CONTENTS : 1. INTRODUCTION: 10 1.1. Background 10 1.2. NEED OF THE STUDY: 11 1.3. AIM: 11 1.4. OBJECTIVE: 11 1.5. RESEARCH QUESTIONS: 11 1.6. METHODOLOGY: 12 1.7. SCOPE AND LIMITATIONS: 13 2. LITERATURE REVIEW 14 2.1. Definition of Panchayati Raj: 14 2.1.1. Powers and responsibilities are delegated to Panchayats at the appropriate level: 15 2.2. HISTORY OF WOMEN?S PANCHAYATI RAJ IN INDIA: 17 2.2.1. Recommendations of Balwant Rai Mehta Committee: 17 2.2.2. Recommendations of Ashok Mehta Committee: 18 2.3. 73RD AMENDMENT OF THE CONSTITUTION, 1992: 20 2.3.1. Main Features- 20 3. STATUS OF WOMEN IN INDIAN SOCIETY: 22 3.1. RESERVATION FOR WOMEN POLICY: 23 3.2. SOCIO-ECONOMIC BACKGROUND: 24 3.3. ROLE OF WOMEN IN PRIS: 24 3.3.1. Some of the arguments which has made in favor of reservations were mainly that: 25 3.3.2. Arguments made against reservations were: 25 3.4. WOMEN EMPOWERMENT THROUGH PANCHAYATI RAJ INSTITUTION: 26 3.5. DEFINITION OF EMPOWERMENT: 26 3.6. PRESENT STATUS: 27 4. A BREIF INTRODUCTION OF PANCHAYATI RAJ INSTITUTION IN GUJARAT 28 4.1. ORGANISATIONAL SET UP 28 4.1.1. Functions in Three-tier Panchahayt structure in Gujarat State are distributed as under: 30 4.2. RESERVATION OF WOMEN IN GUJARAT: 31 4.3. POWERS AND FUNCTIONS: 31 4.4. DAHOD DISTRICT PROFILE 33 4.4.1. A brief introduction to Dadod District: 33 4.4.2. ECONOMY: 33 4.4.3. ECONOMIC ACTIVITIES: 33 4.4.4. SOCIAL AND CULTURAL LIFE OF THE DAHOD DISTRICT: 33 DISTRICT PROFILE 36 POPULATION OF SC AND ST 37 STRUCTURE OF GRAM PANCHAYAT: 37 NUMBER OF GRAM PANCHAYAT: 38 CASTEWISE DISTRIBUTION OF SEATS 38 4.5. SITE INTRODUCTION: 39 4.5.1. BACKGROUND CHARACTERISTICS OF THE RESPONDENT PANCHAYAT MEMBERS: 40 4.5.2. RESPONDENT PROFILE OF AN ELECTED SARPANCH: 57 4.5.3. WOMEN?S PARTICIPATION IN GP: 60 4.5.4. HOUSEHOLD SURVEY: 61 4.5.5. MALE MEMBER?S PERCEPTIONS TOWARD EMPOWERING THE WOMEN: 68 4.5.6. INTERVENTIONS OF SOCIAL ORGANIZATION FOR EMPOWERING WOMEN: 70 5. FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS: 72 5.1. IMPLICATIONS OF THE STUDY: 73 6. CONCLUSION: 74 7. Bibliography 75