Christian men can obtain a divorce if they prove just one ground. Muslim men can divorce by simply pronouncing triple talak and can have up to four wives. Though the Child Marriage Restraint Act outlaws child marriage, the Act is often rendered ineffective. Various marriage laws allow minors to be married with the consent of their parents or guardians. Except in the state of Goa, there is no law governing the distribution of matrimonial property.
Women are dependent on their husbands for maintenance.
As a result, even in a case of marital discord involving cruelty, divorce is usually the last option and women continue to suffer in the confines of disastrous and even deadly marriages. In India, the legal status of women in practically all spheres of law is subordinate to that of men on the basis of profound gender discrimination. The Constitution of India, in its glorious preamble, guarantees all its citizens equality before the law regardless of sex. It is evident from the examples and issues mentioned in this presentation that the law in India, particularly personal law, denies this equality to women. This inequality can only be rectified through the establishment of a gender-just legal environment.