The Government of India set up the Committee on the Status of Women in India (CSWI) to review how laws, policies, and administration were affecting women’s lives. The committee’s work created a national evidence base that activists and policymakers later used to argue for reforms.
CSWI presented its landmark report Towards Equality to the government, documenting how women’s status had declined in several areas despite constitutional promises. The report helped reframe women’s rights as a development and democracy issue, and it became a key reference point for the modern women’s movement in India.
Parliament enacted the Equal Remuneration Act to reduce gender discrimination in pay. It aimed to support women’s economic equality by requiring equal pay for equal work and restricting discriminatory hiring practices for the same work or similar work.
In the Mathura custodial rape case (Tukaram v. State of Maharashtra), the Supreme Court’s decision to acquit the accused sparked widespread protests and organizing by women’s groups. The public response helped push rape law reform onto the national agenda by highlighting how “consent” and police custody were being handled in court.
The Criminal Law (Amendment) Act, 1983 changed rape law and evidence rules, including creating stronger provisions for custodial rape and adding a presumption of no consent in certain situations. These changes were widely linked to women’s movement pressure after cases like Mathura, and they marked a shift toward recognizing power imbalance in sexual violence cases.
Amendments to the Dowry Prohibition Act sought to make the law more workable by clarifying what counts as dowry and allowing limited wedding gifts with record-keeping requirements. These changes reflected growing public and feminist attention to dowry demands and related violence.
A new crime of “dowry death” (Section 304B of the Indian Penal Code) took effect, creating a specific legal category for suspicious deaths of married women linked to dowry-related cruelty. The reform aimed to address the difficulty of proving responsibility in deaths occurring within households, where evidence and witnesses are often limited.
Parliament enacted the Indecent Representation of Women (Prohibition) Act to restrict “indecent” portrayal of women in advertisements, publications, and other material. The law reflected a movement-era concern that media and marketing could normalize women’s objectification and reinforce inequality.
Following national outrage after the 1987 Roop Kanwar case, a law was brought into force to prevent the commission and glorification of sati (burning or burying alive of widows). The Act criminalized both the act itself and activities that celebrate or promote it, linking women’s safety to strong state action against harmful practices.
Parliament enacted the National Commission for Women Act to create a statutory body focused on women’s rights and equality. The law provided a formal mechanism to review legal safeguards, recommend reforms, and take up complaints—connecting movement demands to government oversight.
The National Commission for Women (NCW) was constituted as a statutory body, turning the 1990 law into an operating institution. NCW’s creation reflected a longer shift from protest-only strategies toward a mix of activism, policy engagement, and formal grievance mechanisms.
The 73rd and 74th Constitutional Amendments institutionalized local self-government (panchayats and municipalities) and reserved one-third of seats (including many leadership posts) for women. This reform expanded women’s entry into electoral politics at scale and linked women’s movements to governance reforms beyond criminal law.
In Vishaka v. State of Rajasthan, the Supreme Court set out guidelines to prevent and address sexual harassment at work, citing constitutional rights and the need to act when legislation was missing. The decision created enforceable expectations for employers and gave women’s groups a national legal tool for workplace safety and dignity.
The Hindu Succession (Amendment) Act gave daughters equal rights in ancestral property in many Hindu joint families by making them coparceners (members with birth-based property rights) like sons. This reform was a major outcome of long-running demands to remove gender discrimination from inheritance rules and strengthen women’s economic security.
Parliament enacted the Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act (PWDVA), creating civil remedies such as protection orders and residence rights, and defining domestic violence broadly (including non-physical abuse). It marked a major shift toward recognizing violence in the home as a rights and safety issue needing accessible legal protection.
Women's Movements and Legislative Reforms in India (1974–2005)