ISSUES OF GENDER DISCRIMINATION AND INEQUALITY

The issue of gender bias has haunted women for a long enough in society and continues to. But with the advancement in technology in this time and age, women are striving towards becoming independent and securing equal opportunities as men. The literacy rate among women has increased over the past few years but still lags behind the male literacy rate. At all-
India level, the male literacy rate is higher at 84.7% compared to 70.3% among women. The
the corporate sector is still a very male-dominated sector where women do not usually reach the heights of their potential because of gender discrimination.
Even though the Indian Constitution prohibits discrimination on grounds of religion, race,
caste, sex, or place of birth and guarantees equality enshrined in Article 15, it is hardly of any
consequence in the corporate sector. The power and gender dynamics that are in play in the
corporate sector seldom let any women hold a position of authority over men and reach her
the highest potential by using the available resources. Women are more often than not handed over jobs or given positions that are considered uncomplicated or can be done without the use of any actual skills. This is because of the idea that the entire female race is inferior to the male race and does not have the same mental or physical capabilities to perform complicated tasksproperly. This makes it more than difficult for women to climb up the corporate ladder to reach the leadership position that is the Board of directors.
It is palpable that even if women are accepted into top positions, they are essentially welcome there which reveals the ugly face of the corporate world to us. Uncountable previous occurrences have made it clear that though women directors are in the beginning welcomed with all pomp and show when they actively begin asserting their opinion and participating in the board discussions, they are made to understand that they are here for
diversity for just a governance requirement and they have measly signatory authority.
Since ancient times women have been a major contributor with regards to economic as well
as societal growth. The importance of the participation of women in the growth of society has been
again and again stressed upon in our scriptures. Although they play a key role, they are always left unrecognized and underappreciated. Today, more and more women are educated and employed which makes the issue of gender equality in the workplace a pertinent and important topic of discussion.
Women in the corporate sector are also discriminated against based on pay that is they are paid
less salary than their male counterparts for doing the same job or holding the same position.
The discrimination exists even after the passing of the Equal Remuneration Act, 1976 is
more than four decades ago. On 19th August 2014, The Guardian a reputed British daily
newspaper said that female heads or bosses earn 35 percent less than their male counterparts
which means that the male counterparts take home 2,061,739.26 rupees more than the female
workers who are in the same position, working the same hours and having the same job. Recent
studies and statistics show that female head of department or in any kind of position on the top management earn only 3/4th of what their male counterparts making it pretty obvious that these women workers have to work twice as hard till they are as old as 80 to earn as much as the male colleague earned during his lifetime. The mindset of the society as a whole towards
considering women as supplementary and additional employees if nothing else has very
drastically marginalized their capacity in terms of consolidating their employment position.

This Article Does Not Intend To Hurt The Sentiments Of Any Individual Community, Sect, Or Religion Etcetera. This Article Is Based Purely On The Authors Personal Views And Opinions In The Exercise Of The Fundamental Right Guaranteed Under Article 19(1)(A) And Other Related Laws Being Force In India, For The Time Being.