Abstract
This article examines the role of the distance education courses in higher education as its effects women’s empowerment and motivations for participations in educational programmes. It examines motives behindIndian women’s educational participation in distance education courses in one of Indian universitiessituated in West Bengal. A sample of 200 women randomly drawn from all women enrolled in distanceeducation courses in higher education was used for the study. The results from the data established thatdistance education programmes in higher education offered Indian women the opportunity to bridge thegender gap and achieve their potentials..