ABSTRACT
Women’s fight for their rights is still not won, because gender is culturally and socially constructed. Women are side-lined in paid work, though doing much unpaid work. Labour force participation of women, low already, is declining further. Ownership of means of production is adverse to women. Seventy-four per cent of rural women are agricultural workers; only 9.4% own land. Less than 9% of firms have a female top manager. India has taken steps to uphold the constitutional rights of women to equal treatment. Half of the total seats in local bodies are reserved for women, though such a step is yet to be taken at the national and state levels. Reservation for women in local bodies has helped them to get into public life. Women have taken significant strides in education and administration. However, prejudices against having a girl child still persist. Maternal mortality has significantly declined, though still high. In 2017, India ranked 107th among 144 countries in Gender Gap Index. The sex ratio is still adverse. However, there is now much greater social awareness about the rights of women.
