Our still male dominated society, women …

Women face disadvantage, discrimination and oppression in various ways:

(i)The literacy rate among women is only 54 per cent as compared to 76 per cent among men. This is because women are deprived of an equal access to education as the males in the society. Even a very small percentage of girls go for higher education and drop-out rate is also higher among the girls.

(ii)Proportion of women in highly paid jobs is very small. On an average Indian woman works an hours more than a man. Yet much of her work is not paid and therefore often not valued.

(iii)The preference to male child over the female child has led to *** selective abortion. This has lowered *** ratio in India.

(iv)Women are exploited and harassed at the workplace and at home. These are cases of harassment, exploitation in the urban areas as well. They are even subjected to domestic violence at homes.