BENEVOLENT SEXISM AND RELIGIOUS PERSONAL LAW IN INDIA: A CRITICAL ANALYSIS

Women constitute about half of the population of world but everywhere around globe is governed by men, and not just the political administration but also in their homes and society. It is generally the man who has the final authority in all matters. Despite of so many pro women laws and government policies along with attempts by activists for nation-wide awareness on gender equality and equity, gender equality is still a distant dream. Sexist attitudes and gender stereotypes prevalent within the society, with Discriminatory laws providing these stereotypes and sexist attitudes legitimacy poses great hinderance to gender equity. In this paper a attempt has been made to study how benevolent sexism within the realms of personal laws and in the name of protecting and preserving women rights equality and justice bis been denied to women in private sphere, Benevolent sexism is a prosocial treatment directed toward gender conforming or traditional women (e.g., mothers, wives), and thus rewards women for staying in lower-status roles relative to men. Indeed, national levels of benevolent sexism have been shown to be objective indicators of societal gender inequality.