Author: Dr. Arfi Anjoon
DOI Link: https://doi.org/10.70798/Bijmrd/04010002
Abstract: The negotiation of gender roles lies at the heart of women’s struggle for autonomy and empowerment. Despite legal advancements and policy commitments to gender equality, women across societies continue to experience restricted agency due to deeply embedded gender norms and power hierarchies. This paper critically examines women’s empowerment as a dynamic process of negotiating traditional and contemporary gender roles within social, economic, and political contexts. Drawing upon feminist theory, the capability approach, and gender–power frameworks, the study analyses how women navigate, resist, and reshape normative expectations to claim autonomy. The paper argues that empowerment is not a linear outcome of access to resources but a contested process shaped by cultural meanings, institutional structures, and everyday practices. Through an extensive review of interdisciplinary literature, the study highlights both the constraints and possibilities inherent in gender role negotiation and emphasizes the need for gender-transformative strategies to achieve sustainable women’s autonomy.
Keywords: Gender Roles, Women’s Empowerment, Autonomy, Feminist Theory, Gender Equality.
Page No: 10-16