Institutional Constraints on Gender Equality in India: Evidence from SDG 5

Abstract

Purpose: This paper analyzes the institutional barriers influencing gender equality outcomes in India through the lens of Sustainable Development Goal 5 (SDG 5). Rather than asking whether the right laws and policies exist, it asks why meaningful progress remains elusive despite them, examining three specific SDG 5 targets: discrimination against women, gender-based violence and harmful practices.

Design/Methodology/Approach: The research employs a theory-based, triangulated institutional analysis and synthesizes findings from around 46 peer-reviewed journal articles and 16 reputable national and international datasets, reports, and books published between 2015 and 2025. Drawing on feminist institutional theory, intersectionality, and feminist political economy as its conceptual anchors, the study brings together academic literature, national survey data, administrative statistics, and institutional reports — reading them alongside one another rather than in isolation — to build a more complete and grounded understanding of how SDG 5 implementation is actually unfolding in India.

Findings: The triangulation of evidence indicates that ongoing gender inequality in India is largely fuelled by gendered labour markets, inconsistent enforcement mechanisms, the persistence of deep-rooted societal norms, and limitations in institutional capacity — rather than a lack of legal and policy frameworks, most of which are already in place. The study also finds that divergences between survey-based prevalence estimates and administrative data reflect variation in reporting behaviour and access to institutions, rather than contradictory trends, a distinction that carries significant implications for how such data should be read and acted upon.

Originality/Value: The study contributes an institution-centred explanation of SDG 5 implementation in India, shifting the analytical focus away from policy adequacy and toward institutional enforcement, capacity, and accessibility. By reconciling divergent data sources through a triangulated framework, it offers a fresh and practically grounded perspective for researchers, policymakers, and institutions engaged in gender equality monitoring and SDG implementation.

Paper Type: Theme Based Paper