History of women in India
History of women in India
The status of women in India has been subject to many great changes over the past few millennia.[4] With a decline in their status from the ancient to medieval times,[5][6] to the promotion of equal rights by many reformers, the history of women in India has been eventful. In modern India, women have held high offices including that of the President, Prime Minister, Speaker of the Lok Sabha, Leader of the Opposition, Union Ministers, Chief Ministers and Governors.
Women's rights are secured under the Constitution of India — mainly, equality, dignity, and freedom from discrimination; further, India has various statutes governing the rights of women.[7][8]
As of 2011, the President of India, the Speaker of the Lok Sabha and the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha(Lower House of the parliament) were women. However, women in India continue to face numerous problems, including violent victimisation through rape, acid throwing, dowry killings, honor killings, marital rape, and the forced prostitution of young girls.[9][10][11]
A poll in October 2017, the first of its kind in the world, which was published by Thomson Reuters Foundation, found that Delhi was the fourth most dangerous city in the world for women and it was also the worst city in the world for women when it came to sexual violence, rape and harassment. [12]
Ancient India
Women during the early Vedic period[13] enjoyed equal status with men in all aspects of life.[14] Works by ancient Indian grammarians such as Patanjali and Katyayana suggest that women were educated in the early Vedic period.[15][16] Rigvedic verses suggest that women married at a mature age and were probably free to select their own husbands in a practice called swayamvar or live-in relationship called Gandharva marriage.[17] Scriptures such as the Rig Veda and Upanishads mention several women sages and seers, notably Gargi and Maitreyi.
Initially women were allowed to undergo initiation and study the Veda's. In the Dharmasutra of Harita, it is mentioned that:
In medieval times, this was dismissed on the ground that this was only the case in a previous age (yuga). In approximately 500 BCE, the status of women began to decline.[5][6] Although reform movements such as Jainism allowed women to be admitted to religious orders, by and large women in India faced confinement and restrictions.[13] The practice of child marriages is believed to have started around the sixth century.[19]
Several Dharmashastras mention the restricted role of women, such as the Manu Smriti: Her father guards her in her childhood; her husband guards her in her youth; and her sons guard her in her old age. A woman is not fit to act on her own.[20] These were normative texts however, and descriptive statements do describe women participating independently and becoming vanaprastha (forest hermits) and saṃnyāsini (renouncers).[21]Some kingdoms in ancient India had traditions such as nagarvadhu ("bride of the city"). Women competed to win the coveted title of nagarvadhu. Amrapali is the most famous example of a nagarvadhu.
Medieval period
Indian women's position in society further deteriorated during the medieval period,[6][14] when child marriages and a ban on remarriage by widows became part of social life in some communities in India. The Muslim conquest in the Indian subcontinentbrought purdah to Indian society. Among the Rajputs of Rajasthan, the Jauhar was practised. In some parts of India, some of Devadasis were sexually exploited. Polygamy was practised among Hindu Kshatriya rulers for some political reasons.[19] In many Muslim families, women were restricted to Zenana areas of the house.
Few texts exist that specifically deal with the role of women[22] an important exception is the Stri Dharma Paddhati of Tryambakayajvan, an official at Thanjavur c. 1730. The text compiles strictures on women's behaviour dating back to the Apastamba sutra (c. 4th century BCE).[23] The opening verse goes:
In spite of these conditions, women often became prominent in the fields of politics, literature, education and religion.[6] Razia Sultana(1205-1240) became the only woman monarch to have ever ruled Delhi. The Gond queen Durgavati(1524-1564) ruled for fifteen years before losing her life in a battle with Mughal emperor Akbar's general Asaf Khan in 1564. Chand Bibi defended Ahmednagar against the powerful Mughal forces of Akbar in the 1590s. Jehangir's wife Nur Jehan effectively wielded imperial power, and was recognised as the real power behind the Mughal throne. The Mughal princesses Jahanara and Zebunnissa were well-known poets, and also influenced the ruling powers. Shivaji's mother, Jijabai, was queen regent because of her ability as a warrior and an administrator. Tarabai was another female Maratha ruler. In South India, many women administered villages, towns, and divisions, and ushered in new social and religious institutions.[19]
The Bhakti movements tried to restore women's status and questioned certain forms of oppression.[13]
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