Her Story, Her Struggle: Tracing Women’s Movement In India

For centuries, the essence of gender roles has persisted deep into the roots of our society, shedding light on the division between males and females, which is perhaps more than being natural is created to elevate the entrenched patriarchy. In this article specifically, we will be speaking of the unspoken, shedding light on the unstated norms, tracing the movements, and further noting India’s significance with regard to the same. 

Illustration by The Geostrata

According to the conventional standpoint, men are regarded as the “head of the household” and women as confined to the private realm, are fundamentally entrusted in the public-private dichotomy, a long-standing conceptual division of social life. The public realm is traditionally associated with men and encompasses activities outside the home, such as politics, economics, law, education, and warfare. It is seen as the space of rationality, authority, power, competition, and public recognition.

The "head of the household" role for men serves as an extension of this public authority into the family unit, positioning them as the representative of the family in the wider community. Conversely, the private sphere, which includes home, childcare, and domestic duties, is traditionally assigned to women, who are associated with qualities like submission, caregiving, and obedience.

This rigid division not only reinforces gender stereotypes but also leads to an unequal distribution of power and resources, devaluing women's essential contributions within the domestic sphere while limiting their access to opportunities, agency, and public voice.

THE WESTERN CONTEXT

Over the course of time, with the spread of education and awareness, women across the world became more acquainted with their rights and began to vehemently oppose these roles, subsequently challenging the prescribed norms as well as the power structures that reinforced them. This, in turn, culminated in the feminist movements that proved to be a cornerstone in reshaping societies. 

However, it is imperative to note that the evolution of feminism did not unfold uniformly across nations. The West experienced it via three clearly defined waves, which were congruent with the dynamic social structures.

On the contrary, India’s pathway to feminism was more fragmented, localised, and scattered.

This is exactly what we aim to research: why did India not witness a unified and prominent feminist movement, despite decades of resistance and reform?

The history of feminism in the Western world is often divided into "waves," each addressing different aspects of gender inequality. The first wave of feminism started in the Late 19th and Early 20th Centuries. It primarily focused on the legal and political aspects, especially concerning the right to vote.

This further led to landmark milestones with New Zealand granting full suffrage in 1893 and subsequently women gaining the vote in the U.K. in 1918, followed by the U.S. in 1920.

This approach has been criticised for being too legalistic and overlooking other important dimensions. It mainly represents the interests of middle-class white women and excludes women of color and working-class women.

Next, paving the way for the second wave in the  1960s and 1980s, it all started with the slogan “ the personal is political,” thereby delving deeper and navigating the framework of cultural inequalities and societal ebbing. It focused on key issues like reproductive rights, equal pay, domestic violence, and sexual harassment. 

The success of the second wave paved the way for the establishment of women's shelters and rape crisis centers, and most importantly, the publication of Betty Friedan's "The Feminine Mystique," which spearheaded the rise of women's liberation movements.

At last,  the third wave emerged in response to the perceived failures of the second wave and subsequently created a safe space for diversity, individual agency, intersectionality and reclaiming femininity through unconventional means. It broadened the horizon through the synthesis of LGBTQ rights and transgender activism.

THE INDIAN NATIONAL MOVEMENT

The Indian context is a web of fragmented feminism. To begin with, it all started with the early reform movements centred around the British Rule. Social reformers like Raja Ram Mohan Roy and Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar put in all their efforts to convince people to give up unjust practices like Sati and dowry, and pushed for reforms within the arena of Widow remarriage.

However, as good as the idea sounds, there was a major problem with its execution. These reforms followed a top-down approach, meaning women were seen as passive recipients with no involvement in changes that were brought for them. There was no central inspiring female figure whom women could look up to.

The nationalist movement changed the course of history altogether. Mahatma Gandhi’s Salt March was driven by a strategic perspective. Salt, being a primary commodity at home, facilitated the participation of women as subjects and not merely symbols.  Hereby, we had popular female faces like Sarojini Naidu, Annie Besant, Aruna Asaf Ali, and Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay paving and leading the way. This brought to light the essence of a powerful Bhartiya Nari in the truest sense possible. 

MODERN FEMINIST ANGLE

Post Independence, we have had important developments in the domain of women’s rights in India. Most of these developments were centred around the backdrop of serious cases, which culminated in nationwide protests and subsequently gained traction, outlining the codification of important laws we read and follow today. 

In the Mathura Rape Case, a policeman was accused of raping a young woman in police custody.

This subsequently ignited India’s first autonomous feminist legal movement.

This case was indeed a landmark, sparked by widespread outrage and significant re-evaluation of existing rape laws, which ultimately led to reforms in 1983 that now focused upon providing greater protection to survivors and recognising custodial rape as a distinct and aggravated offence. It outlined the need for legal frameworks in adherence to the vulnerabilities of individuals in positions of authority.

Later, the Shah Bano Case of 1985 primarily revolved around a divorced Muslim woman and her long-drawn fight for maintenance from her husband post-divorce. The case raised a significant question: whether a Muslim husband was obligated to provide maintenance to his divorced wife beyond the iddat period under Section 125 of the CrPC.

After careful analysis and scrutiny, the Supreme Court gave a decision in her favour, upholding her right to alimony under secular law. Although this decision upset countrywide Islamic conservative groups, it paved the way for a new horizon of women and their rights, overlooking the institutions that subdue their authority. 

The Nirbhaya case, a brutal and heinous crime involving the gang-rape and murder of a young woman in Delhi, triggered mass protests across India. This incident was nothing short of horrific; it exposed the inadequacies of existing laws related to sexual violence in India.

The unleashing of public anger ultimately led to the formation of the Justice Verma Committee, whose recommendations resulted in significant amendments to rape laws, leading to stricter punishments. 

These were important cases that brought in changes that perhaps had to be accommodated long ago. Why did India not have a unified movement of feminism and women's rights like all other countries did, particularly in the West? The reasons for the same can be accounted as the Indian legal framework is stratified through caste and religion. A Dalit woman’s struggle against sexual violence is very different from an upper-caste woman’s fight against workplace sexism.

Moreover, as we noted in the Shah Bano case, an amalgamation of religion into personal laws makes the situation complicated. It might be vested in the interests of modern changemakers, but women who are deeply entrenched within the traditional norms view this as state interference. Therefore, in simpler words, the diversity and intersectionality factor make it difficult to sustain a unified national feminist front. 

From mass mobilisation, we now turned towards legalistic methods involving seminars, reports, and advocacy. This was perhaps an elite-driven phenomenon, driving away from the true essence of feminism by overlooking the voices of the women at the grassroots level. 

To conclude it all, the Indian tale of feminism, although impactful, remains largely unexplored, fragmented, and scattered. Some landmark cases codified important developments, but there lacks a vision with regard to their execution.

Not to emanate from the west, but refer to the western feminist ideals and mould them within the Indian context. A powerful narrative that sets the standard and depicts females as multifaceted heroes on par with iconic male figures and not merely exceptions.

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BY URJA

TEAM GEOSTRATA

info@thegeostrata.com