The status of women in society presents a striking paradox. In India, a
civilisation that reveres feminine divinity in the form of goddesses, the lived
realities of many women tell a different story. From the moment a girl child is
conceived until long after her life ends, the struggle for dignity, equality, and
autonomy often continues uninterrupted.
While legislative reforms and policy initiatives have attempted to address gender
disparities, structural and cultural barriers still persist. The story of women’s
empowerment in India is therefore not merely about representation or visibility;
it is about dismantling deeply embedded inequalities that manifest across every
stage of life.
The First Battle: Before Birth
For many girls, the struggle begins even before they enter the world. Despite legal
safeguards under the Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques
(PCPNDT) Act, the menace of female foeticide continues to surface in certain
regions of the country.
The disturbing reality that the right to life of an unborn child can be questioned
solely on the basis of gender reflects a deeply entrenched social bias. While the
Constitution of India guarantees equality and dignity to every individual, social
attitudes often undermine these fundamental values. A society that celebrates
motherhood cannot simultaneously tolerate practices that deny existence to the
girl child.
Growing Up Unequal
For those who survive birth, inequality often continues in subtler but equally
consequential forms. In many households, boys are prioritised in matters of
education, nutrition, and healthcare, while girls are expected to shoulder domestic
responsibilities from an early age.
Adolescence frequently introduces additional restrictions. Concerns surrounding
family honour often translate into limitations on mobility, education, and personal
choices. Early marriages, though prohibited by law, continue to deprive many
young women of opportunities essential for their development and independence.
Biological Disparities: The Silent Burden of Womanhood
Apart from social discrimination, women also carry biological responsibilities
that nature itself has assigned to them. The realities of menstruation, hormonal
cycles, pregnancy, childbirth, and post-natal recovery bring prolonged physical
and emotional challenges.
From adolescence onwards, the menstrual cycle becomes a recurring biological
process that is still surrounded by stigma and silence in many parts of society.
Social taboos often deepen the psychological burden associated with what is
essentially a natural biological function.
Pregnancy and childbirth further demand months of physical endurance and
recovery. While motherhood is socially celebrated, the immense physical toll it
places on women is rarely acknowledged with adequate institutional support.
Without supportive policies and healthcare systems, these biological processes
can inadvertently become sources of social and professional disadvantage.
Violence Within the Private Sphere
Perhaps the most disturbing dimension of gender inequality lies within the private
sphere of the household. The home, which ought to represent safety and dignity,
often becomes the site of prolonged suffering.
According to the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), over 3,05,413
cases of cruelty by husbands or their relatives were reported in 2021 alone.
Even these figures likely represent only a fraction of the reality, as many incidents
remain unreported due to social stigma, economic dependency, and fear of
retaliation.
International estimates also reveal the scale of the problem. Data from the United
Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) suggests that more than two-thirds of
married women in India between the ages of 15 and 49 have experienced
physical or sexual violence from their partners, irrespective of socio-economic
background.
Legislative interventions such as the Protection of Women from Domestic
Violence Act, 2005 attempt to address these realities by recognising domestic
abuse as a violation of fundamental rights. Yet the persistence of such violence
highlights the urgent need for deeper societal transformation.
Professional Disparity and the Assault on Bodily Dignity
The professional world, ideally governed by merit and equality, often becomes
another arena where women confront structural barriers. Professional disparity
frequently extends beyond salary gaps or promotion delays; it directly affects the
bodily dignity and autonomy of women.
Workplace harassment remains a significant challenge. According to the
National Commission for Women (NCW), over 2,500 complaints of sexual
harassment at workplaces were reported in 2021 alone. As with domestic
violence, these figures represent only reported cases, while many women remain
silent due to fear of professional consequences or institutional indifference.
The Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition
and Redressal) Act, 2013 marked a crucial step towards safeguarding dignity in
professional environments. However, the persistence of such incidents indicates
that institutional culture often lags behind legislative intent.
Women are also frequently expected to navigate a dual burden—demonstrating
professional competence while managing biological and familial responsibilities.
In many workplaces, motherhood is perceived as a professional liability rather
than a natural phase of life, reinforcing systemic disadvantage.
The Unequal Burden of Care Work
One of the most overlooked dimensions of gender disparity lies in the domain of
unpaid care work. According to the Economic Survey 2024, unpaid care work
performed by women contributes approximately 3.1 percent to India’s GDP,
compared to only 0.4 percent contributed by men.
Women continue to shoulder the primary responsibility for childcare, eldercare,
and domestic management—tasks that sustain families and societies yet remain
economically invisible.
Investing in the care economy can therefore become a powerful instrument for
women’s empowerment. Accessible childcare services, eldercare support, and
healthcare infrastructure can significantly reduce the burden of unpaid work and
allow women greater participation in the labour force.
The Economic Survey 2024 further estimates that public investment in the care
sector equivalent to 2 percent of GDP could generate nearly 11 million jobs
in India, with around 70 percent of these opportunities benefiting women.
Thus, recognising and valuing care work is not merely a social imperative—it is
also an economic necessity.
The Illusion of Empowerment: The Glass Ceiling
India often celebrates the rising visibility of women in positions of authority
across corporate, political, and institutional spaces. However, beneath this
narrative of progress persists an uncomfortable truth: the glass ceiling continues
to exist, only in subtler forms.
The real question is not how many women have reached leadership roles, but how
many exercises genuine autonomy once they get there.
Women may rise through professional hierarchies through dedication and merit,
yet invisible barriers frequently limit their authority. Titles and designations may
create an appearance of equality, but real decision-making power often remains
concentrated elsewhere.
True empowerment therefore requires more than symbolic representation.
Leadership must come with independence, authority, and freedom from invisible
supervision.
Dignity Even in Death
Tragically, the struggle for dignity sometimes extends beyond life itself. Incidents
of dowry deaths, honour killings, and the mishandling of victims’ remains in
criminal cases reveal that societal respect for women often collapses even after
death.
The constitutional guarantee of dignity under Article 21 must therefore be
understood as extending beyond mere existence to encompass the dignity of every
human being throughout life and even thereafter.
The Way Forward: Reimagining Gender Justice
Achieving genuine gender equality requires both legal enforcement and structural
transformation. One of the most promising approaches is reflected in the
International Labour Organization’s 5R Framework for the Care Economy.
The framework emphasises Recognition of the immense social and economic
value of care work.
It calls for Reduction of unpaid care responsibilities through investment in public
services and infrastructure.
It promotes Redistribution of caregiving responsibilities within households and
society.
It advocates Rewarding care workers with fair wages, social security, healthcare
access, and professional opportunities.
Finally, it emphasises Representation, ensuring that women and care workers
participate meaningfully in policy and decision-making processes.
Such frameworks can transform gender equality from a theoretical ideal into a
practical reality.
The journey of many women still resembles a prolonged struggle—from the
womb to the grave—for recognition of their dignity, autonomy, and equality.
India’s aspiration for justice will remain incomplete until a girl child is welcomed
at birth, supported through the biological realities of womanhood, respected in
professional life, freed from disproportionate caregiving burdens, and
remembered with dignity even after death.
The true measure of progress will not lie merely in the visibility of women in
positions of authority, but in the freedom with which they exercise that
authority—unrestrained by invisible ceilings, structural barriers, or inherited
prejudices.
Author is practicing advocate at Supreme Court of India and Panel advocate at
University of Delhi.
