Cover Letter Title of the paper: Gender Discrimination Full name of the authors: Ayushi Dwivedi and Arpita Yadav Complete Postal Address: Ayushi Dwivedi-Dr. Rakesh Kumar Dwivedi, Professor, Sant Kabir College of Agriculture and Research Station, Old Kachehri, Kawardha, Distt. Kabirdham, Chhattisgarh-491995 Arpita Yadav-Qr. No. 3/b, street -12 , sector-1 , Bhilai, (C.G) Contact Numbers: Ayushi Dwivedi-07869181678, Arpita Yadav-07587321931 Email Address: iucdvd111@gmail.com, ayadav2093@gmail.com Institutional Affiliation: Hidayatullah National Law University, New Raipur, Chhattisgarh

ABSTRACTGender equality is more than a goal in itself. It is a precondition for meeting the challenges of reducing economic strains, promoting sustainable development and building a good society. Though many studies have suggested the advent of legal, economic and societal leaps regarding women rights, but women still continue to lag behind men when it comes to participation and earnings in the workforce and in their status in the society. This is both a threat to the economic growth and efficiency and to the upliftment and stability of the society as a whole. Women tend to suffer violence at the hands of their intimate partners more often than men; womens political participation and their representation in decision making structures lag behind mens; both genders have different economic opportunities; women are over-represented among the poor; and women and girls make up the majority of people trafficked and involved in the sex trade. These issues need to be addressed in efforts to promote gender equality.The past three decades have witnessed a steadily increasing awareness of the need to empower women through measures to increase social, economic and political equity, and broader access to fundamental human rights, improvements in nutrition, basic health and education. Better use of the worlds female population could increase economic growth, reduce poverty, enhance societal well-being, and help ensure sustainable development in all countries. Closing the gender gap depends on enlightened government policies which take gender dimensions into account. This paper is an attempt to analyze and study the social and economic threats to gender equality, the positive influence of gender equality in these spheres, policies present and required for its attainment and to put forward necessary recommendations. Our results call for reconsideration of the worldwide famous debate on Gender Discrimination and its social, political and economic perspectives.