Woman’s Economic, Social and cultural rights

Women have an independent role in our society, but still, they remain to consider in the underprivileged section of our society in the sense of empowerment. Here we explained a few rights of women. 

Woman’s Economic, Social and cultural rights

The movement to assure women’s economic, social, and cultural rights (ESCR) as a basic human right is simply emerging in India. 

The movement aims to locate women’s rights within the larger human rights framework, and by doing the development of a girl child with the ultimate objective of bringing up the better future of girl child.

       1.     National policy for the empowerment of women (2001) - this policy was aimed to bring advancement, development, and empowerment of women. 

 2.     The Goa law on polygamy - Hindu man can remarry if his present wife cannot give birth to a male child till the age of 30. And this law is just the tip of the sanctioned sexism across the country. 

3.     Hindu law of inheritance – the property of a lady who dies without a will is handled differently from a person. Even if the deceased woman was ill-treated in her marital home her husband’s mother or father will get her property rather than her own mother and father.

 4.     Parsi’s law of inheritance -Parsi's are still penalized those who marry outside their community-and it’s allowed. A a women who is not Parsi woman as by birth, who is either a wife or widow of a Parsi cannot inherit. Their children still can, although those born to a Parsi woman married to a non-Parsi man aren't considered a part of the community. 

  5.     Prohibition of a toddler marriage act - the law only prevents the marriages of children; it doesn't render them illegal once actually happen. The married children have the right to form their marriage void. A woman can call off her marriage till the age of 20 whereas a person can call off his marriage till the age of 23. 

 6.     Age of consent - sexual intercourse with a girl without her consent is considered rape. A man can legally have sex with his wife even she is minor and does not give her consent to it. Marital rape is not criminalized in India.  

7.     Rape of a separated wife - The rape of a separated wife carries lesser punishment than the rape of the other woman. 

 8.     Forced sexual activity with the previous is punishable with two to seven years of imprisonment. The Prison sentence for the rape of the other woman ranges from seven years to life. 

 9.     Marriageable age - The minimum age for marriage for a boy is 21, but 18 for a woman. This is a legal extension of the patriarchal mindset that believes that a wife should be younger than the person. 

 10. Hindu Minority and Guardianship Act: Women are still not equal guardians of their children. A father is taken into account the “natural guardian” of a toddler, although the custody of offspring under the age of 5 will ordinarily be awarded to the mother.