This blog is written by Rehan Vaz, a Fourth-year law student of St. Rocks Law College (Mumbai)

Introduction :

In today's world women comprise 50% of the population and the importance of Women's Empowerment includes social-cultural, economic, and political among others. Overall promoting gender equality and women's empowerment is important for the development and progress of the nation Women's Empowerment aims and promotes a sense of self-worth among every woman to make them capable of making their decisions gender equality refers to a state in which access rights, responsibilities and opportunities and unaffected by gender.

This article explores gender disparities and promotes women’s empowerment. This article explores the legal landscape surrounding women's empowerment and gender justice in India, shedding light on the challenges and advancements in this critical area.

Difference between Women's Empowerment and Gender Justice / Articles

Women and girls contribute to good health and productivity for their families, communities, and countries and also trying creating effective benefits for everyone. In today’s time, gender is discriminated against as socially constructed roles and responsibilities to our societies and also in considering women and men with equal opportunity and rights. It lays the ground word for gender justice and women empowerment through several key provisions.

(I) Article 14: Ensures equality before the law and equal protection of the laws for all individuals, regardless of gender.

(II) Article 15: prohibits discrimination On the grounds of religion, race, caste, sex, or place of birth. It especially allows the state to make special provisions for women and children.

(III) Article 16: Gurantess equal opportunity in matters of public employment, without any dissemination based on gender.

(IV) Article 39(a): Directs the State to ensure that men and women equally have the right to an adequate means of livelihood.

(V) Article 42: Mandates the state to make provisions for securing just and humane conditions of work and maternity relief.

These constitutional provisions form the bedrock of various laws and policies aimed at promoting women’s rights and gender justice in India.

Changes to women's empowerment and gender justice

In some places, women still lack the rights to own their lands inherit property, obtain access to credit their own money or more out to their workplaces, and force them to be at home, and mostly in public areas women are widely underrepresented as decision-makers.

Gender justice seeks to realize equality between women and men, as well as between diverse gender identities in terms of rights, responsibilities, and many other opportunities.

Some of the key obstacles included:

· Social and Cultural Barriers:

Deep-seated patriarchal norms and cultural practices continue to perpetuate gender inequality. Practices like dowry, female infanticide, and honour killings reflect the persistence of regressive attitudes toward women.

Lack of awareness and access to gender justice

It aims to protect the rights and interests of vulnerable groups, and also promotes the rules of law, and enhances the public trust in the justice system.

Additionally, the accessibility of legal remedies remains limited due to various factors like poverty, illiteracy, and social stigma.

· Underrepresentation in Politics and Economic Spheres:

· Women remain underrepresented in political leadership and decision-making positions. Despite the 33% reservation for women in local governance bodies, their representation in state legislatures and Parliament is significantly lower. The economic sphere is the domain about which economics is meant to provide us with knowledge. The political sphere is the domain in which economics is meant to be an influential factor.

· Violence Against Women:

· Violence against women does not mean only physical violence, it is much broader and includes sexual, emotional, physiological, and financial abuse. Violence against every woman’s human right and it’s a major public problem.

· Implementation Gaps:

Implementation Gaps mean strike laws.

After the year 2013 Nirbhaya cases like

The Criminal Law Amendment Act,2013

Enforcement remains inconsistent

Across different regions and police

Jurisdiction.

Conclusion

Violence against Women has both short and long-term adverse consequences on their health including sexual and reproductive health, and the enjoyment of their human right’s legal framework, although robust, needs continuous strengthening and effective implementation.

References

· Freire, P (1971) Pedagogy of the oppressed New York: Seabury press.

· Hur, M.H(2006). Empowerment in terms of theoretical perspectives: Exploring a typology of the process and components across disciplines. Journal of Community Psychology 34(5), 523-540.

· Page, N, & Czuba, C E (1999) Empowerment: What is it? Journal of Extension,375(5),24-32.

· Weil, M & Kruzich ,J(1999). Introduction to the special issue. Adminstration in social work 14(2), 1-12.

· Lamont, Michele (June 2018) Addressing Recognition Gaps: Destigmatization and the reduction of inequality 83(3):419-444.