AIC ASSIGNMENT

WOMEN: THEN AND NOW

SUBMITTED BY
NAME: PARTH SARATHI
CLASS: SYBA
ROLL NO.: 176
UID NO.: 151406
INTRODUCTION

It is said that a society is known by the way how it treats its women. Rightly so it is
easy to understand the sociological development of the society by seeing the
development of women in society. Women are integral to the society’s development.
A society however advanced it may be cannot be called developed until and unless
the status of women is uplifted. Various social reformers of India like Ishwar Chandra
Vidyasagar, Sawitri Bai Phule and others have fought for the upliftment of women in
Indian society. They all were of the opinion that India cannot develop if it ignores the
development of its women. Hence, they dedicated their lives for the cause of women
empowerment and lifelong fought for the rights of women.

In modern India women are excelling in every field. We have examples of many
women who have made a name for themselves in various fields. Be it commerce,
media, literature, civil servants, politics, etc. women have made a big name for
themselves. Some important women who have made a big name for them are Chanda
Kochhar (M.D., ICICI Bank), Kiran Bedi (first woman I.P.S officer), Sushma Swaraj
(External Affairs Minister), Mahashweta Devi (Bengali Writer) and many others. It is
indeed great to see that women are excelling in these fields.

It is indeed a great time for women. The days when men would dominate the society
have gone, although some work in this field is still required. People call this a great
time to be a woman. However, what they ignore is the fact that in the earlier times too
there have been instances of strong women in the society. They are ignorant of the
fact that in India the women from the beginning have been an integral part of the
society. If we look at all our customs we can see that women were indeed necessary
for the society. Through this report we would try to look at women in the various time
periods in the Indian society. We would be mostly looking at three aspects and the
importance of women. These are literature, society and education. We would be
covering three time periods: Ancient India, Medieval India and Modern India.
 ANCIENT INDIA

The time period of ancient India can be roughly taken to be 2500 B.C.E to about early
13th century i.e. till the advent of Islamic rule in India. Hence, many historians call
this period as the Hindu civilization. However, they ignore that during this time
period other religions like Buddhism and Jainism existed and that Hinduism a concept
was not known. Roughly, ancient India is considered to have started from the Indus
Valley age. Not much is known about this period due to absence of literary text even
though archaeological texts are present in abundance. There are inscriptions, however
as the script has not been deciphered it is difficult to interpret in the inscriptions.
Hence, the societal conditions cannot be understood until and unless the script is
deciphered.

Next comes the period of what is called the Vedic age. This period is often associated
with the end of the Indus age and the Aryan invasion of Indian sub-continent. The
sources of this time period are the texts called as the Vedas. There are 4 Vedas: Rig
Veda, Sam Veda, Yajurva Veda and Atharva Veda. These texts are not historical and
are rather prescriptive in nature. The period is however marked with absence of
archaeological evidences. As a result it is very difficult to corroborate the writings
with application in real life.

Many scholars have described the Vedic period as any other ancient period as
patriarchal. There is nothing wrong about it considering the fact the fact that barring
few exceptions a matriarchal society is hard find. In India, matriarchal societies can
be found along the Malabar Coast. However, even though the Vedic period was
patriarchal it did not mean that women were not considered important. There are
certain hymns in the Vedas, which talk about the importance of women. It talks about
their education, marriage, family life, rights, etc. As we go further we will learn more
about women’s role in the society.

As the Vedic period was patriarchal it is not a surprising thing that a son was usually
the desired child. The birth of a girl child was generally unwelcomed. Hence, it is not
surprising to find hymns in the Atharva Veda praying for the birth of a son. However,
this does not mean that women were treated unequally. In fact in one of the
Upanishads there is a chant calling for the birth of a scholarly daughter. It may be
seen as indication that cultured and often-educated parents longed for a girl child. In
fact some families considered well behaved and talented daughter to be better than an
ill-mannered son. Some families often considered daughters as pride of the family.
Talking about education, girls in the ancient Vedic period did receive education. In
fact the Upanayana sanskara was common to both boys and girls. Girls remained
unmarried till the age of sixteen and this period was used for imparting education to
them. Women students were divided into two classes: Brahmavadinis, lifelong
students of theology and Sadyodvahas, who studied till the age 0f sixteen before they
were married. Like men women also learnt Vedic hymns by heart prescribed for the
daily and periodical prayers and for the rituals in which they took part after marriage.
There are evidences to suggest that women offered morning and evening prayers just
like men. 1

The Brahmavadinis were erudite scholars. Till 4th century B.C.E Vedic studies were
main part of the education. Hence, it was natural that it attracted the attention of
women scholars. These women were more interested in gaining knowledge rather
than dressing up. In fact celibacy was known among the women scholars too. Many
refused to get married in order to carry out their spiritual journey. Some popular lady
scholars include Gargi and Atreyi who challenged great philosophers of the period in
terms of knowledge.2

Even in Buddhism and Jainism education among the girls was promoted. In the
Buddhist order the admission of women gave a great impetus for women education.
Like Brahmavadinis these women also led a life of celibacy with the similar purpose
of following the spiritual path. In fact they were even sent to foreign countries.
Among them a popular name is Sanghamitta, Asoka’s daughter who went to Ceylon.
Even in Jainism celibacy among scholarly women was women. A Jain tradition sates
that Jayanti daughter of king Sahasranika remained a celibate and Mahivira himself
ordained her. Many educated women also went on to become teachers. 3

1
Altekar A.S., Position of Women in Hindu Civilization, Motilal Banarsidas, New Delhi, 1987
2
Ibid
3
Ibid
Now a question arises as to whether like today co-education existed or not. However
this is a question difficult. This was mainly because education was centered on the
family. However, when specialization became popular, the women may have had to
leave their house and had to distant places to study. However, if competent lady
teachers were available parents might have preferred to send their daughter to them.
Women were involved in public space as well. Girls belonging to ruling families were
given military as well as administrative training. There have been instances of queen
regents. Popular queen regents include Nayanika (Satvahana dynasty), Prabhavati
Gupta (Vakataka Dynasty), Vijaybhattarika (Chalukya) and Sugandha and Didda
(Kashmir). Without prior administrative and military training it would have been
impossible for them to rule. In Kshatriya families’ women were given military
training. Women were also trained in dance, singing and painting. It was encouraged
since very early times. 4

Now we come to the space of literature. Many people are unaware or are ignorant of
the fact that in ancient India we did have women writers. We even have evidences of
strong female characters. Since women got the same level of education as that of men
and many went on to become scholars it is natural that many of them must have been
writers. However, the number of women writers is lesser than male writers.

The Vedas are generally supposed to have been composed by men who were
Brahmans. However, hymns composed by women can also be found in the Vedas, but
their number is lesser than the number of hymns composed by men. Also the status of
these women is also not clear. Now after the Vedas there were women who have
composed other writings as well. Hala in his Gathasaptasati, the anthology of
Maharashtrian poems mentions poems by seven poetesses. These are Reva, Roha,
Madhavi, Anulakshmi, Panai, Vaddhavahi and Sasiprabha. There are some other
poetesses who have composed poetry of high value. Silabhattarika was known for
harmonious synthesis of sense and sound. Devi was a known poetess from Gujarat.
Vijayanaka is often considered next to Kalidasa. Some women were also in the
medical field and many of them specialized in women’s diseases. An Arabic garb

4
Ibid
mentions a lady doctor called Rusa, whose treatise on this topic was translated into
Arabic. Therigatha is a Buddhist text entirely written by nuns. 5

Talking about female characters, there is presence of women characters in ancient

Indian texts. The most famous characters are Sita and Draupadi in the epics
Ramayana and Mahabharata respectively. Both of these women were treated with
respect. The stories show the importance of women and in fact in both the stories the
women were not afraid to tell their husbands about the ill treatment they have
received. Another strong female character is the goddess Durga. She is called Shakti
and is the source of all energies. She is so important that without her Brahma, Vishnu
and Shiva cannot exist. Goddesses have been accorded equal status to that of gods.6

Now we come to the aspect of family life. Unlike what is generally believed though a
daughter was not very much desired, she was nevertheless not seen as a burden. We
have already seen that they were imparted the same level of education the boys
received. She was even considered the pride of her family. She had rights and no
important ceremony could be completed without a woman’s participation. 78

Talking about marriage, there were eight forms of marriage practiced. Bal Vivaha or
child marriage was not known till the later Vedic period. The eight forms of marriage
were Brahma (regular marriage after Brahmacharya stage without dowry), Arsha
marriage (with sages), Prajapatya (regular marriage), Gandharva (runaway
marriages), Asura (marriage to an unsuitable groom who offered a high price),
Rakshasa (forceful taking away of the girl), Paishacha (marriage where men were
allowed to marry women whom they had seduced when they were intoxicated) and
Swayamvara (bride chooses the groom in an assembly of suitable candidates). Out of
all the forms Asura, Rakshasa and Paishacha forms were considered undesirable
because in such marriages women were treated as objects rather than as human
beings. All the other forms had social acceptability. Swayamvara was quite common,

5
Ibid
6
Ibid
7
Singh Upinder, A History of Ancient and Early Medieval India: From stone age to the 12th century,
Pearson Publications, New Delhi, 2015
8
Altekar A.S., op cit
because it was believed that the girl is the best to decide who is worthy to be her
husband. In this time period marriage was not a social contract but a sacrament.9

However, this does not women divorce did not exist in the society. If the woman was
unhappy she had all the right to divorce her husband. Kautilya in his Arthashastra has
mentioned several conditions under which a woman could seek divorce. If the
husband was a gambler, drunkard, cheater, etc. women had every right to seek a
divorce. However, Kautilya also prescribed strict punishment if women misused the
provision for divorce. Widow remarriage was known. Sometimes they would marry
someone from the husband’s family and sometimes outside. Widow remarriage can
be proven by the fact that in Atharva Veda there is a mention of the widow marrying a
second time. Niyoga was allowed for widows as well as for married women whose
husbands were incapable of fatherhood. Sati till 5th century AD was unknown.
Women also had property rights and this was called Stridhana. This is often
considered by people to mean dowry however this is not the case. Stridhana was
basically the share of property a father gave to his daughter for her financial
independence. The husband had no right over this property. Only the children could
lay claim to this property and that too only if the mother wanted too. Stridhana
besides property also included jewelry, household items, rare items, etc. A single girl
child was also the first heir to her father’s property.

However, from the later Vedic period the position of women started to deteriorate.
This has been attributed to the rising importance of ancestor worship. Since boys were
considered to be families descendent they were desired more. As a result daughters
started becoming undesirable. But this does not mean that practice like female
infanticide was widespread unlike today. If it was it must have been denounced in the
various smritis simply because taking the life of an innocent being was considered
uunholy. Also the situation did not deteriorate overnight. However, soon evil
practices like sati, child marriage, etc. started becoming prominent. Child marriage
was popular among the poor people who believed daughters to be a big burden. Sati
became popular because started misinterpreting ancient texts where women burnt
themselves on the husbands’ funeral pyre. However, this was not because of society

9
Ibid
but because of their personal devotion to their husbands. We will see that these
practices continued till the advent of British rule in India.10

Medieval India

It is generally believed that in medieval India the status of women further

deteriorated. People generally attribute this to the Islamic invasion of India and the
continuous period of rule. Certain evil practices had already existed in the society.
The influence of Islam added the system of purdah. This became popular among the
Hindus too. However, people have a very negative interpretation of the society during
the medieval period. There is no doubt that women were subject to various social
restrictions, but there are instances where women broke social barriers and made a
name for themselves in the space of administration, literature and education.

Let’s talk about education first. In this time period the rate of education among
women went down rapidly. Even rich and cultured families could not educate their
daughters due to the political and social changes of this period. The daughter
belonging to Rajput, Nair and Zamindar families could read and write, similar was the
case with Jain nuns who could read their own scriptures. However, these were
exceptional cases. The society in general had a prejudice against girl education. The
most general reason given for not educating a girl was that an educated girl would
become a widow. A believe still existing in many parts of India, especially rural areas.
Hence, in this period usually the prostitutes and dancing girls could read and write.
Knowledge about music and dance among the girls also declined during this period.
This was because most of the famous teachers were men and it was considered
immoral for a girl to live with a man she is not married to. This meant that girls who
danced and sang were looked upon in the society. However, dancers and singers in
the royal court were given patronage by the king. Many interpret it as a form of
prostitution, which may be considered not to be correct.11

10
Ibid
11
Ibid
In some families the tradition of giving military training to women still continued.
The Rajput princesses knew how to use spears and swords. They were given
administrative training as well; this can be proven by the fact that in the absence of
their husbands it was they who would rule the kingdom. Rajput history is full of tales
of such queens, which we discuss later. Similarly even in Maratha royal families girls
were given military training as a part of their basic education. 12

We will now discuss marriage in this period. We already saw that in the later part of
ancient India the age of marriage had been lowered to nine or ten. This meant that
girls were married off even before they attained puberty. This practice would continue
for a long period of time. Earlier widow remarriage would be allowed. However,
during this time a ban on widow remarriage was put. This meant women who got
widowed at a young age were to spend the rest of their lives alone. This was because
many believed that after women became a wife. She was her husband’s property.
Hence, when he died she had no right to get remarried when her husband died. 1314

During this period the system of purdah became popular even among the Hindus. This
element was borrowed from Islam. Women were forced to cover themselves from top
to bottom so that no man could see them. In some Muslim families the system of
Zenana was followed. It meant that women could not get out of these areas and walk
to other parts of the house. Polygamy became a social norm even among the Hindus.
While polygamy did exist in the earlier period, it was mostly due to want of a male
child. But in this period it became a norm and it was usual for a man to keep more
than one wife. 1516

Among the Hindus the custom of sati arose. As already stated marriage is a sacrament
for the Hindus. This many believed meant that the husband and wife must be together
forever in life and death. This led to the practice of sati where wife along with her
dead husband was burnt alive on his funeral pyre. However, the same was not

12
Ibid
13
Ibid
14
Chandra Satish, Medieval India: From the Sultanate to the Mughals (Part I), Har Anand
Publications, New Delhi, 2012
15
Ibid
16
Altekar A.S., op cit
practiced for men. Meaning the custom of Sati did not apply to men and they could
get remarried. Another practice common especially among the Rajputs was the
practice of Jauhar. In this custom women belonging to the royal households whose
men were defeated in a war, committed self-immolation in order to defend their
honor, especially from the Muslim invaders. The most famous example of Jauhar can
be that of the mass self-immolation by the women of Chittor royal kingdom, which
was defeated by Alauddin Khilji. The poet Malik Muhammed Jayasi has
immortalized this tale in the poem Padmavat.

That being said it would be completely wrong to say that women could not make a
mark for themselves in this period. Despite the social barriers these went ahead to
become famous in the fields of administration, religion, literature and education.
Razia Sultana was the only woman to have ruled on the throne of the Delhi Sultanate.
Durgavati was a Gond queen who ruled for fifteen years in the absence of her
husband and lost her life in a battle with Asaf Khan Akbar’s general. Akbar’s own
wife Mariam-Um-Zamani (popularly called Jodha Bai) was a famed trader and ran an
international trade. She was highly respected in her husband’s court. Despite marrying
Akbar she is said to have retained her Hindu values and had in fact been influential in
changing Akbar’s religious views. Jahangir’s wife Nur Jehan was considered the real
power behind the throne because her husband was influenced y her. The Mughal
princesses Jahanara and Zebunissa were famous poets. Sivaji’s mother Jijabai was a
queen regent due to her ability to rule. Similarly Tarabai was another famous Maratha
ruler.17

The Bhakti movement, which came up during this time period, advocated for the
rights of women and even started questioning certain social practices in the society. A
prominent figure of the Bhakti movement was Mirabai who was known for her
devotion to Krishna. She was born as a Rajput princess but went on to become India’s
one of the most well known saints. She disregarded many of the social customs of the
time. She has written many bhajans dedicated to Krishna. Akka Mahadevi, Rami
Janabai and Lal Ded were other women saints of this time. Many Bhakti movement
sects within Hinduism also advocated for equal treatment of women. Guru Nanak the

17
Chandra Satish, op cit
founder of Sikhism advocated equality between men and women. All the Sikh gurus
advocated this. They advocated that whatever men did women must be allowed to do
the same.
MODERN INDIA (British Rule)

One cannot argue that the medieval period was not a great time for women. The social
barriers of the time did not let women succeed in the society. The notion of women
being inferior to women was quite prevalent. Using this notion women were often
subjected to certain social practices, which can be described as inhuman. However,
things started to change in the modern period. The British rule in India and
subsequent exposure to western ideas led to people questioning certain social
practices. During this period many female as well as male social activists advocated
for the cause of women’s rights. Prominent social reformers included Raja Ram
Mohan Roy, Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar, Savitri Bai Phule, Pandita Ramabai and
others.

It is generally believed that the British rule in India was an era of darkness for India.
During the British rule Indians were subjected to abuse and exploitation. Indians were
treated as inferior in their own homeland. We were considered as slaves. It is without
a doubt that the British rule caused widespread misery in the country. However, it was
only due to the British that certain social reforms could happen in the Indian society.
The practices of Sati, child marriage still continued during this period. Widows were
not allowed to remarry. Hence, many social reformers started advocating ban on such
practices. In the fight for ban against Sati Brahmo Samaj, founded by Raja Ram
Mohan Roy, played the lead. This organization besides ban on Sati also advocated
property rights for women, introduction of western education, ban on idol
worshipping, etc. Due to his efforts Governor General William Bentinck banned Sati
in India in the year 1829. Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar a social reformer from Bengal
advocated widow re marriage because of the ill treatment widowed women received
in the society. He also advocated reforms within the orthodox Hindu society instead
of forming a new sect. His efforts led to the passage of the Widow Remarriage Act of
1856, which allowed remarriage of widows. The British government also took steps
to curb child marriage. After much struggle the British government passed the Sarda
Act popularly called the Child Marriage Restraint Act in 1929, which set the
minimum age for marriage 15 for girls, and 18 for boys. 18

During this time period male and female social reformers promoted the cause of
women’s education. Prominent social reformers advocating education for women
included Jyotirao and Savitribai Phule, Pandita Ramabai, Peary Charan Sarkar and
many others. Sarkar, a graduate of Hindu College, Calcutta set up a school for girls in
Calcutta now called Kalikrishna Girls High School. Savitribai Phule and her husband
set up a school for girls in Pune. Savitribai Phule also became the first female teacher
of India. Many schools for girls were established by British missionaries, which
promoted education. Soon many co-educational schools started coming up. India’s
first female university came up in Pune founded by Dhondo Keshav Karve. In 1883
India produced its first female graduates when Chandramukhi Basu and Kadambini
Ganguly graduated from the University of Calcutta. Kadambini Ganguly would later
go on to become India’s first woman to be trained in western medicine. 19

The period also witnessed struggle for independence. In this matter too women were
not behind. Women took part in the freedom struggle and even went to jail. Prominent
female freedom fighters included Rani Lakshmibai, Sarojini Naidu, Annie Besant
among others. Sarojini Naidu would become the first women President of Indian
National Congress and the first woman governor of any state in India.

MODERN INDIA (POST INDEPENDENCE)

Post independence lives of women have changed. They are now considered at par
with men. The constitution considers women at par with men, giving them equal legal
status. Meaning men and women are equal in the eyes of the law and they have
equality of opportunity. There are some legal provisions, which are there to safeguard
women’s rights, which they were denied earlier. These include the Hindu Marriage
Act, the Hindu Succession act, child marriage prohibition act. To protect women from
dowry harassment a dowry prohibition act is in force. Still women in modern Indian
society continue to face challenges.

18
http://www.indiacelebrating.com/uncategorized/social-reformers-of-india/
19
Ibid
We will first discuss the positive changes in the society. Since independence women
have become active in the society. Education among the girls is being promoted. It is
inspiring to see that even poor people are sending their girls to school in the hopes of
a better future. The level of literacy among the girls is higher than what it was earlier.
Women have gone on to become accomplished writers, scientists, politicians, civil
servants and businesswomen and have excelled in many other fields.

In politics perhaps India’s most successful woman politician is Indira Gandhi. She
served as the country’s Prime Minister for three terms. Not only that she has the
distinction of being the world’s longest serving woman Prime Minister. Besides
Indira Gandhi women have held almost all the top posts in India like President, Lok
Sabha speaker, Chief Ministers of different states, governors and Leader of
opposition. As of 2017 there are 12 out of 29 states and Delhi have had at least one
woman Chief Minister. Even in the current political scenario there are important
women politicians. Some noteworthy women politicians are Sushma Swaraj, Mamta
Banerjee, Sonia Gandhi, Sheila Dikshit among others.

Even in the field of sports women have made India proud. In the recently concluded
Rio Olympics, women won both the medals for India. Women athletes have made
India proud at various events. Some popular Indian women sportsperson are Saina
Nehwal, P.V. Sindhu, M.C. Mary Kom, Sania Mirza, Mithali Raj and many others. In
civil services too the number of women is increasing. Many women have gone on to
become civil servants. Kiran Bedi created history when she became the first woman
I.P.S. officer. Girls are now outsmarting boys and are getting higher ranks than boys
in the competitive examinations. In business to many women have made a name for
themselves. Some of the accomplished ones are Kiran Mazumdar Shaw, Chanda
Kochar, Arundhati Bhattacharya, Indira Nooyi and many others. .

India has produced great female writers, many of whom have taken up issues relating
to the problems women in India faced. Dr. Shefali Shah talking at the symposium
organized by the AIC department explained how women writers in India are different
from the West. She explained that in India the problems women face are different
from that in the West. First, it is difficult to be a woman in India and write about
issues faced by women due to the prevalent patriarchy. As a result they have to
struggle to be taken seriously. Hence, established women writers started coming up
only recently. In the field of English literature many woman have made a name for
themselves. These include Kamala Das (poetry), Anita Desai, Mrinal Pandey, Geeta
Harikrishnan and others. They often talk about the social factors that affect women in
the society. Mrinal Pandey even questions patriarchy through her writings. Some
writers even talk about women empowerment. A new trend in women writing is what
is popularly called “chick kit”, According to Dr. Shah, these books are not actually
about women empowerment because it takes quite a negative view of the society. She
also talked about writers in other languages who also write about issues faced by
Indian women.

We will now discuss the status of women’s education and health in India. Although a
lot has improved over the years women still have to struggle to obtain education and
healthcare in India. India wishes to become a developed nation. However, before that
it needs to achieve high levels of literacy rate particularly for its female population. It
is sad to say that even after 69 years of independence we have not been able to
achieve high levels of literacy. The level of literacy among women is even lower than
men. As per the census data of 2011 the level of literacy among women was 65.46%
only while among men was 82.14%. As is quite clear there is huge disparity in the
level of education among men and women. Only states of Kerala and Mizoram have
achieved universal education rate. The low literacy rate is not a good sign for the
development of a country. If a country needs to develop it must first achieve universal
literacy rate. 20

Even in terms of health women are not treated equally like men. India currently has
high rates of malnourished women among the developing countries. A study in 2000
found that nearly 70 percent of non-pregnant women and 75 percent of pregnant
women were anemic in terms of iron-deficiency. Another problem for women’s
health in India is the rise of breast cancer. This is mostly attributed to shortage of
trained oncologists as well as lack of healthcare infrastructure. Another issue is

20
http://www.confabjournals.com/confabjournals/images/6520138351219.pdf
menstrual hygiene. In India only 5% of the female population has access to sanitary
pads. The lack of sanitary pads is a big issue for women healthcare.

In the symposium Dr. Preeta Joshi explained that the reason for this was the
preference for a male child. She said low level of education as well as healthcare
among women was because of the unequal priority given to the male child. She said
that especially in rural areas the birth of a girl child is still considered a burden. This
is because of the belief that only a son can carry forward the family’s legacy. Girls are
considered a burden because of the prevalence of dowry in the society. This leads to
unequal distribution of resources with boys being preferred over girls. The need for a
male child often leads to overpopulation as the parents keep trying. However, this is
very bad for the health of the mother as continuous pregnancy causes significant
damage to her body. Added to this is the inadequate healthcare she is provided. She
also goes on to mention that in healthcare too boys are preferred over girls. In case of
a girl child, the family will hesitate to go to a doctor but in case of a boy they will
never hesitate. From this we can understand that the health of a boy is more important
than that of a girl. This phenomenon is prominent mostly in rural areas where there is
low level of literacy. She also pointed out her experiences in the hospital where often
the birth of a girl child is met with silence and that of a boy is looked up as a cause for
celebration.

Besides lack of healthcare and education women also face certain social barriers in
the society. First of all is child marriage. Girls especially in the rural areas are married
off at an early age. Sometimes even to a person many years her elder. It is practiced
even among boys however girls are the main victims. This is because after marriage
she is fixed to her household. She cannot go out and hence cannot get education.
However, boys are still free and go on to complete their education. As a result the girl
is denied her childhood and hence loses an integral part of her life. Second is the issue
of dowry. Although an act prohibiting dowry is in force, dowry is still widespread
especially in the Northern part of India. The pressure of dowry is immense on the
girl’s parents. Often the girl’s family is harassed for dowry. Dowry deaths are very
much common in India. In 2012 according to the National Crime Record Bureau a
total of 18,233-dowry death cases were reported. This means a bride was burned
every 90 minutes. While asking for dowry the boy’s parents state that they are not
asking for themselves but it’s for their own daughter. However, after marriage the
daughter has no right to those supposed gifts.

Other problems which women in India face are eve teasing, rape and acid attacks. The
frequency in these instances has made India one of the unsafe countries for women. In
2012 India was ranked as the worst country for women among the G20 countries. In
gender inequality index India was ranked 130th out of 188 countries with many
underdeveloped countries having a better record than India. Another is the issue of
women being single. A divorced woman or a single woman is often looked down in
the society. It is a taboo for a woman to be not married. However, with better
education women have become financially independent. As a result they are not
dependent on any man. Secondly, the notion that wife is husband’s property is still
prevalent in the society. Hence, it is due to this reason that divorced women are
looked down, while there is no such thing for men.

However, the society is gradually changing. Speaking at the symposium Tejaswini

Adhikari mentioned the trending changes in the society. She said that women are
coming out in the open more than before. Role of women in the society is changing.
They are shedding their image as that of a housewife, of a loving mother or a doting
housewife. Women are becoming bread earners for their family. The positive change
in the society has been that wives are getting support from their husbands to go out
and work or do a business. A major change has been the support women are receiving
support from every corner of the family. Even the in laws have started supporting
them. It is becoming quite common for a divorced or a widow to get married for a
second time. It is not surprising to find a woman’s parents as well as in laws living
together. She gave an example of a businesswoman from Mumbai whose parents and
in laws live together with her and help in taking care of her daughters. These are a
welcome change in what is generally a patriarchal society.

CONCLUSION
In the end we can see that the position of women is changing in the society. However,
much still remains to be done. Certain social customs are still in practice. It is indeed
time that we take a strong stand against these customs. Also much needs to be done
for improvement in education and healthcare of women. The government has indeed
taken steps to ensure that women get the services they require. But if women are to
actually get equal status our mindset needs to change first. It is our thinking, which
has the will power and potential to bring about the change we want in the society. It
is time we all take a stand towards making India a country can live freely without any
barriers.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Altekar A.S, The Position of WOMEN IN HINDU Civilization: From Pre-historic

times to present day, New Delhi, Motilal Banarsidas, 1987
Chandra Bipan, History of Modern India, New Delhi, Orient Blackswan, 2016

Chandra Satish, Medieval India: From the Sultanate to the Mughals (Part I), New
Delhi, Har Anand Publications, 2012

Singh Upinder, A History of Ancient and Early Medieval India: From stone age to the
12th century, New Delhi, Pearson Publications, 2015

Thapar Romila, The Penguin History of Early India: From the origins to AD 1300,
New Delhi, Penguin Books, 2002

Web

http://www3.weforum.org/docs/GGGR16/WEF_Global_Gender_Gap_Report_2016.p
df

http://www.confabjournals.com/confabjournals/images/6520138351219.pdf

http://hdr.undp.org/en/composite/GII

http://www.culturalindia.net/reformers/

http://www.indiacelebrating.com/uncategorized/social-reformers-of-india/