UPSC Mains Previous Year Questions: Women's Movement in India | Indian Society for UPSC CSE PDF Download

‘Women’s movement in India has not addresses the issues of women of lower social strata.’ Substantiate your view. (UPSC GS1 2018)

India has witnessed since 1980s women-centred movements highlighting issues faced by India in women. Be it Jessica Lal, Aarushi Talwar murder case, Temple entry movement in Gujarat among many others. These have largely voiced injustice in socio-economic issues like Equal Remuneration, Recognition for their Work, Leadership roles Sexual Harassment at Workplace, Right to Privacy and live-in relationships, Dowry Related violence, IPC section 497.
These are largely aspirational choices of Upper and upper middle class women Women at lower strata face wide and serious issues which doesn’t get highlighted (barring few)in public discourse hence lack momentum in making it a successful social movement.
Some of them are –greater rate of abandonment by husbands, Child marriage, lack of choice in marital relationships, Trafficking, Prostitution(ex: devadasi in Karnataka) alcoholism and resulting violence by husbands, high maternal mortality, poor life expectancy, rigid caste system with low level of literacy and greater control on their sexuality, denial of right to work, visit parental home, creamation etc.
Women in poor household have to work entire day collecting firewoods, using unhealthy chulha, fetching waters from far away wells, live in unhygienic habitat without electricity, and nourish child, in-laws all by herself. Subjected to marital rape, being treated only as sexual toys of their men is considered as their only service.
Reasons for this are varied: 

• Corporate and money centric media don’t bring these issue to limelight since they don’t attract much TRPs 
• Lack of women leaders from lower strata despite grass-roots panchayats. Men take up roles of their wives to exercise power in Panchayats. Once they raise their social status, they voice concerns of the new social group than their older counterparts. Ex: Film actresses 
• Lack of recognition for their leadership in small industrial units (MSMEs), Modern Scientific Education, skills of social empowerment (like confidence, soft-skills etc).#Meetoo campaign highlighted Sexual harassment at workplace. 
• Lack of job opportunities and socio-economic infrastructure in Rural areas. Upward social mobility through migration is more among men while women are restricted to low-paying agricultural jobs, informal sector jobs like Beedi-making etc lacking awareness of their rights 
• Strong control on women’s life through Caste panchayats, patriarchy through honour killings, Kangaroo courts, moral policing .Customary morality are too much internalised by women that they tend to perceive exploitation as normal, right. 
• Poverty breeds more children, put burden on women who cannot afford time for their individual selfexpression Legislative measures like Dowry Prohibition Act, Child Marriage (Prohibition) Act, Hindu Marriage Act, Special Marriage Act and many others have not percolated deep into poor women’s lifestyle. 
• Current news: Perumal Murugan’s a dalit writer from Tamil Nadu was recently attacked for his book Mathorubhagan (translated into English as One Part Woman) highlighting problems of lower caste women. Off late reformative initiatives like Ban on Triple talaq, Niqah halala, Polygamy, IPC 377 nullity purdah (issues of lower strata) have begun to make public space with greater intervention of the Supreme Court.
• The political leadership shouldrefrain from appeasement policies as in amendment to Shah Bano verdict, Civil Society and media should actively work on developing consensus on Uniform Civil Code, women leaders from elite sections should highlight, train next generation leaders from lower strata, Women oriented movies like Gulaab gang, Bandit Queen should get more media spacehelp deepen democracy in general and new women movement in particular.

Topics Covered - Women’s Participation post Independence, Women related Issues