Thank you so much. Oh, what a wonderful occasion for me to be here, the ______________________.

When one thinks about this ________________what it really is intended to, and I believe has, focused attention on the challenges facing women from equal rights and education, to leadership, literacy, the power of the media and technology to affect change in womens futures and so much else. I thank the organizers of this forum__________________for allowing me to speak on this occation. I have decided on this occation to come together with all of you and take stock for where we stand and what more needs to be done in advancing the great unfinished business of the 21st century empowerment of women and girls. Now this is unfinished around the world, where too many women are still treated at best as secondclass citizens, at worst as some kind of subhuman species even though a large number of women have achieved great success in a male dominated society like ours. Now, I have always believed that women are not victims, they are agents of change, they are drivers of progress, they are makers of peaceall we need is an opportunity, a fighting chance. In a male dominated society like ours, a large number of women have achieved astounding success. Women like Vidya Balan, Chanda Kochchar (Ceo, ICICI Bank), Shikha Sharma (CEO, Axis Bank), Nirupama Rao (Indian Ambassador to US), Ektha Kapoor (CEO, Balaji telefilms-hindi) are just a few examples in the modern times that created waves in the media. Beyond the media, when we observe our environment we can see that common Kerala women displays all round leadership, be it in a porffession, politics, social work or house hold. I know that a few of those women are sitting right in front of me, which is the main motivation for me to speak on this wonderfull occation. Now as we bask in the glory of the strides women have made in terms of having personal choices and opportunities in personal and professional life, I would like to ask you one very important question. What is the real meaning of empowerment?. When are you really empowered?. Is it just about having personal choice and respect in personal and professional life? Or is it something more?. To answer this question, we have to understand the qualities women have that help her become a successful leader. Psychologically speaking women have certain qualities which men have in lesser quantities which makes women better suited for leadership in certain situations. In 2005, a year-long study conducted by Caliper , a Princeton, New Jersey-based management consulting firm, and Aurora, a London- based organization that advances women, identified a number of characteristics that distinguish women leaders from men when it comes to qualities of leadership: Women have been found to have better empathy, sensitivity, caring and the ability to understand other people and their emotions when compared to men. The emotional brain of women are found to be stronger in most cases when compared to men. Women have been found to have extremely good communication skills, interpersonal skills and flexibility when compared to men. Women are better at sorting out problems through teamwork.

These factors make women better candidates in the fields of law, human resource management, politics etc. in fact I strongly believe that entry of more women in politics and business can root out corruption to a certain extend because men tend to be more selfish most of the times when compared to women. These points have become a point of introspection for me when I look at some of the recent events in Kerala. I recently read an article by Sreelekha IPS titled Karuthammamar kudunno?. In this article she points out a few cases of women criminals like the one who cheats a young girl into prostitution and a woman who killed her father in law for financial benefits. We also saw the much hyped cases of Saritha S Nair, Shalu Menon, Leena Mary Paul etc. Women were once considered the epitome of love and caring and instances like the ones I mentioned are fast eroding that status. It is this light that I ask you this question. What could be the reason behind the erotion of values and positive qualities of women in atleast some cases? Is it lack of proper parenting or is it the frustration of disempowerment?

Whatever the reason is for this erotion, we need to find a solution fast. Because I believe real empowerment happens only when the positive qualities of leadership is utilized for the benefits of not only the self but also for the family and society, Whether it nurturing the great leaders of tommarrow in your sons and daughters of tommarrow or in professional environment. History teaches us that only when women are positively empowered, the society has a chance for economic and social development. It is no coincidence that so many of the countries that threaten regional and global peace are the very places where women and girls are deprived of dignity and opportunity. Think of the young women from northern Mali to Afghanistan whose schools have been destroyed. Or of the girls across Africa, the Middle East, and South Asia who have been condemned to child marriage. Or of the refugees of the conflicts from eastern Congo to Syria who endure rape and deprivation as a weapon of war. It is no coincidence that so many of the countries where the rule of law and democracy are struggling to take root are the same places where women and girls cannot participate as full and equal citizens. Like in Egypt, where women stood on the front lines of the revolution but are now being denied their seats at the table and face a rising tide of sexual violence. It is no coincidence that so many of the countries making the leap from poverty to prosperity are places now grappling with how to empower women. I think it is one of the unanswered questions of the rest of this century to whether countries, like China and India, can sustain their growth and emerge as true global economic powers. Much of that depends on what happens to women and girls. None of these are coincidences. Instead, they demonstrate that the society can move forward and grow only when women are empowered and display positive qualities of leadership. Now what is true in politics is also true economics. In the years ahead, a number of rapidly developing nations are poised to reshape the global economy, lift many millions out of poverty and into the middle class. This will be good for them and good for usit will create vast new markets and trading partners.

But no country can achieve its full economic potential when women are left out or left behind a fact underscored day after day and most recently to me a tragedy in India. Concerning the young 23-year-old woman, brutally beaten and raped on a Delhi bus last December she was from a poor farming family, but like so many women and men she wanted to climb that economic ladder. She had aspirations for her life. She studied all day to become a physical therapist, then went to work at call centers in the evening, she sleep two hours a night. President Mukherjee described her as a symbol of all that New India strives to be. But if her life embodied the aspirations of a rising nation, her death and her murder, pointed to the many challenges still holding it back. The culture of rape is tied up with a broader set of problems: official corruption, illiteracy, inadequate education, laws and traditions, customs, culture, that prevent women from being seen as equal human beings. And in addition, in many places, India and China being the leaders, in skewed gender balance with many more men than women, which contributes to human trafficking, child marriage, and other abuses that dehumanize women and corrode society. So millions of Indians took to the streets in 2011, they protested corruption. In 2012, came the Delhi gang rape, and the two causes merged. Demands for stronger measures against rape were joined by calls for better policing and more responsive governance, for an India that could protect all its citizens and deliver the opportunities they deserve. Some have called that the Indian Spring. Because, as the protesters understood, India will rise or fall with its women. Its had a tradition of strong women leaders, but those women leaders like women leaders around the world like those who become presidents or prime ministers or foreign ministers or heads of corporations cannot be seen as tokens that give everyone else in society the chance to say weve taken care of our women. So any country that wants to rise economically and improve productivity needs to open the doors to women. No speech on women empowerment is complete without mentioning her relationship with her male partner because no society can grow without strong families. The number of divorces are increasing day by day which is endangering the growth of our future leaders. Author John Gray mentions in his book men are from mars, wemen are from venus that one solution for this problem is to understand masculine behavior and famine behavior separately and behave accordingly. So let us look at some of the difference between men and women. Men love to have their abilities recognized and appreciated, and hate to have them scorned or ignored; women love to have their feelings recognized and appreciated (being cherished), and hate to have them scorned or ignored. Women are driven emotionally while men are driven locally Men are more achievement oriented and also more selfish when compared to women Men like to work on their own and prove their abilities by solving problems quickly and singlehandedly; women like to co-operate, and exercise their feelings through interactive communication with one another.

Differences like these make make men and women react to different situations and events differently which their partner fails to understand causing problems in the relationship. We need to respect and appreciate both gender based and unique qualities of individuals to make a longterm relationship work. This understanding will help you have an empowered relationship with men. I conclude by coming back to my original point that real empowerment happens only when women, along with having choices, opportunities and respect as an induvidual, use their talents and positive qualities of leadership for not only the growth of the self but also the society.