Research on gender is being increasingly recognized as critical to accomplishing the goals of societal development. This article reviews the engagement of psychological research in India with issues of gender over the last two decades in particular and the consequent production of knowledge about quality of women's lives. Three significant areas of inquiry can be identified: the work—family interface; mental health experiences; and violence against women. The work—family linkage among urban middle-class women is vigorously pursued in mainstream psychological research reflective of a sample bias. Mental health and domestic violence, on the other hand, are areas of research emanating from the cross-disciplinary engagement between academics and advocacy groups and characterized by a critical women's studies perspective, calling attention to the power relations that are disempowering forces in women's lives.
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