The Position of Women in Hindu Civilisation, from Prehistoric Times to the Present Day c11.s1.48

c11.s1.48

To come to modern times, we find that in the west also women lived under strict conventions till quite recent times. Down to 1850 A. D. in England a woman could not take a walk, much less a railway journey, alone; nor could she ask a fellow worker to visit her, unless that fellow worker happened to be not only a girl, but also a member of a familiar family. It was almost scandalous for a woman to address a public meeting. When two ladies spoke at a meeting convened for the purpose of supporting the women's cause in 1869, a member of Parliament said, ‘Two ladies, wives of members of this Parliament, had recently disgraced themselves by speaking in public.’ When the House of Commons was built in 1844, it was with great difficulty that a Ladies' Gallery was sanctioned. It was, however, decided to put a grille before it in order to screen the occupants from the public gaze. This grille was removed only in 1918¹.