In recent past, a number of studies have come up with the deliberations on different issues related to gender bias, status and empowerment of women in various fields. But there has not been any attempt to provide a single measure of empowerment, relate level of empowerment with the indicators. The current volume besides providing a regional analysis of deprivation of women on various counts and an idea of empowerment on available criteria; provided a measure of empowerment by an index constructed on the basis of a number of attributes indicating the status and empowerment of women in the family and society as well. It also includes case studies on poverty, gender based development and gender empowerment measures. The book also provides analysis of capability deprivation, impact of factors on the level of empowerment, characteristics of empowerment in various underdeveloped region; segregation and glass ceiling in various activities; status of women in terms of socio-economic-political educational achievement, nutritional intake, and also highlighted the scope of progress in terms of empowerment.