Indian Pussy
The Conflict of Women in 20th Century IndiaThroughout recorded history, women the world over have been held to different standards than men. They have been consistently oppressed in nearly all aspects of life, from political to personal, public to private. In the 20th century, great strides have been taken to end this oppression and level the playing field. In India however, a number of deeply rooted traditions have made this effort particularly difficult, and as a result, women's triumphs over oppression in India are all the more intriguing. To understand the position women found themselves in at the dawn of the 20th century, one must have a general understanding of the numerous historical women's conflicts unique to the Subcontinent. It took the overwhelming success of Gandhi's nonviolent revolution to unite women politically and create the an atmosphere whereby women, empowered by the times, could take a stand for their equality. The 1970's saw the beginning of a highly organized modern women's movement in India. Violence against women was one of the main focuses of the movement. Harassment, wife-beating, rape, and "dowry deaths" were all too common, and police enforcement was ineffective as were most attempts at
There were also severe environmental implications of the sudden and extensive use of technology. The issues of violence, popularly called "atrocities against women" became the centerpiece of the movement in the early eighties and the cause for its expansion. She, like Ranade, was a member of the Brahman caste. Gandhi took a particular pleasure in bringing women out of purdah, and involving them in the political movements of the times. In 1917 the congress demanded that women be able to vote on the same basis as men, but these efforts to were for the progress of nationalism rather than exclusively for the improvement of women's rights. The effectiveness of this work foreshadowed the influence women could have on politics when working together, and paved the way for the modern women's movement that began in the 1970's. Starting in Maharashtra, which would become the center for liberation activity, they wrote their second publication on the, "varied facets of women's oppression in India"(Omvedt p. Modern South Asia, London, Routledge, 1997. This was a right even the lowest cast males, the untouchables, was bestowed. 94) As child brides were common in the Subcontinent, one often saw young widows unable by traditional law to remarry and make an attempt at a new life. Purdah, still practiced today in many Moslem societies, is the practice of covering a women in cloth to protect them from the gaze of non-family males, in order to maintain their purity. Sati is an ancient Hindu tradition whereby a widow is burned in the cremation fire of her departed husband. In response a number of movements emerged.
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Acceptance Essays
