The social status of Indian women during the last fifty years 1900-1950

Abstract

The present social, political, legal and economic status of women in India has been the result of many kaleidoscopic changes during the last 150 years. As the pace of enlightenment and progress has been quicker and marked during the present century a more detailed study is made of this period. An attempt is made in this work to trace the various trends, activities, factors, efforts and forces which contributed to the general amelioration in the position of women as individuals, as integral constituents of the family and as members of society. The subject is treated historically in the first three chapters in order to facilitate a clearer perspective for the understanding and evaluation of the progress made. Chapter I deals briefly with the status of women during Vedic times (before 2500 B.C.) when the women enjoyed almost equal status with men in order to show that enlightened attitude was not foreign to Indian society and culture. The second chapter gives briefly the gradual deterioration from the Smriti period (500 B.C. to 500 A.D. ) to the end of the nineteenth century which marked the beginning of an enlightened attitude. Chapter III traces mainly the contribution of social reformers, the growth of women's institution and the immense awakening as a consequence of political struggle during the present century. The next seven chapters deal topically with the relation of women to marriage and family life, the customs of child marriage and enforced widowhood, social evils like purdah (veil) and prostitution, education of women and their legal, political and economic status during the last fifty years. In the last chapter an effort is made to collect the threads and give an overall picture of the status of women with a few suggestions for further progress.