Synopsis This volume, which is an Indo-American academic venture, contains 18 theoretically innovative and empirically penetrating essays, including an introductory chapter. The contributors to the volume are distinguished scholars from the disciplines of sociology, anthropology, political science, population studies, economics, English literature, geography, economics, etc., with a sustained interest in gender studies in the Indian context. Therefore, multi-disciplinarity with empirically grounded research is the greatest strength of this volume. The volume contains chapters which can cater to the academic needs of scholars having interest on gender issues in India, no matter what is there academic training and background. Some of the chapters in the volume are the down-to-earth experiences of the contributors that have immense policy-oriented import. The issues covered in the volume are wide-ranging as are the expertise of its contributors which include the philosophy of ideal womanhood, issues of women’s empowerment, legal dimensions of widowhood, paternalism and domestic violence, images of matriliny, literary and political dimensions of gender, dalit and tribal women and their varied perception vi-a-vis other Indian women, scientists and entrepreneurs, matrimonial preferences, marriage timings, politics of population control, and so on. The volume will be of special interest equally to students, researchers and policy makers on gender.