Gender Inequality

The government’s move to fast-track a quota for women in Parliament and state assemblies marks a major emancipatory step. As political and economic empowerment are closely linked, a stronger women’s voice in policymaking could boost India’s development.

In this edition of The Beat Report, Mint's Tanay Sukumar describes how he navigated a data maze to produce a massive analysis that highlights the acute gender gap in sleeping habits in India.

Reading fiction, especially the literary type, is supposed to make readers better people, but most men seem to have missed that memo and we can hardly blame them for it.

India’s economy may stay in a low equilibrium if we do not act to resolve well identified restraints on women taking up employment. A comparison of urban and rural data shows that neither setting is working for women, even if the reasons differ.

Last week’s murder of tennis coach Radhika Yadav made us sit up. It should also make us confront the prejudices that hold not just Indian women back from success, but the country as a whole. Male domination of society weakens our economic prospects.

Soft patriarchy is not harsh and obvious, which makes it harder to call out. It often takes the form of feigned empathy for women assumed to have duties dictated by gender that must be fulfilled. Society needs to understand that not every working woman is looking for a family-career balance.

It's no secret that Indian women are overworked at home. But do those with degrees and big salaries fare better on this front? A Mint analysis of the government's recently released Time Use Survey offers some insights.

At stake is not just justice, but the broader promise of constitutional equality. The Constitution must guide the delivery of justice and societal attitudes should have no say in it. Sadly, many recent cases have let us down.