ARCHITECTURE OF THE STATUTORY FRAMEWORKS GOVERNING WOMEN’S RIGHTS

AUTHOR – NEHA SHARMA, STUDENT AT AMITY UNIVERSITY NOIDA UTTAR PRADESH

BEST CITATION – NEHA SHARMA, ARCHITECTURE OF THE STATUTORY FRAMEWORKS GOVERNING WOMEN’S RIGHTS, INDIAN JOURNAL OF LEGAL REVIEW (IJLR), 6 (8) OF 2026, PG. 652-658, APIS – 3920 – 0001 & ISSN – 2583-2344. DOI – https://doi.org/10.65393/IJLRV6I869

3.1 Introduction to the framework

The legal system governing women’s rights in India shows the dedication of the State to attain substantive equality and gender justice. Over the years, the legislature has passed several laws intended to shield women from social exclusion, violence, economic poverty and gender-based discrimination. These legislative efforts seek to fix historic inequities based in patriarchal social systems and seek to guarantee that women have equal status inside the family as well as in the society. Through several facets of law including family law, criminal law, labour law and property law, the legal system in India offers women protection. Legislation includes the Hindu Marriage Act of 1955, the Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act of 2005, the Dowry Prohibition Act of 1961 and the Hindu Succession Act of 1956, depicting the legislative intent to ensure dignity, equality and protection for women. Similarly, criminal law clauses, formerly in the Indian Penal Code, 1973 and now in the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, aim to discourage crimes like cruelty, sexual assault and harassment. The presence of progressive legislation, however, does not necessarily lead to social empowerment. Strong legal protections next to ongoing and persisting gender inequality, violence and discrimination creates a big paradox. This paradox begs big issues about the efficacy of legal protections and if law alone can change firmly ingrained social customs.