60 Days Daily Free Mains Answer Writing Program for UPSC 2023

Day 8

Topic: Economic reforms and various social movements including- womens, caste, students,
environmental etc.
Date: 12/08/2022

Q.1) Compare and contrast the women movements in non-independent India with that of
Contemporary India? What factors are shaping the present stages of women movement in
India and how effective have they been till now? Discuss 15M

How to approach the question

Introduction
· Introduce by mentioning the women's movement and its changing nature.
Body
· Write comparison of women's movement pre independence and post-independence.
. Write the factors that shaped the present stages of movement.
. Write the achievements and limitations of movement.
. Write the way forward.
Conclusion
· Conclude by mentioning the significance and changes required.

Answer:
Introduction
Women’s movements in India have their genesis in deeply rooted backward traditions like
sati, child marriage, or the ill-treatment of widows in the 19th century to issues of rape,
dowry, domestic violence, unequal pay at work, sexual harassment at work, an unequal
division of labour and low representation of women in politics in the more recent times.

Body
The women’s question arose in modern India as part of the early 19th-century middle-class
social reform movements. These issues varied across region, religion and class. The issues
are constantly evolving and are embedded with the learnings from the issues raised in past.
Issues like education and equal voting rights demanded in this movement became the tool
for the next generation of women’s movements.

Comparison of women movements in non-independent India with that of Contemporary

India

Women movement during non-independent Women movement during contemporary

India India

Its roots can roughly be traced to the It refers to women movement after
beginning of 19th century. independence esp. druing 1960s-70s.

Pre-Independence period of the women’s Post-Independence period of the women’s

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movement overlapped with the Social movement witnessed several issues like
Reform Movement in many ways. Eg Raja tribal unrest, economic crisis, which took
Rammohan Roy linked the anti-sati away the singular focus of the women’s
movement to vedic texts. movement.

Pro-independence movements challenged post-Independence movements focused

the customary practices which were more on violence against women, sex
discriminatory and revolted mainly against stereotyping, and further legislative demands
human rights violations in the form of Sati for equality of women.
and ill-treatment of widows.

Pro-independence movements were led by post-Independence movements have

social reformers like Raja Rammohan Roy, mobilised masses in the form of women’s
Jyotiba Phule, Maharshi Karve, and so on. organisation, NGOs, SEWA, etc.

Pro-independence movement needed the Post-independence movement women are

voice of others (social reformers) for the educated and aware and are ready to speak
problems to be spoken. up for themselves.

Pre- Independence movement lacked Social media plays a major role during the
revolutionary social media. post-Independence movement where these
movements can reach across the globe and
mobilised the youth on a large scale.

Factors that are shaping the present stages of women movement in India
● Constitution and legislation for women’s upliftment: Constitution of India
guarantees equal status to all citizens of India including women under article 14, 15
and does not distinguish or discriminate between a man or a woman.
● Legislation safeguarding women’s interests
○ The Hindu Marriage Act 1955 – The act provides women with equal rights to
divorce and remarry. Also, the act prohibits polygamy, polyandry and child
marriage.
○ The Hindu Succession Act, 1956 – The act provides women with the right and
claim over parents’ property.
● Education of women: After Independence, the educational rights of women were
promoted and they were made aware of the value of education.
● Women empowerment in the Economic and Employment fields: The number of
working women has also steadily increased. Women have been recruited in all posts
such as teachers, doctors, nurses, advocates, police officers, bank employees in all
major cities of India.
● Awareness of Women regarding their rights: Women in Independent India have
maximum rights but many of them are not conscious about their rights. Uneducated
women have a lack of awareness of their rights.
● Impact of global movement: Women movement at the global stage impacting in India
as well. Eg #Metoo movement against sexual harassment.

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● Rising conscioisness about right: For example reproductive rights, right to equality in
terms of equal pay etc.
● Newly emerging challenges: During pandemic women faced special kind of chellenges
like increases burden of caregiving, environmental challenges- as per study women
are disproportionately affected by climate change.
Effectiveness of women's movement
Major achievements
● Acknowledging women’s rights – Society has recognised that women are equally
entitled to the rights and opportunities as men. Eg Sabarimala judgement
● Freedom to take decisions and make choices – Women have the freedom to take
important decisions of life such as when to marry, the number of children they should
have and so on. Eg Hadiya case judgement
● Access to education and employment – Conditions have been created in such a way
that women can easily get access to education and later on get employed. It will
ultimately make women independent and self-reliable. Eg reservation in institutions.
● Opportunities for political participation – Women have been granted political power
and made free to take part in the administrative process. Eg PRI reservation
Issue with the women movement
● The multi-layered Identity: While the early feminist movements were focused on
reclaiming social space, the evolution of the feminist discourse has revealed the
multitudinous factors that play a role in the making of a ‘woman’ and that it is
impossible to look at or categorize women as only women.
● Movements related to women’s issues in India do not owe their genesis to the idea
of ‘feminism’ as it developed in the West.
● Modern phenomenon of women’s movement failed to resist homogenizing
tendencies. Now the voice was sharper, coming from the women themselves, but in
process, it ended up sidestepping the complex interplay between gender, class, caste,
and religion and how it distinctly impacts a woman’s social encounters.
● Hierarchy within the women’s movement: The dominant narrative focused on
gender-based discrimination in wages and legal rights in the workplace, failing to
realize that, for a Dalit or a poor woman, these are castles in the air. This exclusion
also affects women from other marginal walks of life.
● Secondly, the issue of sex workers has been addressed inadequately. The problem is
not their health, but their very identity emanating from their profession.
● Still women have not achieved the status and outcome:
○ Women participation in employment is low. Eg as per PLFS report only 26%
FLFP rate.
○ Crime against women has increased.
○ Women in the top management have been very low.
● Glass ceiling effect: means invisible barriers that keep women from advancing in the
workplace. Eg less than 10% of the top most posts are headed by women.
● Gender associated jobs and care economy: There is a notion of Pink collared jobs
that are associated with women. Eg receptionist. Similarly, more than 80% of the care
economy is associated with women, that is, associated with domestic work and child
and old age rearing etc.
●
Way forward

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● At present, the global women’s movement in general and Indian women’s

movement, in particular, are faced with challenges both from within and without,
necessitating constant negotiation of the terms of internal coordination so that no
group is marginalized.
● Internal coordination demands vigilance and clear dialogue between groups. Only
then is it possible to arrive at a working solution and realize the project of
emancipation.
● The interconnected nodes of oppression that constitute the hegemonic matrix have
to be identified and systematically destroyed.
Conclusion
The contemporary movements are not only led by the victims of subordination themselves
but also target more on bringing the issues from the fringes to the fore. For eg- discrimination
faced by Dalit and Adivasi women, the double burden of home and farmwork faced by rural
women due to the feminisation of agriculture etc.

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