Women’s position in society is deeply shaped by power relations that determine who has access to resources, decision-making, authority, freedom and social recognition. Gender is not merely a biological difference between men and women; it is also a social system through which expectations, roles and inequalities are created and maintained. Power dynamics operate through family, economy, politics, religion, education, law, media and culture. Although women have made significant progress in many areas, their access to power remains unequal, and the nature of this inequality differs according to class, caste, race, ethnicity, sexuality, age, disability and location. The family is one of the earliest institutions through which gendered power relations are learned. In many societies, men are traditionally associated with authority, economic provision and public decision-making, while women are expected to perform domestic and reproductive responsibilities. Women’s unpaid care work, including cooking, cleaning, child-rearing and caring for elderly or sick family members, is often treated as a natural feminine duty rather than as economically valuable labour. This arrangement gives men greater control over income, property and important family decisions. Even when women earn an income, they may continue to carry a disproportionate share of domestic responsibilities, creating a “double burden” of paid employment and unpaid care work. Economic power is particularly important in determining women’s autonomy. Historically, women have had restricted access to property, inheritance, education, employment and financial resources. Although legal reforms have improved women’s property and inheritance rights in many countries, social practices may continue to limit their effective control over assets. Women are also concentrated in low-paid, informal, insecure and undervalued occupations. Occupational segregation often places women in care, domestic, service and clerical work, while men remain disproportionately represented in highly paid technical, managerial and leadership positions. The gender wage gap and unequal opportunities for promotion further demonstrate how economic institutions can reproduce patriarchal power. The workplace is another important site of gendered power. Women may experience discrimination during recruitment, unequal wages, sexual harassment, exclusion from informal professional networks and limited access to senior positions. The concept of the “glass ceiling” describes invisible barriers that prevent women from reaching the highest levels of organizational authority. At the same time, women from disadvantaged social groups may encounter multiple layers of discrimination. Thus, women cannot be treated as a homogeneous category. The experiences of an affluent urban professional woman may differ substantially from those of a poor rural woman, a migrant worker or a woman belonging to a socially marginalized community. Political institutions reveal another dimension of gender and power. Women constitute a large proportion of