WOMEN's status, it has often been argued, is an indicator of the level of development of particular societies. Women's workforce participation rates, on the other hand, are also related to women's status.

Dowry has been a widespread social evil among the Hindus. Now it has spread to other communities also such as Muslims and Christians as well. The Parliament passed the Dowry Prohibition Act 1961 with a view of eradicate the rampant evil.

Recent studies examining British attitudes and ideologies which structured colonial policies towards 'outcaste'2 and 'deviant' groups in indigenous society, have suggested that the groups who were marginalised included those whose activities were conceived of as 'threatening' to new normative def

Demographic literature is replete with observations of an inverse relation between certain attributes of modernity and family size (Thompson 1929; Notestein 1945; Coale and Hoover 1958; Leiberman 1980, Srinivasan 1986).

The Dowry Prohibition Act, 1961, is an Indian law enacted to prevent the giving or receiving of dowry in marriages.

The Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, 2012, is a comprehensive legislative measure enacted in India to safeguard children from sexual abuse and exploitation.

The National Commission for Women Act, 1990, established the National Commission for Women (NCW) in India to safeguard and promote women's rights and address issues of gender equality.

The Kandyan Marriage and Divorce (Amendment) Act, No. 23 of 2013, passed by the Parliament of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, revises the legal framework governing marriages and divorces within the Kandyan community.

The Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act, 1971, is a landmark piece of legislation in India that regulates the conditions under which a pregnancy may be legally terminated.

The Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act, 1956 (ITPA), formerly known as the Suppression of Immoral Traffic in Women and Girls Act (SITA), is an Indian law aimed at preventing human trafficking, particularly for commercial sexual exploitation.