2/1/2024

ENGLISH PROJECT

GENDER INEQUALITY

BY K. YUVAN SHANKAR
INDEX

Action plan for the project

Objectives
Introduction
Certificate of completion

Factors responsible for gender inequality

Day to day problems faced by women's due to gender inequality
Contemporary Challenges of Gender equality
Impact of gender inequality

Definition and concept of gender inequality

Causes and types of gender inequality
Global indices
Gender Inequality Statistics
Legal and Constitutional Safeguards against Gender Inequality

How can we eliminate gender inequality

The causes of gender inequality in India
The need for awareness
How to fight gender inequality

Conclusion
Write up
Learning outcomes
Bibliography
ACTION PLAN FOR THE PROJECT

• Selection of topic for the project

• Approval of topic by the teacher

• Selection of content for the project

• Approval of content by the teacher

OBJECTIVES
1.To know about the factors responsible for gender inequality
2.To know about problem been faced by women's day to day

3.To know about contemporary challenges of gender equality

INTRODUCTION
Gender inequality is a social phenomenon in which people are not treated equally based on
gender. This inequality can be caused by gender discrimination or sexism. The treatment
may arise from distinctions regarding biology, psychology, or cultural norms prevalent in
society. Some of these distinctions are empirically grounded, while others are social
constructs. While current policies around the world cause inequality among individuals, it is
women who are most affected. Gender inequality weakens women in many areas such as
health, education, and business life. Studies show the different experiences of genders
across many domains including education, life expectancy, personality, interests, family life,
careers, and political affiliation. Everywhere in the world, women are denied their human
rights just because of them sex or gender. Women's rights should not be seen as special
rights: they are human rights enshrined in international human rights treaties and other
documents, and include such rights as freedom from discrimination, right to life, freedom
from torture, right to privacy, access to health, right to decent living conditions, right to
safety, and many others. However, there are also, human rights instruments that consider
the specific situation of women in society with regards to accessing or exercising their
human rights, or which aims to protect them from violence.
Factors responsible for gender inequality:
ILLITERACY: -

Illiteracy is one of the factors responsible for gender inequality. According to 2011 census of
India., the literacy level in India is 74.04% in which the male literacy level is 82.14 and female
literacy level is only 65.46%.
CHILD MARRIAGE: -

Children specially the girls are married at a youthful age. This proves fatal for their overall
development and has a negative impact on their health, too.
DISCRIMINATION:
The girl child is not treated properly in the family. People still prefer the birth of a boy rather
than a girl. The girl child is trained for household work only. Even today, infanticide is a
common social evil.
JOB SEGREGATION:
One of the causes for gender inequality within employment is the division of jobs. In most
societies, there is an inherent belief that men are simply better equipped to handle certain
jobs. Most of the time, those are the jobs that pay the best. This discrimination results in
lower income for women.
LACK OF EMPLOMENT EQUALITY:
The current global labor force participation rate for women is close to 49%. For men, it is 75%.
That is a difference of 26 percentage points, with some regions facing a gap of more than 50
percentage points.
DAY TO DAY PROBLEMS FACED BY WOMEN DUE TO GENDER INEQUALITY
GENDER ISSUES:

Gender issues include all aspects and concerns related to women’s and men’s lives and
situation in society, to the way they interrelate, their differences in access to and use of
resources, their activities, and how they react to changes, interventions, and policies.
UNEQUAL EDUCATION:

India’s education landscape is extremely unequal. These inequalities manifest themselves in

the form of differences based on caste, class and in some cases gender. Achievement,
earnings, health status, and political participation also contribute to educational inequality
within the United States and other countries.
CHILD SEX RATIO:

The Child Sex Ratio is defined as the number of females per 1000 males in the age group 0–6
years. As per Census 2011, the Gender ratio of India is 943 females per 1000 males. There are
949 females to 1000 men in rural areas, while in an urban area, there are 929 females to 1000
males.

UNEQUAL PAY:
Gender pays gap in India refers to the difference in earnings between women and men in
the paid employment and labor market. The Indian Constitution recognized the principle of
'Equal Pay for Equal Work' for both men and women, and 'Right to Work' through Article
39(d) and 41.
VIOLENCE:
Violence occurs in about 35 per cent of women globally in their lifetime. on about 10000
women (about the seating capacity of Cameron basketball stadium at Duke University), 26
per cent reported having experienced physical violence from spouses during their lifetime.
The prevalence could be as high as 45 per cent as indicated by data from Uttar Pradesh.
RACISM: -
Races are the physical qualities that one inherits biologically and serve as a way of self-
identification from the other groups. Racism is a theory that one race is superior that the
other based on the physical attributes, caste, creed, ethnicity, or origin
SEXUAL HARASSMENT: -
Sexual harassment involves inappropriate promises, rewards in exchange for sexual favors
or unwelcome sexual behavior that is offensive, humiliating, or intimidating, or use of
explicit or implicit sexual overtones, etc. A woman is sexually harassed every twelve
minutes. Harmonizing our Indian law, sexual harassment violates the fundamental right of
gender equality and life with dignity under Article 14 and Article 21 of the Indian
Constitution respectively

LESS PROMOTED: -
85% of Indian women say they have missed a raise, promotion or work offer because of
their gender. This is markedly higher than the region’s average of 60%.
HEALTH: -

Indian women have high mortality rates, particularly during childhood and in their
productive years. The health of Indian women is intrinsically linked to their status in society.
The women In India belongs to various socio-economic backgrounds and are sometimes
marginalized or neglected when it comes to basic healthcare.
NUTRITION: -

In India and in South Asia, Gender discrimination is one of the most significant underlying
factors for poor nutrition. Poverty itself underlies conditions like limited ability to access
nutritious food, limited time and control over time and access to sanitation are important
determinants.
Contemporary Challenges of Gender equality, Discrimination Issues

• Poverty

• Gender based Violence

• Family Violence

• Lack of Girls Friendly school environment

• Child Marriage & Early Pregnancy

• killing girl in fetus

• Psychological violence

• Physical violence

• Verbal violence
Impact of gender inequality
The biggest problem we are facing is that a lot of people still see gender inequality as a
women’s issue. However, by gender, we refer to all genders including male, female,
transgender, and others.

When we empower all genders, especially the marginalized ones, they can lead their lives
freely. Moreover, gender inequality results in people not letting them speak their minds. It
hampers their future and compromises it.
History is proof that fighting gender inequality has resulted in stable and safe societies. Due
to gender inequality, we have a gender pay gap. Similarly, it also exposes certain genders to
violence and discrimination. In addition, they also get objectified and receive socioeconomic
inequality. All of this results in severe anxiety, depression, and even low self-esteem.
Therefore, we must all recognize that gender inequality harms genders of all kinds. We must
work collectively to stop these long-lasting consequences and this gender inequality essay
will tell you how.
Definition and Concept of Gender Inequality
‘Gender’ is a socio-cultural term referring socially defined roles and behaviors assigned to
‘males’ and ‘females’ in each society; whereas the term ‘sex’ is a biological and physiological
phenomenon which defines man and woman. In its social, historical, and cultural aspects,
gender is a function of power relationship between men and women where men are
considered superior to women. Therefore, gender may be understood as a human-caused
concept, while ‘sex’ is natural or biological characteristics of human beings.
Gender Inequality, in simple words, may be defined as discrimination against women based
on their sex. Women are traditionally considered by the society as weaker sex. She has been
accorded a subordinate position to men. She is exploited, degraded, violated, and
discriminated against both in our homes and in the outside world. This peculiar type of
discrimination against women is prevalent everywhere in the world and more so in Indian
society.
Causes and Types of Gender Inequality in India
The root cause of gender inequality in Indian society lies in its patriarchy system. According
to the famous sociologists Sylvia Walby, patriarchy is “a system of social structure and
practices in which men dominate, oppress and exploit women.” Women’s exploitation is an
age-old cultural phenomenon of Indian society. The system of patriarchy finds its validity
and sanction in our religious beliefs, whether it is Hindu, Muslim, or any other religion.
For instance, as per ancient Hindu law giver Manu: “Women are supposed to be in the
custody of their father when they are children, they must be under the custody of their
husband when married and under the custody of her son in old age or as widows. In no
circumstances should she be allowed to assert herself independently.”
The above-described position of women as per Manu is still the case in present modern day
social structure. Barring few exceptions here and there, women have no power to take
independent decisions either inside their homes or in outside world.

In Muslims also the situation is same and there too sanction for discrimination or
subordination is provided by religious texts and Islamic traditions. Similarly in other religious
beliefs also women are being discriminated against in one way or other.
The unfortunate part of gender inequality in our society is that the women too, though,
continued socio-cultural conditioning, have accepted their subordinate position to men. And
they are also part of the same patriarchal system.
Extreme poverty and lack of education are also some of the reasons for women’s low status
in society. Poverty and lack of education derives countless women to work in low paying
domestic service, organized prostitution, or as migrant laborers. Women are not only
getting unequal pay for equal or more work but also, they are being offered only low skill
jobs for which lower wages are paid. This has become a major form of inequality based on
gender.
Educating a girl child is still seen as a bad investment because she is bound to get married
and leave her paternal home one day. Thus, without having good education women are
found lacking in present day’s demanding job skills; whereas, each year’s High School and
10+2 standard results show that girls are always doing better than boys. This shows that
parents are not spending much after 10+2 standard on girl child and that is why they lack in
job market.
Not only in education, in case of family food habits, it is the male child who gets all the
nutritious and choicest foods while the girl child gets whatever is left behind after the male
members have taken their meals or the food which is low in both quality and nutrition. And
this becomes a major health issue in her later years. One of the main reasons for the high
incidences of difficult births and anemia in women is the inferior quality of food which a girl
always gets either in her paternal home or in her in-laws as also is the excessive workload
that they are made to bear from their early childhood.
So, the inequality or discrimination against women is at various levels in the society, either
in home or outside home.

Global Indices:
Gender Inequality is also reflected in India’s poor ranking in various global gender indices.
UNDP’s Gender Inequality Index- 2014: India’s ranking is 127 out of 152 countries in the List.
This ranking is only above Afghanistan as far as SAARC countries are concerned.
World Economic Forum’s Global Gender Gap Index- 2014: India’s ranks at 114 in the list of
142 countries of the world. This Index examines gender gap in four major areas:
Economic participation and opportunity.
Educational achievements.
Health and life expectancy.

Political empowerment.
India’s position on these indicators was as follows:
Economic participation and opportunity: 134th
Educational achievements: 126th

Health and Life expectancy: 141st

Political empowerment: 15th
These two important Global Indices show the sorry situation in India as far as gender equality
is concerned. Only in case of ‘Political Empowerment’ India is doing fine which is a welcome
sign. But other indices are extremely poor, and a lot needs to be done to improve the same.
Gender Inequality Statistics
Gender inequality manifests in varied ways. And as far as India is concerned the major
indicators are as follows:
Female Feticide
Female Infanticide
Child (0 to 6 age group) Sex Ratio: 919
Sex Ratio: 943

Female literacy:46%
Maternal Mortality Rate: 178 deaths per 100000 live births.
These above-mentioned indicators are some of the important indices which show the status
of women in our country.

Female feticide and female infanticide are most inhuman of acts. And it is a shame that in
India these practices are prevailing at large scale.
The data shows that despite the law in place viz Prenatal Diagnostic Techniques (Regulation
and Prevention of Misuse) Act, 1994 sex selective abortion is still on the rise. One estimate
done by MacPherson shows that more than 100000 illegal abortions are being performed
every year in India mainly because the fetus is of girl child.
Due to this, there is an alarming trend which has come to the notice in 2011 census report;
the report shows Child Sex-Ratio (i.e., sex-ratio of children between the age group 0 to 6) at
919 which is 8 points lesser than the 2001 data of 927. The data indicates that sex-selective
abortion is increasing in our country.
As far as overall sex-ratio is concerned, it is 943 in 2011 report as compared to 933 of 2001
which is 10 points increase. Though it is a good sign that overall sex ratio is increasing but it
is still tilted against females.
Female literacy is at 65.46% in 2011 as against 82.14% of male literacy. This gap indicates a
wide gender disparity in India that Indians do not give enough importance to the education
of girls.

All these indicators point towards the sorry situation in India regarding gender justice and
women’s human right. Though every year government starts various schemes and programs
apart from existing ones for the benefit and empowerment of women but on the ground,
there are not enough visible changes. The change will appear only when the mind set of Indian
society would change; when the society would start treating male and female on equal
footing and when a girl would not be considered as a burden.

Legal and Constitutional Safeguards against Gender Inequality

Indian Constitution provides for positive efforts to eliminate gender inequality; the Preamble
to the Constitution talks about goals of achieving social, economic, and political justice to
everyone and to provide equality of status and of opportunity to all its citizens. Further,
women have equal right to vote in our political system. Article 15 of the Constitution provides
for prohibition of discrimination on grounds of sex also apart from other grounds such as
religion, race, caste, or place of birth. Article 15(3) authorizes the Sate to make any special
provision for women and children. Moreover, the Directive Principles of State Policy also
provides various provisions which are for the benefit of women and provides safeguards
against discrimination.
Other than these Constitutional safeguards, various protective Legislations have also been
passed by the Parliament to eliminate exploitation of women and to give them equal status
in society. For instance, the Sati (Prevention) Act, 1987 was enacted to abolish and make
punishable the inhuman custom of Sati; the Dowry Prohibition Act, 1961 to eliminate the
practice of dowry; the Special Marriage Act, 1954 to give rightful status to married couples
who marry inter-caste or inter-religion; Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (Regulation and
Prevention of Misuse) Bill (introduced in Parliament in 1991, passed in 1994 to stop female
infanticide and many more such Acts. Furthermore, the Parliament time to time brings out
amendments to existing laws to give protection to women according to the changing needs
of the society, for instance, Section 304-B was added to the Indian Penal Code, 1860 to make
dowry-death or bride-burning a specific offence punishable with maximum punishment of life
imprisonment.
So, there are varied legislative safeguards and protection mechanisms for women, but the
ground reality is quite different. Despite all these provisions women are still being treated as
second rate citizens in our country; men are treating them as an object to fulfill their carnal
desires; crimes against women are at alarming stage; the practice of dowry is still widely
prevalent; female infanticide is a norm in our homes.
How we can Eliminate Gender Inequality
The list of legislations as well as types of discriminations or inequalities may go on, but the
real change will only come when the mentality of men will change; when the male species of
human beings would start treating women as equal and not subordinate or weaker to them.
In fact, not only men but women also need to change their mindset as through cultural
conditioning they have also become part of the same exploitative system of patriarchy and
are playing a supportive role in furthering men’s agenda of dominating women.
Therefore, what is needed is the movement for Women’s empowerment where women can
become economically independent and self-reliant; where they can fight their own fears and
go out in the world fearless; where they can snatch their rights from the clutches of men and
they don’t have to ask for them; where women have good education, good career, ownership
of property and above all where they have freedom of choice and also the freedom to make
their own decisions without the bondages of age old saying of Manu.

Let us hope and wish that our participative democracy, in times to come, and with the efforts
of both women and men, would be able to be found solutions to the problem of gender
inequality and would take us all towards our cherished dream of a truly modern society in
both thought and action.
Causes of Gender Inequality in India
Gender inequality is a pervasive issue in India, impacting Indian women and girls in a variety
of ways. While there are many causes of gender inequality, some of the most common
include:
Poverty

Given all the development and recent rise to prominence, we often forget that India is still
one of the poorest countries in the world, and it is one of the biggest reasons that lead to
gender inequality in India. Despite the availability of education in rural areas, families prefer
sending their boys to school rather than the girls of the family, which is one of the biggest
disadvantages.
Patriarchal Setup in our Indian Society
Since time immemorial, India has been an extremely patriarchal society. The patriarchal setup
in Indian society contributed to the fundamental inequality between men and women. As
women were considered a part of the household belonging to their father or husband, they
were unable to get a say in any matters concerning their own development or that of the
community at large.
Lack of Education or Illiteracy

The disparity between the literacy rates of men and women in India is a known issue. Some
regional states have higher disparity, while some other states have better disparity. The
problem is not that there are few literate women in India, but rather the problem is the lack
of awareness among women to use their rights.
Lack of Awareness Among Women
One of the major causes of gender inequality is the lack of awareness among women about
their rights and their ability to achieve equality. This lack of awareness is often due to the
prevailing cultural and social norms, which dictate that women should be subservient to men.
It is important to break down these barriers and help women become more aware of their
rights so that they can demand equality.
Social Customs, Beliefs and Practices
The views of society, customs and cultural practices play a significant role in keeping women
at lower places in the society – refusing them opportunities, which are provided to men, who
are considered the dominant ones in India.
Addressing these causes is critical to achieving gender equality in India.

The Need for Awareness

Women are treated as second-class citizens in India, and the situation is getting worse. The
country’s record on gender equality is dismal. According to a report by the World Economic
Forum (WEF), India ranked 134th out of 145 countries for gender parity in 2018, down from
130th in 2017.
Without a doubt, this is a wake-up call for all of us. We all must join hands and help women
overcome these discrimination crises. We need to create awareness among Indian women
about their legal rights. There are various organizations that work towards creating awareness
about women’s rights and equality, like Care India. We need to support such organizations
vigorously working to provide women with equal opportunities and rights. Additionally, we
need to bring about a change in the mindset of people, especially men, who still believe that
women are inferior to them. We need to inject the concept of women’s empowerment into
everybody’s minds. We have built a result-oriented process of enhancing and promoting the
social, political, and economic status of women. Majorly, we must work on five main
concerns-
Give women access to education just like men
Give women opportunities to be in power and achieve economic success.
Stop the violence and sexual assault against women.
End child marriages

Aware women about women’s rights in India

By focusing on these five major points, we can hope to achieve equality between men and
women in our society. It is neither difficult nor impossible; we all can do it, together.
How to Fight Gender Inequality
Gender inequality is an old-age issue that will not be resolved within a few days. Similarly,
achieving the goal of equality is also not going to be an easy one. We must start by breaking
it down and allowing it time to go away.

Firstly, we must focus on eradicating this problem through education. In other words, we
must teach our young ones to counter gender stereotypes from their childhood.
Similarly, it is essential to ensure that they hold on to the very same beliefs till they turn old.
We must show them how sports are not gender biased.

Further, we must promote equality in the fields of labor. For instance, some people believe
that women cannot do certain jobs like men. However, that is not the case. We can also get
celebrities on board to promote and implant the idea of equality in people’s brains.
Conclusion
Overall, humanity needs men and women to continue. Thus, inequality will get us nowhere.
To conclude the gender inequality essay, we need to get rid of the old-age traditions and
mentality. We must teach everyone, especially the boys, all about equality and respect. It
requires quite a lot of work, but it is possible. We can work together and achieve equal
respect and opportunities for all genders alike.
WRITE UP
As you see this project it revolves around women gender inequality problems, they could
not have freedom like men, and they are forced to take the decisions made by their parents
and community. Sometimes girls are being killed while they are fetus. Womens are forced to
marry whom their parents and relatives look up to. They are facing discrimination in schools'
offices and public places. Women who are uneducated more prone to divorce and desertion
by their husbands at any stage of life. They must live their whole life with fear of divorce. In
some cases, they must finish their life because of unbearable conditions. Dowry system is
another huge women problem in the society which is increasing day by day.
Learning outcomes
1. The learner can recognize and question traditional perception of gender roles in a critical
approach, while respecting cultural sensitivity.

2. The learner can identify and speak up against all forms of gender discrimination and debate
the benefits of full empowerment of all genders.
3. The learner can analyze the diversity of gendered experiences and apply feminist
approaches to understanding social structures and cultural pressures related to gender
inequality.
4.The learner can assess how women's opportunities and achievements are constrained by
systems of oppression and privilege.
BIBILIOGRAPHY
1.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gender inequality

2.https://www.ohchr.org/sites/default/files/Documents/Issues/Women/WG/Gender-
equality-and-gender-backlash.pdf