The Women’s Movement

The Women’s Movement

The women’s movement in India has a long history, stretching back to the 19th century. It is not a single, uniform movement but a series of struggles, organisations, and campaigns that have evolved over time, shaped by the changing social and political context.

19th Century Social Reform Movements and Early Women’s Organisations

The 19th century social reform movements were the first to raise issues concerning women — sati, child marriage, widow remarriage, and education for girls. These reforms were led largely by men, but they created the ground for women’s own organisations to emerge.

The early 20th century saw the growth of women’s organisations at both the national and local levels. Three major all-India organisations were:

• Women’s India Association (WIA) — founded in 1917
• National Council for Women in India (NCWI) — founded in 1925
• All India Women’s Conference (AIWC) — founded in 1926

Many of these organisations began with a limited focus — often on welfare and education — but their scope expanded over time. For example, the AIWC initially believed that ‘women’s welfare’ and ‘politics’ were mutually exclusive. Yet within a few years, one of its presidential addresses declared: “Can the Indian man or woman be free if India be a slave? How can we remain dumb about national freedom, the very basis of all great reforms?”

There is debate among scholars about whether this period of activity constituted a full-fledged social movement. If we recall the features that characterise social movements — organisations, ideology, leadership, a shared understanding, and the aim of bringing about change on a public issue — these early organisations did possess them. What they succeeded in doing together was to create an atmosphere where the women’s question could not be ignored.

Agrarian Struggles and Revolts

It is often assumed that only middle-class, educated women are involved in social movements. Part of the struggle of the women’s movement has been to remember the forgotten history of women’s participation in other kinds of struggles.

Women participated alongside men in struggles and revolts originating in tribal and rural areas during the colonial period. Notable examples include:

• The Tebhaga movement in Bengal
• The Telangana armed struggle against the Nizam’s rule
• The Warli tribal revolt against bondage in Maharashtra

Post-1947: The Lull and the Renewal

A common question is: if there was an active women’s movement before 1947, what happened afterwards? Two explanations are offered:

1. Many women activists who were also involved in the nationalist movement got involved in nation-building tasks after independence.
2. Others cite the trauma of Partition as responsible for the lull in activity.

In the mid-1970s, there was a renewal of the women’s movement in India. Some call this the second phase of the Indian women’s movement. While many of the concerns remained the same as before, there were changes in organisational strategy and ideologies. New issues also came into focus — most notably, violence against women.

Campaigns and Legal Changes

Over the years, numerous campaigns have been taken up by the women’s movement. These campaigns have brought about important changes in everyday life and in the law.

For instance, school application forms today have space for both the father’s and mother’s names — this was not always the case. Similarly, important legal changes have taken place thanks to the movement’s campaigns. Issues that have been fought for include:

• Land rights
• Employment
• Rights against sexual harassment
• Rights against dowry

Recognising Differences Among Women

There has been a growing recognition that while all women are in some way disadvantaged compared to men, all women do not suffer the same level or kind of discrimination. The concerns of an educated middle-class woman are different from those of a peasant woman, just as the concerns of a Dalit woman are different from those of an ‘upper caste’ woman. The example of violence illustrates this — the forms of violence a woman faces, and her ability to seek redress, vary greatly by her social position. …