The Position of Women in Hindu Civilisation, from Prehistoric Times to the Present Day c11.s3.19

c11.s3.19

We shall now take a brief survey of the position of women in public life during the last seventy five years. They hardly figured in it down to the beginning of the present century. This was but natural, for women were for a long time unable to get the benefit of western education, which was mainly responsible for creating a new social and political consciousness. Mrs. Anandibia Joshi, Pandita Ramabai, Mrs. Ramabai Ranade and a few coworkers of theirs braved the public opinion and courageously proceeded with the work of female emancipation. Things however changed when female education began to become more widely diffused since the beginning of the present century. Lady workers in the public life began to become more numerous. In the beginning they were naturally engaged in tackling the problems mainly concerned with their own sex, like female education, maternity welfare, widow remarriage, the abolition of the Purda custom, etc. From about the time of the Non-co-operation movement of 1920 they have begun to figure in the political movements as well. Several of them have distinguished themselves as platform speakers and hundreds of them have gone to jail to win freedom for their motherland. One Hindu lady, Mrs. Sarojini Naidu, has adorned the chair of the Indian National Congress, which is the highest honour in the gift of the Indian people. Some ladies have creditably discharged the onerous duties of the Deputy Speakership of legislatures, while others have adorned the benches of Honorary Magistrates. With the introduction of Provincial Autonomy, we find now two ladies serving as Parliamentary Secretaries in the Punjab and Bombay, and the United Provinces enjoy the unique distinction of having the first lady minister in the able person of Mrs. Vijayalakshmi Pandit.