THE TIDE TURNS

Te Ao Hou, September 1960, Page 25

THE TIDE TURNS The position of women continued to deteriorate steadily and their rigorous exclusion became the rule, especially in mediaeval times marked by invasions and resultant insecurity. But though their freedom was lost and their social status lowered, women retained their influence in the home, where they were regarded with respect and veneration. Mrs Hansa Mehta, Vice-Chancellor of Baroda University, is a member of Unesco's Executive Board. (Unesco Photograph).

A girl student in a University Laboratory. (Unesco Photograph). “Centuries of tradition have made the Indian women, the most unselfish, the most self-denying, the most patient in the world, whose pride is suffering”, says Sir Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan. The tide began to turn decisively in the midnineteenth century, when such practices as polygamy, child marriage, enforced widowhood and “sati” (self-immolation on the husband's funeral pyre) were vigorously attacked by reformists. The twentieth century saw the birth of a strong women's movement which became a spearhead in the struggle against irrational orthodoxy and discrimination. But it was the movement for freedom in India which made the Indian women really free—a movement into which they threw themselves heart and soul, leaving the shelter of their homes. Describing their role, Nehru has written: “Most of us menfolk were in prison; our women took charge of the struggle. Here were these women. women of the upper or middle classes, leading sheltered lives, peasant women, working women. rich women, poor women, pouring out in their tens of thousands in defiance of government law and police lathis. Never can I forget the thrill that came to us, the enormous pride in the women of India that filled us.” With independence came complete equality (Indian women had already been granted limited voting rights in 1935). The Constitution guaranteed to all citizens, irrespective of sex, “equality before the law”, and “equality of opportunity in matters of public employment”. During recent years, Parliament has adopted three major bills which mark a significant break with the past. One outlaws polygamy and grants equal rights of divorce to men and women. The second act recognises the right of daughters to inherit property from either parent on the same basis as sons; the third grants women the right, in certain circumstances, to adopt a son or a daughter. Other communities—Muslims, Christians and Parsis—are governed by their own laws.