There is an African proverb, if you educate a man you educate an individual, but if you educate a woman you educate a family is well-known to all. The message here is that once we know the value of education for men in society, we should allow women to have equal access to it. In spite of certain outstanding examples of individual achievement of Indian woman and a definite improvement in their general condition over the last one hundred years, it remains true that our woman still constitute a large body of under - privileged citizens. Women of course do not form a homogenous group in class or caste terms. Nevertheless, they face distinctive problems that call for special attention. The Backward Classes Commission set up by the Government of India in 1953 classified women of India as a backward group requiring special attention.