Constitutional Rights That Safeguard A Woman That You Must Know About

The Indian Constitution safeguards the rights of every citizen of the country. However, certain articles in it offer specific rights to women, ensuring their wellbeing and dignity in society. It safeguards a woman’s life and offers them leverage in legal battles. This list below mentions the six constitutional rights that women must know.

Fundamental Duty

The rights under Article 51 (A)ensure ‘renouncing of practices derogatory to the dignity of women'. The fundamental duties under this article ask every citizen to be respectful of the choices and ideals of women.

It also asks citizens to defend the country, protect the unity and integrity of India and follow the noble footsteps of people who fought for the freedom of our country.

Equality Opportunities

Article 16 of the Indian Constitution offers every citizen equal employment opportunities in every office irrespective of discrimination on grounds of sex, religion, caste, descent, race or place of birth.

Article 39 ensures that women and men have equal rights to ‘adequate means to livelihood’. It also directs equal pay for women and men if they work equally.

Lastly, it also says that men, women and children of tender age must not be forced by financial distress (handle financial anxiety) to enter a workforce ‘unsuited to their age or strength’.

Reserved Seats For Women

Article 243 T(3) and Article 243 (D) provide reservations to women in Municipalities and Panchayats. It reserves at least one-third of the seats and allots them to women ‘by rotation in different constituencies’.

Article 243 (D) T(4) reserves one-third of seats for women at each level of officers of chairperson in Municipalities and Panchayats.

Humane Work Environment

Article 42 has a provision for maternity leaves and humane conditions at work. It secures justice for women while providing them with maternity relief. The Maternity Benefit Act of 1961 embodies the very essence of Article 42.

The Act protects female employees from losing their job when they ask for paid leaves during pregnancy. The 2017 amendment to the act has extended maternity leaves from 12 weeks to 26 weeks.

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Right To Vote

Enshrined in Article 326 of the Constitution of India, the Right to Vote offers every woman of India to select and cast vote for her chosen representative. According to reports, in 2014, at least 260.6 million women exercised their right to vote in the Lok Sabha elections.

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Lastly, the Preamble of the Constitution of India has equal rights for men and women, allowing them to be a part of the administration and run the country.