Awareness of Gender Equality Policies, Laws and Acts in India: A Study among Students in Higher Education Institutions Tamil Nadu

Legal awareness is an important component of gender equality, enabling individuals to recognise their rights and understand the protections available under constitutional provisions, legislation, policies, and government schemes. This study examines university students’ awareness of selected gender equality laws and policies in Tamil Nadu, India. A quantitative, cross-sectional, descriptive and analytical research design was adopted using primary data collected through a structured interview schedule from 429 postgraduate students across seven selected universities. Students’ self-reported awareness of ten legal and policy instruments was assessed using three response categories: aware, partially aware, and not aware. Frequencies, percentages, mean scores, standard deviations, and one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) were used to examine awareness patterns and compare mean awareness scores across universities. The findings revealed variation in reported awareness across the selected instruments. The Dowry Prohibition Act, 1961, and the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006, recorded the highest awareness levels, at 54.8% and 54.3%, respectively. In contrast, the Beti Bachao Beti Padhao Scheme recorded the lowest awareness level (29.1%), followed by the Equal Remuneration Act, 1976 (29.4%). The universitywise ANOVA results did not show statistically significant differences in mean awareness scores for any of the ten instruments at the .05 significance level.