PPT: Women, Caste and Reform | Social Studies (SST) Class 8 PDF Download

 Page 1


Women, Caste and 
Reform
Page 2


Women, Caste and 
Reform
Overview
Women's Status
Two hundred years ago, children were 
married off at an early age. Hindu and Muslim 
men could have multiple wives. Widows were 
expected to commit sati. Women had limited 
property rights and little access to education.
Caste Divisions
Society was rigidly divided by caste, with 
Brahmins and Kshatriyas at the top and 
"untouchables" at the bottom. Lower castes 
faced severe restrictions on their daily lives 
and activities.
Social Transformation
Over the 19th and 20th centuries, these 
norms and perceptions began to change 
through the efforts of reformers, new 
communication methods, and growing social 
movements.
Page 3


Women, Caste and 
Reform
Overview
Women's Status
Two hundred years ago, children were 
married off at an early age. Hindu and Muslim 
men could have multiple wives. Widows were 
expected to commit sati. Women had limited 
property rights and little access to education.
Caste Divisions
Society was rigidly divided by caste, with 
Brahmins and Kshatriyas at the top and 
"untouchables" at the bottom. Lower castes 
faced severe restrictions on their daily lives 
and activities.
Social Transformation
Over the 19th and 20th centuries, these 
norms and perceptions began to change 
through the efforts of reformers, new 
communication methods, and growing social 
movements.
Working Towards Change
The early nineteenth century saw new forms of 
communication emerge, transforming how social 
customs were discussed. Books, newspapers, 
magazines, leaflets, and pamphlets were printed for 
the first time, making information accessible to 
ordinary people.
These new media allowed men and sometimes women 
in cities to debate social, political, economic, and 
religious matters, reaching a wider public than ever 
before.
Indian reformers like Raja Rammohun Roy (177231833) 
initiated many of these debates. Roy founded the 
Brahmo Sabha (later Brahmo Samaj) in Calcutta to 
promote reform and eliminate unjust practices.
Reformers like Roy advocated for Western education 
and greater freedom and equality for women. He 
criticized the burden of domestic work on women and 
their confinement to the home, pushing for their 
education and empowerment.
Page 4


Women, Caste and 
Reform
Overview
Women's Status
Two hundred years ago, children were 
married off at an early age. Hindu and Muslim 
men could have multiple wives. Widows were 
expected to commit sati. Women had limited 
property rights and little access to education.
Caste Divisions
Society was rigidly divided by caste, with 
Brahmins and Kshatriyas at the top and 
"untouchables" at the bottom. Lower castes 
faced severe restrictions on their daily lives 
and activities.
Social Transformation
Over the 19th and 20th centuries, these 
norms and perceptions began to change 
through the efforts of reformers, new 
communication methods, and growing social 
movements.
Working Towards Change
The early nineteenth century saw new forms of 
communication emerge, transforming how social 
customs were discussed. Books, newspapers, 
magazines, leaflets, and pamphlets were printed for 
the first time, making information accessible to 
ordinary people.
These new media allowed men and sometimes women 
in cities to debate social, political, economic, and 
religious matters, reaching a wider public than ever 
before.
Indian reformers like Raja Rammohun Roy (177231833) 
initiated many of these debates. Roy founded the 
Brahmo Sabha (later Brahmo Samaj) in Calcutta to 
promote reform and eliminate unjust practices.
Reformers like Roy advocated for Western education 
and greater freedom and equality for women. He 
criticized the burden of domestic work on women and 
their confinement to the home, pushing for their 
education and empowerment.
Changing the Lives of Widows
Textual Evidence
Rammohun Roy used his 
knowledge of various 
languages to show that 
the practice of widow 
burning (sati) had no 
support in ancient texts, 
challenging harmful 
traditions with historical 
evidence.
Legal Reform
In 1829, the practice of 
sati was banned. Later, 
Ishwarchandra 
Vidyasagar's advocacy led 
to the Hindu Widow 
Remarriage Act of 1856, 
legally permitting widows 
to remarry.
Spreading 
Movement
The movement for widow 
remarriage spread across 
India. Veerasalingam 
Pantulu formed an 
association in Telugu-
speaking areas, while 
reformers in Bombay and 
Swami Dayanand 
Saraswati also supported 
the cause.
Page 5


Women, Caste and 
Reform
Overview
Women's Status
Two hundred years ago, children were 
married off at an early age. Hindu and Muslim 
men could have multiple wives. Widows were 
expected to commit sati. Women had limited 
property rights and little access to education.
Caste Divisions
Society was rigidly divided by caste, with 
Brahmins and Kshatriyas at the top and 
"untouchables" at the bottom. Lower castes 
faced severe restrictions on their daily lives 
and activities.
Social Transformation
Over the 19th and 20th centuries, these 
norms and perceptions began to change 
through the efforts of reformers, new 
communication methods, and growing social 
movements.
Working Towards Change
The early nineteenth century saw new forms of 
communication emerge, transforming how social 
customs were discussed. Books, newspapers, 
magazines, leaflets, and pamphlets were printed for 
the first time, making information accessible to 
ordinary people.
These new media allowed men and sometimes women 
in cities to debate social, political, economic, and 
religious matters, reaching a wider public than ever 
before.
Indian reformers like Raja Rammohun Roy (177231833) 
initiated many of these debates. Roy founded the 
Brahmo Sabha (later Brahmo Samaj) in Calcutta to 
promote reform and eliminate unjust practices.
Reformers like Roy advocated for Western education 
and greater freedom and equality for women. He 
criticized the burden of domestic work on women and 
their confinement to the home, pushing for their 
education and empowerment.
Changing the Lives of Widows
Textual Evidence
Rammohun Roy used his 
knowledge of various 
languages to show that 
the practice of widow 
burning (sati) had no 
support in ancient texts, 
challenging harmful 
traditions with historical 
evidence.
Legal Reform
In 1829, the practice of 
sati was banned. Later, 
Ishwarchandra 
Vidyasagar's advocacy led 
to the Hindu Widow 
Remarriage Act of 1856, 
legally permitting widows 
to remarry.
Spreading 
Movement
The movement for widow 
remarriage spread across 
India. Veerasalingam 
Pantulu formed an 
association in Telugu-
speaking areas, while 
reformers in Bombay and 
Swami Dayanand 
Saraswati also supported 
the cause.
Girls Begin Going to School
Breaking Barriers
Many reformers believed educating girls 
was necessary for improving women's 
condition. Schools for girls were 
established by reformers like Vidyasagar 
and Jyotirao Phule, despite initial 
resistance.
Religious Education
In aristocratic Muslim households, 
women learned to read the Koran in 
Arabic with female teachers. Some 
reformers reinterpreted verses from the 
Koran to advocate for women's 
education.
Literary Access
Urdu novels were written to encourage 
women to read about religion and 
domestic management in a language 
they could understand, expanding their 
access to knowledge.