{"id":346020,"date":"2025-09-10T11:59:50","date_gmt":"2025-09-10T06:29:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/?page_id=346020"},"modified":"2025-09-10T11:59:50","modified_gmt":"2025-09-10T06:29:50","slug":"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","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/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\/","title":{"rendered":"[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."},"content":{"rendered":"

Introduction
\n<\/strong><\/h2>\n

\u201cWith women contributing nearly 49% of India\u2019s population (Census 2011) yet only 18% to GDP (World Bank, 2022), <\/strong>policies shaping the \u2018domestic sphere\u2019 profoundly influence gender equity, labour recognition, and empowerment.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

Government Policies & The Domestic Sphere: Two Contrasting Pathways<\/strong><\/p>\n

Reinforcing Gender Discrimination<\/strong><\/h2>\n
    \n
  1. Dowry Deaths & Domestic Violence:<\/strong> NFHS-5 shows 30% women face intimate partner violence<\/strong>, but state responses remain muted; laws against dowry deaths (over 7,000 annually) lack strong enforcement.<\/li>\n
  2. Marital Rape Exception:<\/strong> The government\u2019s stance opposing criminalisation of marital rape on cultural grounds reflects patriarchal institutional bias<\/strong>.<\/li>\n
  3. Unpaid Domestic Work:<\/strong> According to Time Use Survey (TUS) 2024<\/strong>, women spend 7 hours daily<\/strong> on unpaid domestic work vs men\u2019s 26 minutes, yet policies glorify this as \u201cIndian social fabric.\u201d<\/strong><\/li>\n
  4. Undervaluation of Care Work:<\/strong> ASHA, Anganwadi and Mid-Day Meal workers are treated as \u201cvolunteers,\u201d receiving honorarium instead of minimum wage<\/strong>, reinforcing systemic undervaluation of feminised labour.<\/li>\n
  5. Policy Narratives:<\/strong> Political appeals such as calls for women to produce \u201cat least three children\u201d<\/strong> objectify women as reproducers, ignoring their agency in family planning.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Addressing Gender Discrimination<\/strong><\/h2>\n
      \n
    1. Legislative Reforms:<\/strong> The Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act (2005)<\/strong>, Maternity Benefit (Amendment) Act (2017)<\/strong>, and Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace Act (2013)<\/strong> represent progressive interventions.<\/li>\n
    2. Financial Inclusion:<\/strong> Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana (2014)<\/strong> ensured over 23 crore accounts for women<\/strong>, enhancing household bargaining power.<\/li>\n
    3. Skill & Employment Policies:<\/strong> Stand Up India<\/strong> and Skill India Mission<\/strong> have enabled women\u2019s entrepreneurship, though participation remains low (LFPR for women at 25.4% in 2022-23, PLFS).<\/li>\n
    4. Child & Elder Care:<\/strong> Expanding Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS)<\/strong> and maternity entitlements under PMMVY<\/strong> attempt to reduce unpaid care burdens, albeit inadequately.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      Critical Analysis<\/strong><\/h2>\n
        \n
      1. Policy Black Holes:<\/strong> By failing to recognise unpaid domestic and care work in GDP or minimum wage calculations, policies perpetuate the \u201cinvisible subsidy\u201d<\/strong> women provide to capitalist economies (SBI report, 2023: \u20b922.5 lakh crore).<\/strong><\/li>\n
      2. Cultural Reinforcement:<\/strong> State glorification of women\u2019s sacrifices in caregiving roles (e.g., PIB\u2019s 2025 framing of TUS results) strengthens patriarchal norms rather than challenging them.<\/li>\n
      3. Caste-Class Intersections:<\/strong> Labouring-class women (SC\/ST) face double burdens\u2014longer hours of unpaid work and precarious wage labour, reflecting structural inequalities within domestic roles.<\/li>\n
      4. Global Contrast:<\/strong> Nordic countries treat child\/elder care as state responsibility, integrating gender-sensitive budgets. India\u2019s low social sector spending (~1.4% of GDP on health)<\/strong> weakens similar outcomes.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

        Way Forward<\/strong><\/h2>\n
          \n
        1. Recognition of Domestic Work:<\/strong> Incorporate unpaid care into national accounts<\/strong> and ensure wage parity<\/strong>.<\/li>\n
        2. Universal Care Infrastructure:<\/strong> State-provided cr\u00e8ches, eldercare, and healthcare to redistribute unpaid work.<\/li>\n
        3. Cultural Interventions:<\/strong> Promote shared domestic responsibility<\/strong> through educational curricula and campaigns.<\/li>\n
        4. Strengthen Laws:<\/strong> Criminalise marital rape; tighten enforcement against domestic violence and dowry deaths.<\/li>\n
        5. Justice for Scheme Workers:<\/strong> Recognise ASHA and Anganwadi workers as government employees<\/strong> with wages and social security.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

          Conclusion
          \n<\/strong><\/h2>\n

          \u201cAs Simone de Beauvoir noted in The Second Sex,<\/strong> \u2018One is not born, but rather becomes, a woman.<\/strong>\u2019 Policies must dismantle structural hierarchies, ensuring equality begins within the domestic sphere.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

          Introduction \u201cWith women contributing nearly 49% of India\u2019s population (Census 2011) yet only 18% to GDP (World Bank, 2022), policies shaping the \u2018domestic sphere\u2019 profoundly influence gender equity, labour recognition, and empowerment.\u201d Government Policies & The Domestic Sphere: Two Contrasting Pathways Reinforcing Gender Discrimination Dowry Deaths & Domestic Violence: NFHS-5 shows 30% women face intimate… Continue reading [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.<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10320,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-346020","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry","entry"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/346020","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10320"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=346020"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/346020\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=346020"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}