This chapter describes programmes to empower women, documentsevidence on women’s situation, and outlines socio-cultural, programmatic, and policy level challenges impeding women’s empowerment. Gender inequities persist in educational attainment, and participation in wage work and political life.Women continue to have limited access to money, control over economic resources, freedom of movement and decision-making authority; gender-based violence, son preference and sex selection persist.Efforts to break down patriarchal norms and women’s social isolation, raisewomen’s awareness oftheir entitlements, build marketable skills among them andaddress menhave been limited. Promising actions, including conditional and unconditional cash transfers have not been well-evaluated or scaled up. Laws and acts are unevenly enforced, as are programmes intended to prevent early marriage, gender based violence and crimes against women. Notwithstanding a range of well conceptualised policies and programmes,inter-sectoral coordination necessary to promote gender equity and equality is limited.