TRANSFORMING LIVES: INDIA’S PROGRESS IN SDG 7 ENERGY ACCESS

The economic empowerment of women is not merely a gendered objective but a cornerstone for equitable and sustainable development. This paper scrutinizes the role of legal frameworks in enabling women's economic empowerment, with a focus on key legislative measures that directly influence women's economic opportunities. The analysis encompasses how these legal statutes mitigate entrenched barriers like discrimination, wage disparity, and restricted resource access. Through a critical examination of specific legal instruments and their societal impact, this paper provides a comprehensive assessment of the nexus between law and the economic upliftment of women, thereby contributing to the broader discourse on gender equality in economic participation and outcomes. This paper critically examines the indispensable role of legal frameworks in facilitating women's economic empowerment, with a primary focus on India and a comparative analysis with international examples. In India, legislative instruments such as the Maternity Benefit Act and the Equal Remuneration Act have made significant advances towards gender parity. However, these efforts are often undermined by challenges related to enforcement and persistent societal norms. In contrast, developed nations such as Sweden and Norway have successfully instituted comprehensive legal measures that substantially reduce gender disparities and enhance female economic participation. Despite these successes, even advanced economies like the United States struggle with inadequacies in maternity leave provisions and childcare support, which perpetuate gender-based economic imbalances. The paper also addresses the severe constraints faced by underdeveloped and developing Asian countries, such as Afghanistan, where the absence of effective legal frameworks and pervasive cultural barriers severely restrict women's economic opportunities. By drawing on these diverse contexts, the study emphasizes the critical need for robust and meticulously enforced legal reforms to achieve genuine economic empowerment for women. This, in turn, is essential for fostering equitable and sustainable development on a global scale.