GENDER DISCRIMINATION AND POLICIES IN INDIA

Abstract

The principle of gender equality is enshrined in the Indian Constitution in its Preamble, Fundamental Rights, Fundamental Duties and Directive Principles. The Constitution not only grants equality to women, but also empowers the State to adopt measures of positive discrimination in favour of women.

Any kind of discrimination among the fellow human being is the worst kind of mental torture and subjecting this cruelty to half of our population is unbecoming of a nation. After independence constitution gave right to equality to all its citizens. But it remain on paper and even now after seventy three  years gender discrimination is still part of our society ,our work place and even the judicial system. Women representation in our law makers is so feeble that they can hardly make any difference in real terms.

So many steps were taken and policies were drawn in earlier years by the parliament to change the bias. It affected the representation at local governance like panchayats and urban governance but their presence at state assemblies and parliament remained merely a token representation. Woman reservation alone has not been found adequate because elected women leadership have been obstructed by variety of the socio-economic and political factors. The women who got leadership position, through reservation still have been working merely on directive of their family’s men folk with minor exceptions. Strong laws were made to make the work places gender sensitive and some success is achieved but there is still a long road ahead. Women reservation bill which is struck in parliament for almost two decades is very much a progressive step to achieve equality.