life in a given society. Let us now consider the impact of these three concepts on women. Women and Modernization As far as women are concerned Indian society is one of the most custom bound and traditional social set-ups. The lives of Indian women have been circumscribed by 'Dos and Don'ts' regarding dress, activities, education etc. The situation is changing. We find a few vital areas which are affected and changed by the process of modernization. (1) Democracy and mass-participation and modernization are positively related. A higher degree of political socialization and political participation suggest a higher degree of modernization. (2) Exposure to media is directly related to modernization process. Women and Industrialization Industry has been the fastest growing of all sectors in developing countries over the post-war period. The importance of women in the labors force in industry has been on the rise. Growth has created general employment opportunities from which women have been benefited. However, women's greater participation has also played a significant role due to their lesser status and rewards in industrial production than men. It is seen that there is a concentration of women at the lower level of employment which indicates that they are assigned mainly unskilled jobs and that they are not easily offered promotion within the factory. Further, whenever a modern capital-intensive technology is introduced, women lose out because men are preferred as they are believed to adopt the new technology more easily. Hence, women are losing their jobs. Women are more vulnerable to loss of employment and to the deterioration of working conditions when market condition tightens up. Women have suffered disproportionately from dismissal during cyclic downturns and during the world recessions. Industrial employment is not limited to factories. Much production takes place in the informal sectors where women are employed. Married women, due to their lack of mobility, are bound to give up their jobs which affect not only her but the entire family.

WOMEN AND URBANIZATION

Urban women are significant force in the developing countries. In most of the cities and developing countries, the loss of women power in conspicuous leisure activities unproductive household tasks or various forms of discussions, unemployment is selfevident. More effective utilization of potential women power in the urban areas necessitates increasing women's work participation rate and canalizing female labor into genuinely productive task. When women's participation in the process of development is seen as a means of increasing per capita income and when the struggle for development is a race between capital accumulation and population growth, high fertility is a major obstacle to the improvement of living standard. Lack of schooling and jobs for women result in high fertility. High fertility, in turn, limits education and job opportunity. The effect of rapid urbanization, particularly through migratory movement, has exposed migrant women to danger of exploitation, prostitution and urban slum life. The positive aspects of changes brought about by modernization, industrialization and urbanization on human life in general and in the condition of women in particular, are too overwhelming to be dismissed cursorily. It is true that industrialization has brought in a number of problems to society and women are too disadvantaged lot because of unfair rules and discrimination. But the negative aspects, although important, but they are still not enough for dismissal of the concept as non-viable and disruptive. On the other hand, they have brought a large number of scientific, technological advancement which have benefited women in terms of healthcare, nutrition, drudgery reduction, and exposure to education and knowledge and in short, better ways to utilize one's potential and time. Modernization is a process of change which alters social structure. Due to changes in social structural norms of tradition and culture, more women are given the opportunity to equip themselves professionally. Therefore, they are in a position to switch over to suitable jobs.

IMPORTANCE OF WOMENS' RIGHTS

All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood." Universal Declaration of Human Rights is one of the most monumental events in the history of human rights. It defines fines that these fundamental rights are the root of our human nature and are essence of our humanity. As we are concerned with women studies, so question arises where and when women's rights begin? What is the importance of women's rights for the development of women? One of the most important milestones in advancing human rights was the World Conference on Human Rights, held in Vienna (Austria) in June, 1993. The Vienna Conference focused on Women's Rights and their integral place in human rights in general. It helped in making the groundwork for historic Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing in 1995. The International Conference on Population and Development was held in Cairo in 1994. We know that there may exist vast cultural differences in our world, but there is one common truth that when a woman dies, becomes disabled, is

abused or goes hungry, it can profoundly affect each of her children, her family, a whole neighborhood and an entire community. As early as the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, thinkers like Mary Wollstonecraft and J.S. Mill, argued forcefully that women had the potential for full rationality and consequently, were as capable as men of complete moral responsibility. Women could not realize their potential as they were deprived of education and confined to the domestic spheres. Women through ages have been provided very little opportunity to develop their minds. August Babel, in his text on Women under Socialism (1879), said that 'Women were the first human being that tasted bondage'. Woman was a slave before the slave existed. He felt that physical inferiority and economic dependence were the root cause of women's oppression. From the very beginning we observe that women are consistently degraded whatever culture they belong to. The injustice of legal system treats women as less inheritance than male heirs. In most culture women receive less inheritance than male. Inequitable divorce laws compel women to remain in cruel marriages. In India, a vast majority of girl children are kept away from school for providing for the family and taking care of the siblings at home. It can be easily said that women's rights are human rights but Hillary Clinton, the erstwhile First Lady of USA said, 'Rights on paper that are not protected and implemented, are not really rights at all'. Over the four decades (1951 to 1999) female literacy in India has gone up from 8.86% in 1951 to 54.16% in 2001, implying that still 46% of Indian women are illiterate, not knowing to read and write even their names. Drop out of girls still continues in the rural and lower class families. Women are excluded from better paying jobs and denied promotions. Women also suffer discrimination in obtaining credit to start a business or obtaining house loan and they face more difficulties than men in renting accommodation. Women have been marginalized and denied equal pay to that of men. They live disproportionately in poverty, making 70% of the worlds poor. Women are in paid labor force. More than 70% are employed in agriculture as wage laborers, indicating economic disparity and poverty. Women and children are forced to face both physical and psychological insecurity. It is true that women are getting educated and employed often as a primary income earner. Still there are many shocking indicators of gender insecurity and physical violence. Domestic and sexual violence remain the most serious, under-reported and there are widespread human rights violations in the world. In almost every country domestic violence is one of the leading causes of injury to women. Rape and sexual assault is the cruelest injustice which trap women and children lives and compels them to go from bad to worse. Majority of women in rural and semi-urban areas do not receive proper healthcare including access to family planning. The health of Indian women is intricately restricted to the socio-economic status of household. Due to competing demands on their time and energy and their socialization, women neglect their health. We are to think seriously as to how best we empower women of our country through all spheres of their lives academically, economically, socially and politically.

ACADEMIC SPHERES

1. Instead of involving women in domestic spheres, we are to look for unpaid servants - a biological machine for bearing and rearing children and concentrate on women's proper education. 2. Awareness should be generated among the masses through educative seminars and workshops, especially in the rural and backward areas. 'Women's Day' and 'Human Rights Day' should be celebrated to make women of all ages conscious about their rights. 3. Students are the future citizens of the country, so they can be empowered and initiated to spread message of ethos of human rights, particularly the violation against women's rights among the rural community. 4. It will be better for the general people, especially illiterate ones, if Human Rights group or women study centers/cells/ forums are formed at schools, colleges and Universities to educate the student community and public about the importance of human rights and women's rights and their value in the society.

ECONOMIC SPHERES
1. The right of child education can be achieved if, totally, child labor is banned. 2. Women should be paid equal wages for equal work. Employment laws relating to maternity benefits, prohibition of women in hazardous works, old age pension etc. should be taken care of in right earnest 3. Skill formation and training is very essential to enable women to break the shackles of unskilled low paid works of construction and agricultural works. 4. Credit and loan facilities should be expanded through formation of co-operative credit societies, credit institutions in order to promote self-employment and entrepreneurship among women. 5. Effective measures should be taken for eradication of poverty.

POLITICAL AND SOCIO-CULTURAL SPHERES

1. Special training programmers for women should be undertaken for effective participation in politics as most women are illiterate, ignorant and shy away from politics. 2. A special monitoring and enforcement agency should be formed in each district to review and assess the crimes against women. 3. There should be 50% representation of women in the Parliament, State Assemblies and Local Self Governments.

4. Women should be aware of their rights relating to rape, dowry, female infanticide, wife beating and other forms of violence against women. 5. Human rights cell should be formed in each district's headquarters and that should be linked with small women forums. 6. Women are deprived of their right in the name of customs, religious practices, values and traditions. This must be stopped through the attitudinal changes and value based education. 7. Women's right to healthcare should be recognized as an important factor and accessible Health Care Units should be set up, particularly for the poor, rural and tribal women. Enhancing Women's Capabilities towards Social Transformations - The Right to Decent Livelihood Being unorganized conglomerations, women worker's earnings are so meager and irregular that they hardly make both ends meet. Further, their struggle for housing, water and civic amenities are enormous in the urban slums. Their landless counterparts in the rural areas suffer equally due to under employment, low wages, sometimes with limited work options to even 45 to 60 days in a year. If they happened to be a part of drought prone areas, it is even worse. Thus, it is more than an annual feature that rural poor are on their migrating journey to the already overcrowded city slums, in search of new work options and continue to be victims of vicious circles of poverty. There are women workers of Women's Working Forum (WWF) who work as weavers of cloth, mats and baskets, cigar or agarbathi rollers, food processors, either work alone or collectively in other branches. They work as agricultural laborers on farm lands or they work for their kith and kin. They are providers of their families, working in service occupations i.e. dhobis, cooks, sweepers and water carriers etc. They are integral part of the production process and contribute to the informal economy. Unfortunately, they have little or no access to fruits of their own labor, not to speak of the government's assistance.