Gender inequalityGender inequality refers to differential treatment and discriminationDiscrimination of individuals based on genderGender. Although womenWomen constitute a substantial fraction of today’s population, a closer examination of various developmentDevelopment indicators reveals pervasive gender inequalitiesGender inequality in areas such as healthHealth, empowermentEmpowerment, educationEducation and labourLabour market participation. These inequalities significantly impact womenWomen’s lives in multifaceted ways. This paper argues, from a socio-theoretical approach, that genderGender disparities across various spheres, especially in the economic domain—are closely tied to the increasing prevalence of domestic violenceDomestic violence in Assam. Drawing upon both primary and secondary data on crimes against womenWomen and genderGender-related developmental factors, alongside first-hand experiences and revelations from domestic violenceDomestic violence survivors, this study examines the complex relationships between economic constraints, social structures and individual agencyAgency. It has been found that financial dependency, compounded by structural and societal norms, compels many womenWomen to endure harmful and abusive situations. This analysis further underscores the urgent need for addressing the socio-economic and structural dimensions that restrict womenWomen’s autonomy, thereby perpetuating cycles of abuse.