3.2. Women

India has traditionally been a patriarchal society and therefore women, irrespective of their class, caste or religion, they have always suffered from social handicaps and disabilities. It thus became necessary to take certain ameliorative steps in order to improve the condition of women in the traditionally male dominated society.

♤ Women face different forms of violence like infanticide, neglect of nutrition needs, education and healthcare.

♤ They have little or no property in their name and with little or poor formal education, they become dependent on their male counterpart.

♤ They have little control over the resources and important decisions related to their lives.

Facts about Women

♤ Majority of crimes against women are “cruelty by husband or his relatives” (NCRB 2016).

♤ Child Sex Ratio declined from 927 in 2001 to 918 (Census 2011).

♤ Labour force participation rate for women in 2017 was 28.5% compared to 82% for men.

♤ Women earn 62% of what their male colleagues earn for performing the same work.

♤ In 2012, only 27 percent of adult Indian women had a job, or were actively looking for one, compared to 79 percent of men.

♤ In 2017, India ranked 3rd lowest in having women in leadership role.

♤ Early marriage and childbearing affects the health of the women adversely. Maternal mortality rate is still very high.

♤ Adult women face violence due to unwanted pregnancies, domestic violence, sexual abuse at the workplace and sexual violence including marital rape and honor killings.

♤ Even working women are expected to do household work (double burden).

♤ Women, in general, are given

low status as compared to men in the Indian society.