Women In India

Reports of harassment of Hindu women in B'desh 'very disturbing': Mehbooba

PDP president Mehbooba Mufti on Tuesday expressed concern over the alleged harassment of Hindu women in Bangladesh, saying the reports are "deeply disturbing". "Reports from Bangladesh alleging that Hindu women fear moving freely while wearing sindoor are deeply disturbing," the former chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir said in a post on X. Mufti said the leadership of the country is, however, in a moral dilemma as "lumpen elements" in India are "forcibly pulling off the hijab of Muslim women". "Sadly, the Indian leadership appears to face a moral dilemma in raising this grave issue with Bangladeshi authorities, as lumpen elements at home are themselves seen forcibly pulling off the hijabs of Muslim women. In a world dominated by fanatics, who will truly stand up for the rights and dignity of women?" she added.

From Sofia Qureshi to Maithili Thakur: Women who broke barriers in 2025

In 2025, Indian women left a decisive mark across governance, security, sports and culture, shaping outcomes, changing policies, breaking records and inspiring millions nationwide

For women with disabilities, an inclusive India is a distant country

Their share in education and workplace is much smaller than that of men with disabilities

Priyanka Gandhi urges women to unite as a collective political force

Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Thursday said that women constitute 50 per cent of the country and when they use this force collectively as a political strength they can shape the country. She also said that women's efforts are often unrecognised, irrespective of their family or social status but, it is the women who stand strong whenever the family or society faces problems, Priyanka said. Speaking at the Kudumbashree CDS annual celebrations organised here by the Padinjarathara panchayat, the Congress MP from Wayanad said, "When you understand your strength as a collective force, you can shape this country. You are 50 per cent of our nation and you must use this force collectively as a political strength, as a political force as well". "So, I hope that more and more of you will also come into politics, more and more of you will lead, more and more of you will show the men how much women can do when we stand strong and when we recognise our own inner strength," she said. The .

Two Australian women cricketers stalked, molested in Indore; accused held

Two Australian women cricketers, taking part in the ICC Women's Cricket World Cup, were allegedly stalked, and one of them was molested by a motorcycle-borne man in Madhya Pradesh's Indore, police said on Saturday. The police on Friday arrested the man involved in the incident that occurred on the Khajrana Road area on Thursday morning, an official said. Sub-Inspector Nidhi Raghuvanshi said that the two cricketers had stepped out of their hotel and were walking towards a caf when a man on a motorcycle started following them. He allegedly touched one of them inappropriately and rode off, she said. The duo contacted their team security officer, Danny Simmons, who coordinated with local security liaison officers and dispatched a vehicle for assistance. On getting information, Assistant Commissioner of Police Himani Mishra met the two players, recorded their statements and registered a first information report under section 74 (use of criminal force to outrage a woman's modesty) and 7

Active participation of women needed to achieve Viksit Bharat: Prez Murmu

President Droupadi Murmu on Friday said that the active participation of women was necessary for the country to leverage its demographic dividend and achieve the vision of a Viksit Bharat (Developed India) by 2047. Murmu, speaking at the centenary celebrations of St Teresa's College here, also said that a society led by women leaders is likely to be more humane while also being more efficient. She pointed out that the Gender Budget allocation has increased by four and a half times over the last decade and that women-led MSMEs have nearly doubled in number between 2011 and 2024. "One of the key pillars for achieving the vision of a Viksit Bharat by 2047 is reaching 70 per cent women workforce participation. Women from different socio-economic segments have been driving India's progress," the President said. She further stated that Kerala has the most favourable gender ratio in the country and that it "can be emulated by other states." The president noted that women from Kerala hav

40% women feel 'unsafe', only 1 in 3 report harassment: NARI 2025 Report

The NARI 2025 report by NCW shows Kohima, Visakhapatnam and Bhubaneswar as safest cities for women, while Delhi, Patna and Jaipur ranked least safe with national score at 65%

Indian women athletes aim for bigger slice of booming sports market

Female athletes are using social media to increase viewership and seek better sponsorship deals in a field long dominated by men

NCW chair writes to Bengal chief secy over Kolkata law college gangrape

The National Commission for Women has written to the chief secretary of West Bengal directing urgent action in the South Kolkata gang-rape case and the state police's cooperation for a meeting between a member of the rights panel and the survivor and her family. NCW Chairperson Vijaya Rahatkar termed the incident "grave" and said it had "shaken public conscience". The women's rights panel took suo motu cognizance of the case on Friday. It has expressed deep concern for the safety, dignity, and well-being of the survivor and stressed the need for a swift institutional response. In her letter to the chief secretary, Rahatkar directed that the state police must fully cooperate with NCW member Archana Mujumdar, who has been deputed to meet the survivor and her family. The commission has also sought an immediate and confidential internal medical examination of the survivor and asked that both internal and external medical reports be submitted to the NCW within three days. Further, the

Why Women's Day matters: Leaders across sectors reflect on its significance

Women leaders across sectors reflect on why Women's Day 2025 matters, and how it impacts their lives. We spoke to influential leaders breaking barriers in their own sectors on what makes it special

Happy Women's Day 2025! Why the world celebrates the day on March 8

Every year on March 8, we celebrate International Women's Day to honor and appreciate women worldwide. But few know the significance of this date and why it was chosen for the celebration

Women's financial inclusion has a North India problem; large states trail

Share of women living in areas underperforming in financial inclusion will only increase over the next decade

NHRC launches new probe into discriminatory hiring at Foxconn's India plant

Foxconn, which manufactures iPhones in India, was accused of excluding married women from assembly line jobs at its Tamil Nadu plant

More women in medicine show our progress towards a developed society: Murmu

President Droupadi Murmu on Tuesday said the rising participation of women in the medical profession and their significant contributions demonstrate that India is becoming a truly developed society. Addressing the first convocation of AIIMS (All India Institute of Medical Sciences) at Mangalagiri near here, she said relentless promotion of holistic health and ensuring health for all should be the guiding principle of every medical professional of this institute. "The rising participation of women in the medical profession and their significant contributions demonstrate that we are becoming a truly developed society. This also highlighted the fact that given opportunity, our daughters excel in every field," the President said. The government has taken up several schemes, including Ayushman Bharat health insurance scheme and made treatment accessible for those facing difficulties in accessing treatment, she said. Along with the government, it is also the responsibility of a consciou

SC seeks Centre's reply on plea asking guidelines for safety of women

The Supreme Court agreed on Monday to examine a plea seeking direction for framing pan-India guidelines to provide a safe environment for women, children and transgender persons in society. A bench of Justices Surya Kant and Ujjal Bhuyan issued notice to different ministries of the Centre and its instrumentalities and posted the matter for further hearing in January. Senior advocate Mahalakshmi Pawani, appearing for the petitioner Supreme Court Women Lawyers Association, said several incidents of sexual abuse against women are taking place in smaller cities, which are going unreported and pushed under the carpet. "After the RG Kar Medical College Hospital incident of Kolkata where a trainee doctor was raped and murdered, around 95 incidents of sexual violence have taken place but were not highlighted," Pavani said, adding that like Scandinavian countries, offenders should get punishments such as chemical castration. The bench said it will not entertain many of the prayers mentioned

Strong, respectable position of women symbol of prosperity: Rajasthan CM

Rajasthan Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma on Saturday said that a strong and respectable position of women is a symbol of an advanced and prosperous society and nation. Keeping this in mind, one year of our government has been dedicated to respect, security and welfare of women, he added. The chief minister said mothers and sisters had an important participation in the opportunity given to us last year by the people of the state to serve. Swami Vivekananda also said that welfare of the world is not possible without improving the status of women, he added. The chief minister was addressing the state level women's conference organized in Udaipur on the occasion of completion of one year of the state government. Sharma said that both men and women have a role in making any society advanced and progressive. He said that women as a mother contribute significantly from the beginning in the development of culture, civilization and human qualities in their child. The chief minister said

Subhadra Yojana's third phase to launch on Nov 24: Odisha dy CM Parida

Odisha Deputy Chief Minister Pravati Parida said the scheme will be launched in Sundargarh district, highlighting that it will benefit more than 2 million women

Uttering unpleasant words against woman not insult to modesty: Kerala HC

The Kerala High Court has quashed a criminal case against film director Sreekumar Menon who was accused by a prominent Malayalam actress of abusing and defaming her, saying that mere utterances of unpleasant words against a woman would not result in insult to her modesty. The order by Justice S Manu came on the plea by Menon, who is the director of the 2018 Indian Malayalam-language fantasy drama film 'Odiyan' starring Mohanlal. The female actor had alleged that the director had engaged in defaming her during the shooting, promotion and release of the film 'Odiyan' in which she too had a role. She had also alleged that he behaved in an indecent manner with her and mentally harassed her at the shooting locations. She later claimed that Menon also used abusive words against her in front of people at Dubai airport. Based on her complaint, an FIR under sections 354D (stalking), 294(b) (use of obscene words in a public place) and 509 (word, gesture or act intended to insult the modesty

India's gender equality advancing; social norms, safety concerns remain: UN

India's progress towards gender equality has accelerated in recent years, with increased investments and focus on women's leadership at the grassroots but social norms, limited workforce participation and gaps in safety measures hinder full gender parity, UN Women officials said. In an interview, Daniel Seymour, UN Women's Director of Strategic Partnerships and Susan Jane Ferguson, Country Representative for UN Women in India, shared insights on the country's strides and the challenges that remain. The conversation highlighted India's increased investments in women's empowerment and gender-responsive policies, yet stressed that deep-rooted social norms and limited financing continue to hamper full progress. "India's progress is significant, but closing the remaining gaps requires targeted efforts across both public and private sectors," Ferguson said. India has seen substantial growth in recent years, especially in gender-responsive budgeting, which has increased to 6.8 per cent, .

Over 40% women-owned micro businesses lack emergency savings: MSC report

A significant number of women-owned micro businesses in India lack savings for financial emergencies, making them highly vulnerable to economic shocks, said a report. The report titled 'Decoding the Financial Health of Women-Owned Micro-Businesses (wMB) in India' was prepared by MicroSave Consulting (MSC) in collaboration with Sa-Dhan and supported by JPMorgan Chase. The research covers six regions - Delhi-NCR, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Telangana, Karnataka, and Tamil Nadu - providing data-driven insights and calls for targeted interventions. Data was collected through 1,460 computer-assisted personal interviews, key informant interviews with financial institutions and enterprise support organisations, and comprehensive desk research. Interviews with 150 women-owned micro businesses across the six regions revealed insights into their financial decision-making processes, challenges and motivations. The report indicated that 45 per cent of women entrepreneurs lack savings for financial