Write a short note on women's movement.

Women's Movement:

(i) The 19th century social reform movements raised various issues women concerning such as sati, infanticide, illiteracy among women bad treatment and social position of windows, polygamy, Pardah system early marriage among the girl gender inequality due to Hindu laws of inheritence, Dowry system ill-treatment with the female child, degrading system of Devdasis.

(ii) The early 20th century saw the growth of women's organisations at a national and local level. The Women's India Association (WIA) (1917) All India Women's Conference (AIWC) (1926), National Council for Women in India (NCWI) (1925) are ready names that we can mention. While many of them began with a limited focus, their scope extended over time. For instance, the AIWC began with the idea that ‘women’s welfare‘ and ‘politics’ were mutually exclusive.

(iii) It can be argued that during the years of first-half of the Twentieth Century most of the activities taken by different women organisation and association did not constitute a social movement. It can be argued otherwise too. Let us recall some of the features that characterise social movements. It did have organisations, ideology, leadership, a shared understanding and the aim of bringing about changes on a public issue. What they succeeded together was to create an atmosphere where the women's question could not be ignored.

(iv) Participation of women in agrarian struggle and revolts: It is often assumed that only middle class educated women are involved in social movements. Part of the struggle has been to remember the forgotten history of women's participation. Women participated along with men in struggles and revolts originating in tribal and rural areas in the colonial period. The Tebbaga movement in Bengal, the Telangana arms, struggle from the erstwhile Nizam's rule and the Warli tribal’s revolt against bondage in Maharashtra are some examples.

(v) Women's movement during Post Independence period:

(a) An issue that is often raised is that if there was an active women's movement before 1947, whatever happened afterwards. One explanation has been that many of the women activists who were also involved in the nationalist movement got involved in the nation building task. Others cite the trauma of Partition as responsible for the lull.

(b) In the mid-1970s there was a renewal of the women's movement in India. Some call it the second phase of the Indian women's movement. While many of the concerns remained the same. There were changes both in terms of organisational strategy as well as ideologies.

(c) There was the growth of what is termed as the autonomous women's movements. The term ‘autonomy’ referred to the fact that they were ‘autonomous’ or independent from political parties as distinct from those women's organisations that had links with political parties. It was felt that political parties tended to marginalise issues of women.

(vi) New issues concerning women such as violence against women, land right, sexual harassment and dowry: Apart from organisational changes, there were new issues that were focussed upon. For instance, violence against women. Over the years there have been numerous compaigns that have been taken up. You may have noticed that application for school forms have both father's and mother's names. This was not always true. Likewise important legal changes have taken place thanks to the campaign by the women's movement. Issues of land rights, employment have been fought alongside rights against sexual harassment and dowry.

(vii) Gender inequality and women reformation: There has also been greater recognition that both men and women are constrained by the dominant gender identities. For instance men in patriarchal societies feel they must be strong and successful. It is not, manly, to express oneself emotionally. A gender-just society would allow both men and women to be free. This of course rests on the idea that for true freedom to grow and develop injustices of all kinds have to end.