GENDER-BASED VIOLENCE AND INEQUALITY AGAINST WOMEN IN INDIA: A CRITICAL ANALYSIS

women.ABSTRACTGender-based violence against women remains one of the most pervasive manifestations ofinequality in Indian society. Despite constitutional guarantees of equality, dignity, and personalliberty, women continue to face systemic discrimination and various forms of violence rooted inpatriarchy, social norms, and institutional failures. This paper critically examines the relationshipbetween gender inequality and violence against women in India, analysing how structural andcultural factors perpetuate abuse in both private and public spheres. It explores major forms ofgender-based violence, including domestic violence, sexual harassment, dowry-related abuse, andsexual assault, while examining the constitutional framework, statutory protections, and judicialresponses. The paper further highlights implementation gaps, social barriers, and intersectionalvulnerabilities faced by marginalised women. It argues that legal reforms alone are insufficient toeradicate gender-based violence and that a holistic, rights-based, and transformative approachgrounded in constitutional values is essential to ensure substantive gender equality and justice forwomen.