[Answered] Critically analyze how government policies, which often target the ‘domestic sphere’, can either address or reinforce the persistent gender discrimination faced by women in India.

Introduction

“With women contributing nearly 49% of India’s population (Census 2011) yet only 18% to GDP (World Bank, 2022), policies shaping the ‘domestic sphere’ profoundly influence gender equity, labour recognition, and empowerment.”

Government Policies & The Domestic Sphere: Two Contrasting Pathways

Reinforcing Gender Discrimination

1. Dowry Deaths & Domestic Violence: NFHS-5 shows 30% women face intimate partner violence, but state responses remain muted; laws against dowry deaths (over 7,000 annually) lack strong enforcement.
2. Marital Rape Exception: The government’s stance opposing criminalisation of marital rape on cultural grounds reflects patriarchal institutional bias.
3. Unpaid Domestic Work: According to Time Use Survey (TUS) 2024, women spend 7 hours daily on unpaid domestic work vs men’s 26 minutes, yet policies glorify this as “Indian social fabric.”
4. Undervaluation of Care Work: ASHA, Anganwadi and Mid-Day Meal workers are treated as “volunteers,” receiving honorarium instead of minimum wage, reinforcing systemic undervaluation of feminised labour.
5. Policy Narratives: Political appeals such as calls for women to produce “at least three children” objectify women as reproducers, ignoring their agency in family planning.

Addressing Gender Discrimination

1. Legislative Reforms: The Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act (2005), Maternity Benefit (Amendment) Act (2017), and Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace Act (2013) represent progressive interventions.
2. Financial Inclusion: Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana (2014) ensured over 23 crore accounts for women, enhancing household bargaining power.
3. Skill & Employment Policies: Stand Up India and Skill India Mission have enabled women’s entrepreneurship, though participation remains low (LFPR for women at 25.4% in 2022-23, PLFS).
4. Child & Elder Care: Expanding Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) and maternity entitlements under PMMVY attempt to reduce unpaid care burdens, albeit inadequately.

Critical Analysis

1. Policy Black Holes: By failing to recognise unpaid domestic and care work in GDP or minimum wage calculations, policies perpetuate the “invisible subsidy” women provide to capitalist economies (SBI report, 2023: ₹22.5 lakh crore).
2. Cultural Reinforcement: State glorification of women’s sacrifices in caregiving roles (e.g., PIB’s 2025 framing of TUS results) strengthens patriarchal norms rather than challenging them.
3. Caste-Class Intersections: Labouring-class women (SC/ST) face double burdens—longer hours of unpaid work and precarious wage labour, reflecting structural inequalities within domestic roles.
4. Global Contrast: Nordic countries treat child/elder care as state responsibility, integrating gender-sensitive budgets. India’s low social sector spending (~1.4% of GDP on health) weakens similar outcomes.

Way Forward

1. Recognition of Domestic Work: Incorporate unpaid care into national accounts and ensure wage parity.
2. Universal Care Infrastructure: State-provided crèches, eldercare, and healthcare to redistribute unpaid work.
3. Cultural Interventions: Promote shared domestic responsibility through educational curricula and campaigns.
4. Strengthen Laws: Criminalise marital rape; tighten enforcement against domestic violence and dowry deaths.
5. Justice for Scheme Workers: Recognise ASHA and Anganwadi workers as government employees with wages and social security.

Conclusion

“As Simone de Beauvoir noted in The Second Sex, ‘One is not born, but rather becomes, a woman.’ Policies must dismantle structural hierarchies, ensuring equality begins within the domestic sphere.”