WOMEN IN INDIAN HISTORY
BY
ISWARYA
194963
2ND MSCs B
SIGNIFICANCE AND ROLE OF WOMEN
• Women are the pioneers of nation. Indian culture attaches great importance to women,
comprising half of world’s population. According to a report of secretary general of United
Nations, women constitute 50% of human resources, the greatest human resource next only to
man having great potentiality.
• Women are the key to sustainable development and quality of life in the family.
• The varieties of role the women assume in the family are those ,
• As a Mother
• As a Wife
• As an Administrator and Leader of the Household
• As a Manager of Family Income
WOMEN IN INDIAN HISTORY
We can classify the women in Indian history into four categories :
• Ancient Period (3000BC - 100BC)
• Medieval Period (500AD – 1650AD)
• British India Period(1650AD – 1947AD)
• Modern Period (1950 - Present)
WOMEN IN ANCIENT INDIA
• During this period, women had high social and religious status.
• There is sufficient evidence in Vedic literature that in Vedic period women were
imparted Vedic education and used to take part in religious rites.
• They were also authors of certain Vedic hymns.
• Women of that age were capable of learning and understanding philosophical
doctrines.
• In Vedic age women remain unmarried for higher studies.
• The women education has been highly appreciated in Atharva Veda.
• Manu emphasized that it was the duty of parents to give her daughters integral
education.
• However, there was a gradual decline in female education during later Vedic age.
WOMEN IN MEDIEVAL INDIA
• The condition of women in India came to be worst during
Muslim rule.
• The custom of Pardah extended to the whole of higher
classes.
• Women of lower strata could not afford to confine
themselves within the four walls of home as they had to
work outside beside home duties.
• During the medieval period only system of ‘Pardah' and
'Jauhar' were being introduced by Muslim and Rajput
community against women.
WOMEN IN BRITISH INDIA
• In that time women were considered a completely inferior, means
inferior to male having no significance, no personality. They were almost
uneducated.
• Due to efforts of social reformers the status of women was improved, which
recognized them in their own rights.
• Hindu Dharma Shastras and customs had already paved the way for their
complete subordination to male through deprivation of property rights,
worship of husband as Gods,dowry and sati system.
• Social reformers tried to give equal importance to women with men therefore
in this period only many legislative enactment has been enforced by
legislators for protection of women life.
• Act of Sati (abolish) 1829, The Hindu Widow Remarriage Act 1856, The
Child Restriction Act 1929
WOMEN IN MODERN PERIOD
• Position and starts of today's woman in India is considerably changed in modern
Indian Society.
• A country or a community cannot be considered civilized where woman is not
honored.
• Indian laws are being need without any discrimination against woman.
• As a result Indian woman enjoying high position in our society. Modern Indian
woman today occupy high ranking pests live I.A.S., I.P.S., Defense services,
participate in various sports.
• Woman of recent times like Mother Teressa, Vijay Laxmi Pandit, M.S. Subhalaxmi,
Lata Mangeskar our ex-president Smt. Prathibha Patil etc. have achieved
international fame.
• Women have also achieved high fame in the areas of literature, music and acting.
Moreover woman are joining the field of science and technology also.
FAMOUS PERSONALITIES IN INDIAN HISTORY
• Anandi Gopal Joshi: She was the first female doctor in India and
the first Indian woman to obtain a medical degree in the United
States.
• Indira Gandhi: She was the first and only woman to be the Prime
Minister of India.
• Justice Anna Chandy: She was the first female judge in India.
• Kalpana Chawla: She was the first Indian woman in space and
died tragically in the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster.
• Mother Teresa: She dedicated her life to helping the poor and
was the first woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979.
PROBLEMS FACED BY WOMEN IN INDIA
• Being a girl or woman is not easy. Issues hinder the growth of a country and makes the women feel inferior.
• Gender discrimination is one of the issues that women are facing in India. Women are not considered equal to men.
Women are discriminated at the workplace, society and even at home.
• In some of the rural areas, girls are still denied to education.
• Similarly, women don’t get paid as men equally. In some workplaces, women face exploitation and harassment by their
superiors.
• Domestic violence happens more often in India. There comes, dowry system with domestic violence. Even it includes
rape, genital mutilation, harassment and many more.
• The most significant problem that comes with being a girl or woman is being underestimated for knowledge and skills.
• Even simple and fundamental human rights are also a struggle for women in India.
• Women are an essential entity. It is because they have the power to shape the whole nation.
• Throwing acid cases are still happening in India. It makes a dangerous environment for women.
SCHEMES BY GOVT TO EMPOWER WOMEN
1. Beti Padhao, Beti Bachao Scheme – This scheme was generated on 22nd January 2015 with the funding of 100
crores. The objectives are – to prevent sex-selective abortion, to ensure the survival and protection of a girl
child, and to ensure education for a girl child.
The government believes in “Beta Beti Ek Samaan”. The aim of this scheme is to eliminate discrimination on
the basis of gender, to ensure that every girl child survives and the government ensures that every girl in the
country receives the basic education.
2. One-Stop Centre Scheme – This scheme will be funded by the Nirbhaya scheme. The aim of the scheme is to
provide support and assistance to women affected by violence both in private and public spaces.
It also facilitates immediate emergency or non-emergency to seek medical, legal, psychological support to fight
against any form of violence against women.
3. Women Helpline Scheme – This has been generated on 1st April 2015. The aim is to provide 24 hours of
immediate and emergency response to women who are affected by violence.
4. Working Women’s Hostel – The aim of the scheme is to envisage the provision of safe and affordable hostels
for women. It also gives rise to a chance of employment to women in urban, semi-urban and rural areas via
daycare facilities, etc.
5. Support to Training and Employment Programme (STEP) for women – This scheme targets mostly the
marginalized less rural and urban poor women. It also includes wage laborers, unpaid daily workers, women-
headed households, and families below the poverty line.
The objectives are to provide skill for development and up-gradation, to enable groups of women to take up
employment-cum-income generation programs.
THANK YOU
