GS1 PYQ (Mains Answer Writing): Women in 19th Century India | History for UPSC CSE PDF Download

Q1: The women's questions arose in modern India as a part of the 19th century social reform movement. What were the major issues and debates concerning women in that period? (UPSC GS 1 Paper)

Answer: 

Introduction

During the British rule the spread of English education and Western liberal ideology among Indians and spread of Christianity and missionary activities, resulted in a number of movements for social change and religious reform in the nineteenth century. The initiatives came largely from male reformers like Raja Ram Mohan Roy, Ishwarchandra Vidyasagar, M.G.Ranade, R.G. Bhandarkar etc. The new urban elite, drawn mostly from the upper castes, imbibed the enlightenment philosophy of individualism and humanism. They perceived barbaric traditional practices against women as a civilizational lapse and as recognizable social evils.

Body

Major issues and debates concerning women in the 19th century social reform movement

• Education of women: Debate around need for women’s education, opening up of schools for girls like Bethune School by John Elliot Drinkwater Bethune in 1849. Issues like curriculum design, inclusion of topics like philosophy, sciences, and choice of language medium.
• Child marriage: Efforts by social reformers like Raja Ram Mohan Roy to increase marriageable age for girls to curb child marriage. Debates around tradition like early marriage permitted in Manusmriti versus health impact on young brides.
• Widow remarriage: Campaigns by Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar to legalize widow remarriage in 1856, allow widows to remarry. Orthodox Hindus opposed it as widow remarriage was prohibited in religious scriptures.
• Abolition of Sati: Social reformers like Raja Ram Mohan Roy opposed Sati – the practice of widow self-immolation on her husband’s funeral pyre. Roy argued from both women’s rights and religion standpoint. Faced resistance from orthodox groups and East India Company.
• Women’s property rights: Demand by reformers like Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar for rights for women to inherit ancestral property through Hindu Widows’ Remarriage Act, 1856. Earlier, widows did not have inheritance rights.
• Overall status of women: Debates around need for women’s upliftment, granting them human rights and dignity. Eg – Age of Consent Act, 1891 raised age of consent for sexual intercourse for Indian girls.

Conclusion 

The 19th century social reform movement critically examined customary practices against women in India and paved the way for future women’s rights movements.