There were a lot of topics that I could have chosen for my book but the gravity of the situation brought about by female foeticide or the ‘female holocaust’ was too disturbing for me to ignore. This book identifies gender bias against females at the very basic level of survival, before she is even born. Discrimination is reflected in denial of female children’s right to education, health, nutrition, and recreational needs. Female infanticide and selective abortion of female fetuses are worst form of discrimination. During my travel, both domestic and international, I have had the opportunity of interacting with women from diverse social, cultural, religious and economic backgrounds and observed the attitudes of the society towards them and their status in the society and sensed a deterioration in the attitude of the society towards women, through my interactions with the students, their families, the teaching faculty and the community at large.

This study attempts to trace the genesis of gender bias in India and the factors that are perpetuating these biases. Understanding the Constitution of India, its provisions vis-a-vis gender as envisioned by the framers, the provisioners in the Constitution for its safeguard and the effectiveness of these safeguards.

This study also attempts to understand the interplay between the role of women in politics, politics and women, politics and religion, women and religion=custom=economics and women and family structure.

The study relies on statistics, the census data, supreme court cases/decisions and from works published by renowned authors in this field. Some suggestions have found mention based on the enormity of the problem in the current context and the suggestions themselves are not exhaustive.