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Pratibha Devisingh Patil is the 12th and current President of the Republic of Indiaand first woman to hold the office.[1]

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 Feminism portal

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The status of women in India has been subject to many great changes over the past
few millennia.[2][3] From equal status with men in ancient times[4] through the low points of
the medieval period,[5] to the promotion of equal rights by many reformers, the history of
women inIndia has been eventful. In modern India, women have adorned high offices
in India including that of the President, Prime minister, Speaker of the Lok Sabha,
Leader of Opposition, etc. The currentPresident of India is a woman.
Contents

 [hide]

1 History

o 1.1 Ancient India

o 1.2 Medieval period

o 1.3 Historical practices

o 1.4 British rule

2 Independent India

3 Timeline

4 Culture

5 Education and economic development

o 5.1 Education

o 5.2 Workforce participation

o 5.3 Land and property rights

6 Crimes against women

o 6.1 Sexual harassment

o 6.2 Dowry

o 6.3 Child marriage
 o 6.4 Female infanticides and sex

selective abortions

o 6.5 Domestic violence

o 6.6 Trafficking

7 Other concerns

8 Notable Indian women

9 See also

10 References

11 Bibliography

12 External links

[edit]History

There are very few texts specifically dealing with the role of women; [6] an important
exception is thestrIdharmapaddhati of Tryambakayajvan, an official at Thanjavur around
c.1730. The text compiles strictures on womenly behaviour dating back to
the Apastamba sutra (c. 4th c. BCE).[7] The opening verse goes:

mukhyo dharmaH smr^tiShu vihito bhartr^shushruShANam hi :

women are enjoined to be of service to their husbands.
where the term shushruShA (lit. "desire to hear") covers a range of meanings
from the devotee's homage to god, or the obsequious service of a slave. [8]
[edit]Ancient India

Scholars believe that in ancient India, the women enjoyed equal status with

men in all fields of life.[9] However, some others hold contrasting views.
[10]
 Works by ancient Indian grammarians such
as Patanjali and Katyayana suggest that women were educated in the
early Vedic period[11][12] Rigvedic verses suggest that the women married at a
mature age and were probably free to select their husband. [13] Scriptures such
as Rig Veda and Upanishads mention several women sages and seers,
notably Gargi and Maitreyi.[14]

Some kingdoms in the ancient India had traditions such as nagarvadhu ("bride

of the city"). Women competed to win the coveted title of
thenagarvadhu. Amrapali is the most famous example of a nagarvadhu.
According to studies, women enjoyed equal status and rights during the
early Vedic period.[15] However, later (approximately 500 B.C.), the status of
women began to decline with the Smritis (esp. Manusmriti) and with
the Islamic invasion of Babur and the Mughal empire and later Christianity
curtailing women's freedom and rights.[5]

Although reformatory movements such as Jainism allowed women to be

admitted to the religious order, by and large, the women in India faced
confinement and restrictions.[15] The practice of child marriages is believed to
have started from around sixth century. [16]
[edit]Medieval period

Krishna at Goddesss Radharani's feet

The Indian woman's position in the society further deteriorated during the
medieval period[5][9] whenSati among some communities, child marriages and a
ban on widow remarriages became part of social life among some
communities in India. The Muslim conquest in the Indian subcontinentbrought
the purdah practice in the Indian society. Among the Rajputs of Rajasthan,
the Jauhar was practised. In some parts of India, the Devadasis or the temple
women were sexually exploited. Polygamy was widely practised especially
among Hindu Kshatriya rulers.[16] In many Muslim families, women were
restricted to Zenana areas.
In spite of these conditions, some women excelled in the fields of politics,
literature, education and religion. [5] Razia Sultana became the only woman
monarch to have ever ruled Delhi. The Gondqueen Durgavati ruled for fifteen
years, before she lost her life in a battle with Mughal emperorAkbar's general
Asaf Khan in 1564. Chand Bibi defended Ahmednagar against the
mighty Mughalforces of Akbar in 1590s. Jehangir's wife Nur Jehan effectively
wielded imperial power and was recognized as the real force behind the
Mughal throne. The Mughal princesses Jahanara and Zebunnissa were well-
known poets, and also influenced the ruling administration Shivaji's
mother,Jijabai was deputed as queen regent, because of her ability as a
warrior and an administrator. In South India, many women administered
villages, towns, divisions and heralded social and religious institutions. [16]

The Bhakti movements tried to restore women's status and questioned some

of the forms of oppression.[15] Mirabai, a female saint-poet, was one of the most
important Bhakti movement figures. Some other female saint-poets from this
period include Akka Mahadevi, Rami Janabai and Lal Ded. Bhakti sects within
Hinduism such as the Mahanubhav, Varkari and many others were principle
movements within the Hindu fold to openly advocate social justice and equality
between men and women.

Shortly after the Bhakti movement, Guru Nanak, the first Guru of Sikhs also
preached the message of equality between men and women. He advocated
that women be allowed to lead religious assemblies; to perform and lead
congregational hymn singing called Kirtan or Bhajan; become members of
religious management committees; to lead armies on the battlefield; have
equality in marriage, and equality in Amrit(Baptism). Other Sikh Gurus also
preached against the discrimination against women.
See also: Women in Sikhism
[edit]Historical practices

Traditions among some communities such as sati, jauhar, and devadasi have

been banned and are largely defunct in modern India. However, some cases of
these practices are still found in remote parts of India. The purdah is still
practised by Indian women among some communities, and child marriage
remains prevalent despite it being an illegal practice, especially under current
Indian laws.
 Sati
Sati is an old, largely defunct custom, among some communities in which the
widow was immolated alive on her husband's funeral pyre. Although the act was
supposed to be a voluntary on the widow's part, it is believed to have been
sometimes forced on the widow. It was abolished by the British in 1829. There
have been around forty reported cases of sati since independence. [17] In 1987,
the Roop Kanwarcase of Rajasthan led to The Commission of Sati (Prevention)
Act.[18]
Jauhar
Jauhar refers to the practice of the voluntary immolation of all the wives and
daughters of defeated warriors, in order to avoid capture and consequent
molestation by the enemy. The practice was followed by the wives of
defeated Rajput rulers, who are known to place a high premium on honour.
Purdah
Purdah is the practice among some communities of requiring women to cover
their bodies so as to cover their skin and conceal their form. It imposes
restrictions on the mobility of women, it curtails their right to interact freely and it
is a symbol of the subordination of women. It does not reflect the religious
teachings of either Hinduism or Islam, contrary to common belief, although
misconception has occurred due to the ignorance and prejudices of religious
leaders of both faiths.[citation needed]
Devadasis
Devadasi is a religious practice in some parts of southern India, in which women
are "married" to a deity or temple. The ritual was well established by the 10th
century A.D.[19] In the later period, the illegitimate sexual exploitation of the
devadasi's became a norm in some parts of India.
[edit]British rule

European scholars observed in the 19th century that Hindu

women are "naturally chaste" and "more virtuous" than other
women.[20] During the British Raj, many reformers such
as Ram Mohan Roy, Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar, Jyotirao
Phule etc. fought for the upliftment of women.Peary Charan
Sarkar, a former student of Hindu College, Calutta and a
member of "Young Bengal" set up the first free school for
girls in India in 1847 in Barasat, a suburb of Calcutta (later
the school was named Kalikrishna Girls' High School).

While this list might suggest that there was no positive

British contribution during the Raj era, that is not entirely so,
since missionaries' wives like Martha Mault née Mead and
her daughter Eliza Caldwell née Mault are rightly
remembered for pioneering the education and training of
girls in south India - a practise that initially met with local
resistance, as it flew in the face of tradition. Raja Rammohan
Roy's efforts led to the abolition of the Sati practice
under Governor-General William Cavendish-Bentinck in
1829. Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar's crusade for the
improvement in condition of widows led to the Widow
Remarriage Act of 1856. Many women reformers such
as Pandita Ramabai also helped the cause of women
upliftment.

Kittur Chennamma, the queen of the princely state Kittur in

Karnataka, led an armed rebellion against the British in
response to the Doctrine of lapse. Abbakka Rani the queen
of coastal Karnataka led the defence against invading
European armies notably the Portuguese in 16th
century. Rani Lakshmi Bai, the Queen of Jhansi, led
the Indian Rebellion of 1857 against the British. She is now
widely considered as a nationalist hero. Begum Hazrat
Mahal, the co-ruler of Awadh, was another ruler who led the
revolt of 1857. She refused the deals with the British and
later retreated to Nepal. The Begums of Bhopal were also
few of the notable female rulers during this period. They did
not observepurdah and were trained in martial arts.

Chandramukhi Basu, Kadambini Ganguly and Anandi Gopal

Joshi were few of the earliest Indian women to obtain
educational degrees.

In 1917, the first women's delegation met the Secretary of

State to demand women's political rights, supported by the
Indian National Congress. The All India Women's Education
Conference was held in Pune in 1927. [15] In 1929, the Child
Marriage Restraint Act was passed, stipulating fourteen as
the minimum age of marriage for a girl through the efforts
of Mahomed Ali Jinnah.[15][21] Though Mahatma Gandhi
himself married at the age of thirteen, he later urged people
to boycott child marriages and called upon the young men to
marry the child widows.[22]

Women played an important part in India's independence

struggle. Some of the famous freedom fighters
include Bhikaji Cama, Dr. Annie Besant, Pritilata
Waddedar, Vijayalakshmi Pandit, Rajkumari Amrit
Kaur, Aruna Asaf Ali, Sucheta Kriplani and Kasturba Gandhi.
Other notable names include Muthulakshmi
Reddy, Durgabai Deshmukh etc. The Rani of Jhansi
Regiment of Subhash Chandra Bose's Indian National
Army consisted entirely of women including Captain Lakshmi
Sahgal. Sarojini Naidu, a poet and a freedom fighter, was
the first Indian woman to become the President of the Indian
National Congress and the first woman to become the
governor of a state in India.

[edit]Independent India
Women in India now participate in all activities such as
education,sports, politics, media, art and culture, service
sectors, science and technology, etc.[5] Indira Gandhi, who
served as Prime Minister of India for an aggregate period of
fifteen years is the world's longest serving woman Prime
Minister.[23]

The Constitution of India guarantees to all Indian women

equality (Article 14), no discrimination by the State (Article
15(1)), equality of opportunity (Article 16), equal pay for
equal work (Article 39(d)). In addition, it allows special
provisions to be made by the State in favour of women and
children (Article 15(3)), renounces practices derogatory to
the dignity of women (Article 51(A) (e)), and also allows for
provisions to be made by the State for securing just and
humane conditions of work and for maternity relief. (Article
42).[24]

The feminist activism in India picked up momentum during

later 1970s. One of the first national level issues that brought
the women's groups together was the Mathura rape case.
The acquittal of policemen accused of raping a young girl
Mathura in a police station, led to a wide-scale protests in
1979–1980. The protests were widely covered in the national
media, and forced the Government to amend the Evidence
Act, the Criminal Procedure Code and the Indian Penal
Code and introduce the category of custodial rape. [24] Female
activists united over issues such as female infanticide,
gender bias, women health, and female literacy.

Since alcoholism is often associated with violence against

women in India,[25] many women groups launched anti-liquor
campaigns in Andhra Pradesh, Himachal
Pradesh, Haryana, Orissa, Madhya Pradesh and other
states.[24] Many Indian Muslim women have questioned the
fundamental leaders' interpretation of women's rights under
the Shariat law and have criticized the triple talaq system.[15]

In 1990s, grants from foreign donor agencies enabled the

formation of new women-oriented NGOs. Self-help groups
and NGOs such as Self Employed Women's
Association (SEWA) have played a major role in women's
rights in India. Many women have emerged as leaders of
local movements. For example, Medha Patkar of
the Narmada Bachao Andolan.

The Government of India declared 2001 as the Year of

Women's Empowerment (Swashakti).[15] The National Policy
For The Empowerment Of Women came was passed in
2001.[26]
In 2006, the case of a Muslim rape victim called Imrana was
highlighted in the media. Imrana was raped by her father-in-
law. The pronouncement of some Muslim clerics that Imrana
should marry her father-in-law led to widespread protests
and finally Imrana's father-in-law was given a prison term of
10 years, The verdict was welcomed by many women's
groups and the All India Muslim Personal Law Board. [27]

In 2010 March 9, one day after International Women's day,

Rajyasabha passed Women's Reservation Bill, ensuring
33% reservation to women in Parliament and state
legislative bodies.[28]
[edit]Timeline

The steady change in their position can be highlighted by

looking at what has been achieved by women in the country:

 1879: John Elliot Drinkwater Bethune established the

Bethune School in 1849, which developed into
the Bethune College in 1879, thus becoming the first
women's college in India.
 1883: Chandramukhi Basu and Kadambini
Ganguly became the first female graduates of India and
the British Empire.
 1886: Kadambini Ganguly and Anandi Gopal
Joshi became the first women from India to be trained
in Western medicine.
 1905: Suzanne RD Tata becomes the first Indian woman
to drive a car.[29]
 1916: The first women's university, SNDT Women's
University, was founded on June 2, 1916 by the social
reformer Dhondo Keshav Karvewith just five students.
 1917: Annie Besant became the first female president of
the Indian National Congress.
 1919: For her distinguished social service, Pandita
Ramabai became the first Indian woman to be awarded
the Kaiser-i-Hind by the British Raj.
 1925: Sarojini Naidu became the first Indian born female
president of the Indian National Congress
 1927: The All India Women's Conference was founded.
 1944: Asima Chatterjee became the first Indian woman to
be conferred the Doctorate of Science by an Indian
university
 1947: On August 15, 1947, following
independence, Sarojini Naidu became the governor of
the United Provinces, and in the process became India's
first woman governor.
 1951: Prem Mathur of the Deccan Airways becomes the
first Indian women commercial pilot.
 1953: Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit became the first woman
(and first Indian) president of the United Nations General
Assembly
 1959: Anna Chandy becomes the first Indian woman
judge of a High Court (Kerala High Court) [30]
 1963: Sucheta Kriplani became the Chief Minister of
Uttar Pradesh, the first woman to hold that position in any
Indian state.
 1966: Captain Durga Banerjee becomes the first Indian
woman pilot of the state airline, Indian Airlines.
 1966: Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay wins Ramon
Magsaysay award for community leadership.
 1966: Indira Gandhi becomes the first woman Prime
Minister of India
 1970: Kamaljit Sandhu becomes the first Indian woman
to win a Gold in the Asian Games
 1972: Kiran Bedi becomes the first female recruit to join
the Indian Police Service.[31]
 1979: Mother Teresa wins the Nobel Peace Prize,
becoming the first Indian female citizen to do so.
 1984: On May 23, Bachendri Pal became the first Indian
woman to climb Mount Everest.
 1989: Justice M. Fathima Beevi becomes the first woman
judge of the Supreme Court of India.[32]
 1997: Kalpana Chawla becomes the first India-born
woman to go into space.[33]
 1992: Priya Jhingan becomes the first lady cadet to join
the Indian Army (later commissioned on March 6, 1993)
[34]

 1994: Harita Kaur Deol becomes the first Indian woman

pilot in the Indian Air Force (IAF), on a solo flight.
 2000: Karnam Malleswari became the first Indian woman
to win an Olympic medal (bronze medal in the 2000
Summer Olympics at Sydney)
 2002: Lakshmi Sahgal became the first Indian woman to
run for the post of President of India.
 2004: Punita Arora became the first woman in the Indian
Army to don the highest rank of Lieutenant General.
 2007: Pratibha Patil becomes the first woman President
of India.
 2009: Meira Kumar became the first woman Speaker of
Lok Sabha, the lower house in Indian Parliament
[edit]Culture

Sari (a single piece of a long cloth wound around the body)

and salwar kameez are worn by women all over
India. Bindi is part of the women's make-up. Unlike common
belief, the bindi on the forehead does not signify marital
status, however the Sindoor does.[35]

Rangoli (or Kolam) is a traditional art very popular among

Indian women.
[edit]Education and economic development

According to 1992-93 figures, only 9.2% of the households in

India were female-headed. However, approximately 35% of
the households below the poverty line were found to be
female-headed.[36]
[edit]Education

Though it is gradually rising, the female literacy rate in India

is lower than the male literacy rate. [37] Compared to boys, far
fewer girls are enrolled in the schools, and many of them
drop out.[24] According to the National Sample Survey Data of
1997, only the states of Kerala andMizoram have
approached universal female literacy rates. According to
majority of the scholars, the major factor behind the
improved social and economic status of women in Kerala is
literacy.[24]

Under Non-Formal Education programme (NFE), about 40%

of the centres in states and 10% of the centres in UTs are
exclusively reservedfor females.[citation needed] As of 2000, about
0.3 million NFE centres were catering to about 7.42 million
children, out of which about 0.12 million were exclusively for
girls.[citation needed] In urban India, girls are nearly at par with the
boys in terms of education. However, in rural India girls
continue to be less educated than the boys.

According to a 1998 report by U.S. Department of

Commerce, the chief barrier to female education in India are
inadequate school facilities (such as sanitary facilities),
shortage of female teachers and gender bias in curriculum
(majority of the female characters being depicted as weak
and helpless).[38]
[edit]Workforce participation

Contrary to the common perception, a large percent of

women in India work.[39] The National data collection
agencies accept the fact that there is a serious under-
estimation of women's contribution as workers. [24] However,
there are far fewer women in the paid workforce than there
are men. In urban India Women have impressive number in
the workforce. As an example at software industry 30% of
the workforce is female.[40] They are at par with their male
counter parts in terms of wages, position at the work place.

In rural India, agriculture and allied industrial sectors employ

as much as 89.5% of the total female labour.[36] In overall
farm production, women's average contribution is estimated
at 55% to 66% of the total labour. According to a 1991 World
Bank report, women accounted for 94% of total employment
in dairy production in India. Women constitute 51% of the
total employed in forest-based small-scale enterprises. [36]

One of the most famous female business success stories is

the Shri Mahila Griha Udyog Lijjat Papad. In 2006, Kiran
Mazumdar-Shaw, who started Biocon - one of India's first
biotech companies, was rated India's richest woman. Lalita
Gupte and Kalpana Morparia (both were the only
businesswomen in India who made the list of the Forbes
World's Most Powerful Women), run India's second-largest
bank, ICICI Bank.[41]
[edit]Land and property rights

In most Indian families , women do not own any property in

their own names, and do not get a share of parental
property.[24] Due to weak enforcement of laws protecting
them, women continue to have little access to land and
property.[42] In fact, some of the laws discriminate against
women, when it comes to land and property rights.

The Hindu personal laws of mid-1956s (applied to Hindus,

Buddhists, Sikhs and Jains) gave women rights to
inheritance. However, the sons had an independent share in
the ancestral property, while the daughters' shares were
based on the share received by their father. Hence, a father
could effectively disinherit a daughter by renouncing his
share of the ancestral property, but the son will continue to
have a share in his own right. Additionally, married
daughters, even those facing marital harassment, had no
residential rights in the ancestral home. After amendment of
Hindu laws in 2005, now women in have been provided the
same status as that of men.[43]

In 1986, the Supreme Court of India ruled that Shah Bano,

an old divorced Muslim woman was eligible for maintenance
money. However, the decision was vociferously opposed by
fundamentalist Muslim leaders, who alleged that the court
was interfering in their personal law. TheUnion
Government subsequently passed the Muslim Women's
(Protection of Rights Upon Divorce) Act.[44]

Similarly, the Christian women have struggled over years for

equal rights of divorce and succession. In 1994, all the
churches, jointly with women's organisations, drew up a draft
law called the Christian Marriage and Matrimonial Causes
Bill. However, the government has still not amended the
relevant laws.[15]
[edit]Crimes against women

Police records show high incidence of crimes against women

in India. The National Crime Records Bureau reported in
1998 that the growth rate of crimes against women would be
higher than the population growth rate by 2010. [24] Earlier,
many cases were not registered with the police due to the
social stigma attached to rape and molestation cases.
Official statistics show that there has been a dramatic
increase in the number of reported crimes against women. [24]
[edit]Sexual harassment

Half of the total number of crimes against women reported in

1990 related to molestation and harassment at the
workplace.[24] Eve teasing is a euphemism used for sexual
harassment or molestation of women by men. Many activists
blame the rising incidents of sexual harassment against
women on the influence of "Western culture". In 1987, The
Indecent Representation of Women (Prohibition) Act was
passed[45] to prohibit indecent representation of women
through advertisements or in publications, writings,
paintings, figures or in any other manner.

In 1997, in a landmark judgement, the Supreme Court of

India took a strong stand against sexual harassment of
women in the workplace. The Court also laid down detailed
guidelines for prevention and redressal of grievances. The
National Commission for Women subsequently elaborated
these guidelines into a Code of Conduct for employers. [24]
[edit]Dowry

Main articles: Dowry, Dowry death, and Dowry law in India

In 1961, the Government of India passed the Dowry

Prohibition Act,[46] making the dowry demands in wedding
arrangements illegal. However, many cases of dowry-related
domestic violence, suicides and murders have been
reported. In the 1980s, numerous such cases were reported.
[39]

In 1985, the Dowry Prohibition (maintenance of lists of

presents to the bride and bridegroom) rules were framed.
[47]
 According to these rules, a signed list of presents given at
the time of the marriage to the bride and the bridegroom
should be maintained. The list should contain a brief
description of each present, its approximate value, the name
of whoever has given the present and his/her relationship to
the person. However, such rules are hardly enforced.

A 1997 report[48] claimed that at least 5,000 women die each

year because of dowry deaths, and at least a dozen die each
day in 'kitchen fires' thought to be intentional. The term for
this is "bride burning" and is criticized within India itself.
Amongst the urban educated, such dowry abuse has
reduced considerably.
[edit]Child marriage

Child marriage has been traditionally prevalent in India and

continues to this day. Historically, young girls would live with
their parents till they reached puberty. In the past, the child
widows were condemned to a life of great agony, shaving
heads, living in isolation, and shunned by the society.
[22]
 Although child marriage was outlawed in 1860, it is still a
common practice.[49]

According to UNICEF’s “State of the World’s Children-2009”

report, 47% of India's women aged 20–24 were married
before the legal age of 18, with 56% in rural areas. [50] The
report also showed that 40% of the world's child marriages
occur in India.[51]
[edit]Female infanticides and sex selective abortions
Main article: Sex-selective abortion and infanticide

India has a highly masculine sex ratio, the chief reason

being that many women die before reaching adulthood.
[24]
 Tribal societies in India have a less masculine sex ratio
than all other caste groups. This, in spite of the fact that
tribal communities have far lower levels of income, literacy
and health facilities.[24] It is therefore suggested by many
experts, that the highly masculine sex ratio in India can be
attributed to female infanticides and sex-selective abortions.

All medical tests that can be used to determine the sex of

the child have been banned in India, due to incidents of
these tests being used to get rid of unwanted female children
before birth. Female infanticide (killing of girl infants) is still
prevalent in some rural areas.[24] The abuse of the dowry
tradition has been one of the main reasons for sex-selective
abortions and female infanticides in India.
[edit]Domestic violence

The incidents of domestic violence are higher among the

lower Socio-Economic Classes (SECs).[citation needed] The
Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act, 2005
came into force on October 26, 2006.
[edit]Trafficking
The Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act was passed in 1956.
[52]
 However many cases of trafficking of young girls and
women have been reported. These women are either forced
into prostitution, domestic work or child labour.
[edit]Other concerns

Health
The average female life expectancy today in India is low
compared to many countries, but it has shown gradual
improvement over the years. In many families, especially
rural ones, the girls and women face nutritional
discrimination within the family, and are anaemic and
malnourished.[24]

The maternal mortality in India is the second highest in the

world.[15] Only 42% of births in the country are supervised by
health professionals. Most women deliver with help from
women in the family who often lack the skills and resources
to save the mother's life if it is in danger. [24] According to
UNDP Human Development Report (1997), 88% of pregnant
women (age 15-49) were found to be suffering from
anaemia.[36]
Family planning
The average woman in rural areas of India has little or no
control over her reproductivity. Women, particularly women
in rural areas, do not have access to safe and self-controlled
methods of contraception. The public health system
emphasises permanent methods like sterilisation, or long-
term methods like IUDs that do not need follow-up.
Sterilization accounts for more than 75% of total
contraception, with female sterilisation accounting for almost
95% of all sterilisations.[24]
[edit]Notable Indian women

See also: Category:Indian women and List of Indian film

actresses
 Arts and entertainment
Singers and vocalists such as M.S. Subbulakshmi, Gangubai
Hangal, Lata Mangeshkar and Asha Bhosle are widely
revered in India. Anjolie Ela Menon is one of the famous
painters.
Sports
Although the general sports scenario in India is not very
good, some Indian women have made notable achievements
in the field. Some of the famous female sportspersons in
Indian include P. T. Usha, J. J. Shobha (athletics), Kunjarani
Devi (weightlifting), Diana Edulji (cricket), Saina
Nehwal (badminton) , Koneru Hampi (chess) and Sania
Mirza (tennis). Karnam Malleswari (weightlifter), is the only
Indian woman to have won an Olympic medal (Bronze medal
in 2000).
Politics
Through the Panchayat Raj institutions, over a million
women have actively entered political life in India. [42] As per
the 73rd and 74th Constitutional Amendment Acts, all local
elected bodies reserve one-third of their seats for women.
Although the percentages of women in various levels of
political activity has risen considerably, women are still
under-represented in governance and decisionmaking
positions.[24]
Literature
Many well known women writers are in Indian literature as
poets and story writers. Sarojini Naidu, Kamala
surayya, Shobha De, Arundhati roy, Anita Desai are some of
them. Sarojini Naidu is called the nightingale of India.
Arundhati Roy was awarded the Booker Prize (Man Booker
Prize) for her novel The God of Small things.
[edit]