Women and their Constitutional Rights in India

Given the democratic and secular nature of our country, all Indian Citizens have a set of rights and a set of duties that form the crux of the constitution. However in today’s times, sadly the women in our country are harassed, molested, abused, raped and even killed. The constitution is in peril and, hence this International Women’s Day, we thought of curating a list of some Constitutional Rights that all individuals in India hold and can make use of in any given situation. 

Constitutional Rights to Women are listed below:

1. Equality for women (Article 14)
2. The state shall not discriminate against any citizen of India on the ground of sex, religion, race, caste or place of birth. [Article 15(1)].
3. The state is empowered to make any special provision for women. In other words, this provision enables the state to make affirmative discrimination in favour of women [Article 15(3)].
4. No citizen shall be discriminated against or be ineligible for any employment or office under the state on the ground of sex [Article 16(2)].
5. Human trafficking and forced labour are strictly prohibited [Article 23(1)].
6. The state to secure for men and women, justice and equal opportunity in the way of right to an adequate means of livelihood so that justice is not denied to any citizen by reason of economic or other disabilities[Article 39(a)].
7. The state to secure equal pay for equal work for both Indian men and women [Article 39(d)].
8. It shall be the duty of every citizen of India to renounce practices derogatory to the dignity of women [Article 51-A(e)].
9. One-third of the total number of seats to be filled by direct election in every Panchayat shall be reserved for women [Article 243-D(3)].
10. One-third of the total number of offices of chairpersons in the Panchayats at each level shall be reserved for women [Article 243-D(4)].
11. One-third of the total number of seats to be filled by direct election in every Municipality shall be reserved for women [Article 243-T(3)].
12. The offices of chairpersons in the Municipalities shall be reserved for women in such manner as the State Legislature may provide [Article 243-T(4)].

The Convention on Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) in 1993, is an initiative taken by the government to uphold the position of women in our society.

Know more about the Legal Rights of Women in India by clicking here.

References –

• https://www.nrilegalservices.com/constitutional-women-rights-india/
• https://edugeneral.org/blog/polity/women-rights-in-india/