Feminist Movement in India

The Feminist Movement was started as a reform movement in the classical liberal movement for a liberalise society. Before 1832, according to the English Common Law, when a marriage held, the husband  & wife became one  & rights of women became merge within her husband’s right. The women have no personal right.

The Marry Wollston Craft, the first Feminist, who demanded her right from her husband. She fight for existing of women. That is the first expression of feminsm.  1829 is the first way to start Feminist movement in India.

Marriage is called as a socially sanctioned sex relationship between man & women. In every family there have a division of power, from which strong part goes to the male as protector & the female & children are under the protection of male.

This is the natural hierarchy for which the Feminists fighting for. Feminists fights for celebracy & equality where sexual relationship must be free love making. It shouldn’t have any obligation or duty.

The Main Purpose of Feminist Movement is to provide women

• Right to fair Wage
• Right to marriage or Divorce at will
• Property right for both man & women
• Right to vote
• Liberate women
• Provide equal status to women

Types of Feminists

1. Liberal or Moderate Feminist
2. Socialistic Feminist
3. Radical Feminist
4. Marxist Feminist

Feminism & NationalismSarojini Naidu’s Presidential address to the All India Women’s Conference (AIWC) in Bombay in 1930, she addressed that, ”We are not weak, timid, meek women, we hold the courageous Savitri as our ideal, we join how Sita keep her Chastity.”

Prime Minister Indira Gandhi addressed the All India Women’s Conference in 1980 she said, “I have often said that, I am not a Feminist, yet, in my concern for the unprivileged, how can i ignore women who, since the beginning of History, have been dominated over & discriminated against in social custom & in-laws. We need women to be more interested, more alive & more active, not because they are women, but because they do comprise half the human race.” 

Feminist movement in IndiaIn the end of the nineteenth century, women in India suffered from disabilities like Child Marriage, practice of Polygyny, sale of Girls for marriage purposes, severe restrictions on widows, non-access to education & restricting oneself to domestic & child rearing functions.

There have some Great Reformers in this Movement who raised their voice against Child Marriage, practice of Polygyny, Puradah system, right of widpw to remarry, fought for the right of inheritence for the women, pleaded for educating women & to treat daughter & sons equally. This Reformers are :

• Justice Ranade
• Raja Ram Mohan Roy
• Iswar Chandra Vidyasagar
• Mahatma Gandhi
  

The Feminist Movement & the steps for women empowerment

• Economic Planning & Policies for Indian Women: A Historical Analysis
• Land Legislation
• Health & Family welfare policies
• Educational Policies
• Gender Policy for the empowerment of Women-2001
• Economi empowerment of women
• Science & technology
• Violence against women
• Operational strategies
• Institutional mechanism
• Resource management
• Legislation
• Panchayat Raj Institution
• Partnership with Voluntary Organization
• Growth of women agencies