Status of Woman in Indian Society free essay sample

STATUS OF WOMEN IN THE PAST TO THE PRESENT Ancient India:- In ancient India, the women enjoyed equal status with men in all fields of life. Works by ancient Indian grammarians such as Patanjali and Katyayana suggest that women were educated in the early Vedic period. Rigvedic verses suggest that the women married at a mature age and were probably free to select their husband. Scriptures such as Rig Veda and Upanishads mention several women sages and seers, notably Gargi and Maitreyi. According to studies, women enjoyed equal status and rights during the early Vedic period. 14] However, later (approximately 500 B. C. ), the status of women began to decline with the Smritis (esp. Manusmriti) and with the Islamic invasion of Babur and the Mughal empire and later Christianity curtailing womens freedom and rights. Although reformatory movements such as Jainism allowed women to be admitted to the religious order, by and large, the women in India faced confinement and restrictions. We will write a custom essay sample on Status of Woman in Indian Society or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page The practice of child marriages is believed to have started from around sixth century. Medieval period The Indian womans position in the society further deteriorated during the medieval period when Sati among some communities, child marriages and a ban on widow remarriages became part of social life among some communities in India. The Muslim conquest in the Indian subcontinent brought the purdah practice in the Indian society. Among the Rajputs of Rajasthan, the Jauhar was practiced. In some parts of India, the Devadasis or the temple women were sexually exploited. Polygamy was widely practised especially among Hindu Kshatriya rulers. In spite of these conditions, some women excelled in the fields of politics, literature, education and religion. In South India, many women administered villages, towns, divisions and heralded social and religious institutions. The Bhakti movements tried to restore womens status and questioned some of the forms of oppression . Shortly after the Bhakti movement, Guru Nanak, the first Guru of Sikhs also preached the message of equality between men and women. Historical practices that hindered women empowerment such as sati, jauhar, and devadasi have been banned and are largely defunct in modern India. However, some cases of these practices are still found in remote parts of India. The purdah is still practised by Indian women among some communities, and child marriage remains prevalent despite it being an illegal practice. British rule European scholars observed in the 19th century that Hindu women are naturally chaste and more virtuous than other women. During the British Raj, many reformers such as Ram Mohan Roy, Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar, Jyotirao Phule etc. fought for the upliftment of women. Peary Charan Sarkar, a former student of Hindu College, Calcutta and a member of Young Bengal set up the first free school for girls in India in 1847 in Barasat, a suburb of Calcutta Raja Rammohan Roys efforts led to the abolition of the Sati practice under Governor-General William Cavendish-Bentinck in 1829. Ishwar Chandra . Vidyasagars crusade for the improvement in condition of widows led to the Widow Remarriage Act In 1917, the first womens delegation met the Secretary of State to demand womens political rights, supported by the Indian National Congress. The All India Womens Education Conference was held in Pune in 1927. In 1929, the Child Marriage Restraint Act was passed, stipulating fourteen as the minimum age of marriage for a girl through the efforts of Mahomed Ali Jinnah. Though Mahatma Gandhi himself married at the age of thirteen, he later urged people to boycott child marriages and called upon the young men to marry the child widows. Women played an important part in Indias independence struggle. Independent India Women in India now participate in all activities such as education, sports, politics, media, art and culture, service sectors, science and technology, etc. Indira Gandhi, who served as Prime Minister of India for an aggregate period of fifteen years is the worlds longest serving woman Prime Minister The Constitution of India guarantees to all Indian women equality (Article 14), no discrimination by the State (Article 15(1)), equality of opportunity (Article 16), equal pay for equal work (Article 39(d)). In addition, it allows special provisions to be made by the State in favour of women and children (Article 15(3)), renounces practices derogatory to the dignity of women (Article 51(A) (e)), and also allows for provisions to be made by the State for securing just and humane conditions of work and for maternity relief. (Article 42). The feminist activism in India picked up momentum during later 1970s. Female activists united over issues such as female infanticide, gender bias, women health, and female literacy. Since alcoholism is often associated with violence against women in India, many women groups launched anti-liquor campaigns in Andhra Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Orissa, Madhya Pradesh and other states. Many Indian Muslim women have questioned the fundamental leaders interpretation of womens rights under the Shariat law and have criticized the triple talaq system. In 1990s, grants from foreign donor agencies enabled the formation of new women-oriented NGOs. Self-help groups and NGOs such as Self Employed Womens Association (SEWA) have played a major role in womens rights in India. The Government of India declared 2001 as the Year of Womens Empowerment . The National Policy For The Empowerment Of Women came was passed in 2001. In 2010 March 9, one day after International Womens day, Rajyasabha passed Womens Reservation Bill, ensuring 33% reservation to women in Parliament and state legislative bodies. Women upliftment and empowerment in  India  first received National and International recognition when the Indira Gandhi’s Government launched the Indira Mahila Yojana and when the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) incorporated the issue of Women Upliftment as one of its primary objective. PRESENT SCENARIO: Even after fifty seven years of Indian independence, women are still one of the most powerless and marginalized sections of Indian society. The 2001 Census shows that the sex ratio for India is 933, which is lowest in the world. Percentage of female literacy is 54. 16 (2001 Census) against male literacy of 75. 85 per cent. In India, womens representation in Parliament and in the State Assemblies has never beyond 8 and 10 per cent respectively . Most of the working women remain outside the organised sector. A mere 2. per cent women are administrators and managers, 20. 5 per cent professional and the technical workers, all of whom collectively earn 25 per cent of the shared income. Violence against women is on the rise Women of India are relatively disempowered and they enjoy somewhat lower status than that of men in spite of many efforts undertaken by government. Gender gap exists regarding access to education and employment. Household decision making power and freed om of movement of women vary considerably with their age, education and employment status. Acceptance of unequal gender norms by women are still prevailing in the society. More than half of the women believe wife beating to be justified for one reason or the other. Fewer women have final say on how to spend their earnings. Control over cash earnings increases with age, education and with place of residence. Women’s exposure to media is also less relative to men. Rural women are more prone to domestic violence than that of urban women. A large gender gap exists in political participation too. EMERGING ROLES