Women face disadvantages, discrimination and oppression in various ways:
(i) The literacy rate among women is only 54 per cent as compared to 76 per cent among men. This is because women are deprived of an equal access to education as men in the society. A very small percentage of girls go for higher education and the drop-out rate is also higher among girls.
(ii) Proportion of women in highly paid jobs is very small. On an average, an Indian woman works a considerable number of hours more than an Indian man. (Yet, her wages are less when compared to men.)
(iii) The preference to have a male child over a female child has led to sex selective abortion. This has lowered sex ratio in India. This is also one of the main evidence of discrimination between the sexes.
(iv) Women are exploited and harassed at the workplace and at home. There are cases of harassment, exploitation in the urban areas as well. They are even subjected to domestic violence at homes.