ABSTRACT
For a country as vast as India, generalization of behavior patterns is not easy. Society on the whole is collectivist. However, the urban-rural divide, social class affiliations, religious beliefs, education levels – all impact the feminine mind-set in India. On the one hand the outlook on life in general has been influenced by tradition, carefully constituted brick by brick by past generations. On the other hand, however, women have enjoyed the freedom of living in a more open society in the late twentieth century with the option of greater choices. In the last 40 years women have been entering the professional workforce in greater numbers and are even entering professions which have been traditional male bastions. Areas like banking, financial institutions, IT and IT services, healthcare, professional education, and engineering consulting have a large number of women professionals.
