The status of women in India

The status of women in India has been subject to many great changes over the past few millennia. From equal status with men through the low points of the medieval period, to the promotion of equal rights by many reformers, the history of women in India has been eventful. In modern India, women have held high offices in India including that of the President, Prime Minister, Speaker of the Lok Sabha and Leader of the Opposition.

As of 2011, the Speaker of the Lok Sabha and the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha were women. However, women in India continue to face atrocities such as rape, acid throwing, dowry killings, and the forced prostitution of young girls. According to a global poll conducted by Thomson Reuters, India is the "fourth most dangerous country" in the world for women.

Though it is gradually increasing, the female literacy rate in India is less than the male literacy rate. Far fewer girls than boys are enrolled in school, and many girls drop out. In urban India, girls are nearly on a equal footing with boys in terms of education. However, in rural India girls continue to be less well-educated than boys.

Police records in India show a high incidence of crimes against women.

Women belonging to any class, caste, creed or religion can be victims of Acid throwing.In India, acid attacks on women who dared to refuse a man's proposal of marriage or asked for a divorce are a form of revenge.

Child marriage has been traditionally prevalent in India and continues to this day. According to UNICEF association 40% of the world's child marriages occur in India.

A 1997 report claimed that each year at least 5,000 women in India die dowry-related deaths, and at least a dozen die each day in 'kitchen fires' thought to be intentional. The term for this is "bride burning".

In India, the male-female sex ratio is dramatically in favour of males, the chief reason being the high number of females who die before reaching adulthood.

Rape in India has been described by Radha Kumar as one of India's most common crimes against women and by the UN’s human-rights chief as a “national problem”.

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