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Abstract
This study explores the structural, social, and economic challenges faced by women leaders in Telangana and across India, emphasizing the persistent barriers that hinder their full participation in public, political, and economic spheres. Despite constitutional guarantees of equality and recent progress in female education, employment, and representation, women continue to face systemic underrepresentation, patriarchal norms, limited access to resources, and a lack of institutional support.
Focusing on Telangana—India’s newest state since 2014—the study highlights specific issues such as low female literacy, post-statehood development disparities, and entrenched cultural expectations that restrict rural women’s leadership potential. Case studies, including the Telangana statehood movement and Self-Help Groups (SHGs), illustrate both the contributions and the constraints experienced by women at grassroots and national levels. The study proposes multi-pronged recommendations including policy reforms to introduce gender quotas, investment in education and skill development, improved access to credit, enhanced legal enforcement for safety, mentorship programs, and public awareness campaigns to challenge gender stereotypes. It concludes that addressing these barriers through coordinated action is essential to building inclusive, gender-just leadership and ensuring equitable socio-economic progress in Telangana and across India.