Indian Women Through the Ages

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Introduction

India is a multifaceted society wherein no generalization could apply to the nation's various regional, religious, social and economic groups. Nonetheless certain broad circumstances in which Indian women live affect the way they participate in the economy. A common denominator in their lives is that a large number of them are generally confined to home, with restricted mobility, and in seclusion. Other, unwritten, hierarchical practices place further constraints on women. Throughout history, women have generally been restricted to the role of a home-maker, that of a mother, a sister and wife.

In spite of India's reputation for respecting women, including treating her as a Goddess, history reveals that women were also ill-treated. There was no equality between men and women. This is true of ancient, medieval and early modern times.

Women have been minor players in the cosmic drama. They were increasingly dominated by social rigidities and historical events. Women in primitive times were strong. Matriarchal society was the feature of those times. Tilling soil was the beginning of the Earth Goddess cult. From Indus to the Pacific, the Mother Goddess was external symbol of life. The emergence of this supreme women power was the direct result of following the nature. Considering the analogy between seed and earth and male and female, men are thus dependent on women, because she is the sole provider of his creature comforts. Women, like earth, gave life, sustenance and strength.

The Vedic period gave India both Aryan paternalism and its great compilations of learning, the Vedas and Upanishads. With the advent of the Aryans, the situation changed. Since the northern climate had long winters, fishing, hunting and maintaining fire were the chief means of survival. Thus the woman, along with her children, was dependent on the brave and godlike male who bore hard life outside. In this way, a couple of forms of life developed side by side: one for women secluded and confined to inside, and other for men the external one, full of adventures. Thus the present gap between man and woman is clarified. The Brahminical elements, in course of time, had laid down Srutis, a system of metaphysical doctrine based upon dharma, purity, sacrifices, and Smrities, regulating daily life. Out of all this came the joint family system, the bedrock on which Hindu social organization was based, and the codes of behaviour for men and women were framed. The patriarchal pattern was completely entrenched. It had laid down in clear terms the duties and scope of life for women.

Post-Veda the condition of women progressively deteriorated. The critical period when Indian women's education and training came to a sudden halt can be traced to the closing years of 12th century A.D. when the country was invaded by Turko-Afghans. For reasons of security, movement outside was restricted, which, in turn, denied opportunities in community affairs. Social evils like sati, child marriage, polygamy and female infanticide became prevalent. Women suffered great legal disabilities as well. Though some kings of the Sultanate as well as Mughal period, particularly Akbar, attempted to give much needed breather to women, but the endeavour proved to be fruitless in face of the stiff resistance by the conservative society.

After the fall of Mughals, the Europeans set their foot in this country by establishing factories in Surat, Masulipatam and Pondicherry. This is a paradox that the British rule, meant to enslave Indians, in fact had exactly the opposite result. With the British kind of education were imported democratic values of the system which made women acutely aware of their degrading status. This indirectly influenced the emancipation of women. Hence, it would not be inappropriate if one terms the British era to be social reform period.

The social reform movement has been called a 'key' to the intellectual processes that went into the making of modern India. The reformers' task lay not in a violent rejection of all that the old life stood for but in seeking to turn the stream, with a gentle bend here and a gentle bend there, to fructify the land. The causes which attracted the attention of the nineteenth century reformers as gross social evils were sati, the ill-treatment of widows, the ban on widow remarriage, polygamy, child marriage and the denial of property rights to women. Some of social reformers of the period like Raja Ram Mohan Roy, Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar, Mahatma Phule, Keshub Chandra Sen, Maharshi Karve, Vishnu Shastri, V. Salingam Pantutu and Ramabai Ranade achieved considerable success.

By opening the gates to women's political participation, Gandhiji facilitated the acceptance of woman's cause by the nationalists. The sudden and massive entry of women into Swadeshi, Non-cooperation and Civil Disobedience movements opened up for them opportunities which could not be denied again. Participation in public life raised their prestige and status, and, since many of them came from propertied commercial families, the interest in women's inheritance developed with surprising speed after 1930.

The woman's movement, as such, gained momentum first by attacking the old customs, working for women's education and later on, on all aspects of legal reform. In 1925, the National Council of Women was started in Bombay and in 1927 the All India Women's Conference was held which had a mass character. Leaders like Sarojini Naidu, Laxmi Menon and Rajkumari Amrit Kaur, Mrs. Mazharul Haque, Mrs. C R. Das were associated with its affairs for over five decades. By the end of fourth decade of 20th century, Indian women got the right of political representation.

Thus one observes that the Indian hierarchical system, Islamic rule, the Hindu religion, joint family system and British colonialism in India were the causes which necessitated the formation of women's movements.

Independence of India heralded the introduction of laws relating to women. The Constitution provided equality to men and women and also gave special protection to women to realize their interests effectively and granted special provisions to assist them improve their status in society.

At present a number of women are engaged in different occupations. Today, women in India have distinguished themselves as teachers, nurses, air-hostesses, booking clerks, receptionists, and doctors. They are also actively participating in politics and administration. However, in spite of this, amelioration in the status of women, the evils of illiteracy, ignorance, dowry, and economic slavery would have to be fully removed in order to give them their rightful place in Indian society.

In order to find an amicable way to bring the women out of the quagmire, a serious debate on the status of women in different stages of history is essential. Indeed, the past experiences would be helpful in framing the future of women where she could live in peace and harmony. In these circumstances, it appears essential to deliberate on the issue, taking in view the social aspect that men and women are equal.

The national seminar on Gender Equality: A Historical Perspective, organised by the Department of History, Sri Arvind Mahila College, Patna, under the patronage of Dr. Asha Singh, Principal of the college, and Professor Poonam Choudhury, former Head of the Department of History, as Organising Secretary of the Seminar in January 2011, was a major step in that direction. The seminar was jointly sponsored by the University Grants Commission and the Indian Council of Historical research. It was attended by senior and eminent scholars and young researchers as well.