Women and Reform Chapter Notes | History Class 8 ICSE PDF Download

Introduction

Condition of Women

• Women were considered inferior and subordinate to men in Indian society.
• The birth of a girl was often unwelcome, and her marriage was seen as a burden.
• Widows were viewed as inauspicious and faced harsh treatment.
• Women were mostly confined to household duties.
• Education for girls was rare, as it was believed to be unnecessary.
• A common superstition was that educating a woman would lead to her becoming a widow.
• Women could not inherit property.
• Practices like sati, child marriage, and female infanticide were widespread.
• British critics, like James Mill, used the poor condition of women to argue that India was less civilized.
• New communication methods, such as books, newspapers, and pamphlets, made it easier to discuss social issues.

Sati

• Sati was the practice of burning widows on their husbands' funeral pyres.
• It was seen as a way for widows to gain divine status, and families gained social prestige by performing it.
• It was practiced by Rajput families during Mughal times and in the Vijayanagara kingdom.
• In British-administered areas, like Calcutta, sati became more common in the 18th and 19th centuries.
• While said to be voluntary, women were often pressured into committing sati.
• Orthodox groups justified sati using religious texts like the Dharmashastras.
• Raja Ram Mohan Roy campaigned against sati, arguing that ancient texts did not support it.
• In 1829, Governor General William Bentinck banned sati, making it illegal.

Raja Ram Mohan Roy

• Raja Ram Mohan Roy was a key social, religious, and educational reformer.
• Known as the 'Maker of Modern India' and 'Father of the Bengal Renaissance'.
• Born in a Bengali Brahmin family, he was fluent in Sanskrit, Arabic, Persian, Bengali, and English.
• He published newspapers like Sambad Kaumudi (Bengali) and Mirat-Ul-Akhbar (Persian).
• Founded the Brahmo Sabha, later called Brahmo Samaj, in Calcutta to promote social reforms.
• Believed western education would help India progress.
• Campaigned against sati, proving it lacked support in ancient texts.
• His efforts led to the banning of sati in 1829.
• Highlighted the struggles of women, including their lack of education and confinement to domestic roles.

Widow Remarriage

• Widows who did not commit sati faced harsh lives, including shaving their heads, wearing plain clothes, and eating only one meal a day.
• They were excluded from social events as their presence was considered unlucky.
• Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar, a Sanskrit scholar, led the movement for widow remarriage.
• He used ancient texts to argue that widows could remarry.
• The Widow Remarriage Act was passed in 1856, allowing widows to remarry.
• Despite the law, few widows remarried, and those who did faced social rejection.
• Pandita Ramabai, a widow, challenged these norms and founded the Mukti Mission in Poona in 1889 to support widows.
• Other reformers like Dayanand Saraswati, Kandukuri Veeresalingam, Behramji Malabari, and Jyotirao Phule also supported widow remarriage.
• Kandukuri Veeresalingam formed the Rajahmundry Social Reform Association in 1878 to promote widow remarriage.
• Arya Samaj, founded by Dayanand Saraswati, also supported this cause.

Child Marriage

• Child marriage led to many young girls becoming widows early.
• Girls were often married to much older men, and polygamy was common.
• Child marriage caused high maternal mortality rates due to early pregnancies.
• Behramji Malabari, a Parsi reformer, wrote about infant marriage and enforced widowhood in 1884, sparking debate.
• The Age of Consent Bill (1891) raised the marriage age for girls from 10 to 12 years.
• The Child Marriage Restraint Act (Sarda Act) of 1929 raised the marriage age to 14 for girls and 18 for boys.

Women's Education

• Reformers saw education as key to improving women's lives.
• Christian missionary schools for girls were set up but faced criticism for promoting Christianity.
• Many feared schools would disrupt girls' household duties or corrupt them.
• In 1849, Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar and J.E.D. Bethune established a girls' school in Calcutta.
• Vidyasagar funded and set up several girls' schools in Bengal.
• Arya Samaj opened girls' schools in Punjab.
• Jyotirao Phule and Savitribai Phule established schools for girls, including for lower castes, in Maharashtra.
• Prarthana Samaj, founded in 1867 by M.G. Ranade and R.G. Bhandarkar in Maharashtra, supported women's education.
• Veda Samaj, founded in 1864 by Sridharalu Naidu in Madras, promoted women's education.
• The Begums of Bhopal started a primary school for girls in Aligarh.
• Begum Rokeya Sakhawat Hossain founded Sakhawat Memorial School for Muslim girls in Calcutta.
• Begum Rokeya wrote Sultana's Dream, criticizing the purdah system that restricted women.
• Sir Syed Ahmad Khan opposed purdah and supported women's education.
• Many women were educated at home by liberal fathers or husbands.
• In aristocratic Muslim homes, women learned to read the Quran in Arabic with female tutors.
• Pandita Ramabai wrote High Caste Hindu Woman, highlighting the oppression of Hindu women.
• Tarabai Shinde wrote Stripurushtulna, criticizing gender inequalities.
• Rassundari Devi secretly taught herself to read and wrote her autobiography, Amar Jiban, about women's lives.
• By the late 19th century, women began advocating for reforms, forming associations, and setting up schools.
• Women started attending universities, becoming teachers, doctors, and writers.
• From the early 20th century, women's groups pushed for voting rights, better healthcare, and education.
• Conservatives opposed women's education, believing it would erode traditional values.
• Some suggested women should learn practical skills like needlework and hygiene to be better homemakers.
• Supporters argued educated women could better support educated men.

Case Study: Women's Reform Movements in Maharashtra

• Maharashtra's reforms blended Indian traditions with western education, especially in Bombay and Pune.
• Reformers prioritized social change over political freedom but faced resistance from conservatives.
• Acharya Balshastri Jambhekar opposed sati and female infanticide.
• Ramakrishna Gopal Bhandarkar and M.G. Ranade founded Prarthana Samaj for social and religious reforms.
• M.G. Ranade started the Social Conference Movement, advocating against child marriage, costly weddings, and caste restrictions.
• Ranade co-founded the Widow Marriage Association in 1861.
• Behramji Malabari established Seva Sadan to support women of all castes.
• Savitribai and Jyotirao Phule founded the first girls' school in Pune in 1848 and supported widow remarriage.

Women's Reform Movements in Bengal

• Reformers worked to improve women's lives with support from the elite and British officials.
• Raja Ram Mohan Roy, Dwarkanath Tagore, Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar, and Debendranath Tagore emphasized women's progress for societal change.
• After Roy's death in 1833, Brahmo Samaj, led by Keshab Chandra Sen and Debendranath Tagore, continued advocating for women.
• Brahmo Samaj focused on abolishing sati and polygamy, and promoting widow remarriage and education.
• Henry Vivian Derozio's Young Bengal Movement supported women's rights.
• Begum Rokeya, a Muslim reformer, opposed gender discrimination and founded Sakhawat Memorial School and the Bengali Women's Association.

Points To Remember

• 19th-century reformers addressed women's issues and oppressive customs.
• Raja Ram Mohan Roy’s campaign led to the banning of sati in 1829 by William Bentinck.
• Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar’s efforts resulted in the Widow Remarriage Act of 1856.
• The Age of Consent Bill (1891) raised the marriage age for girls to 12, and the Sarda Act (1929) raised it to 14 for girls and 18 for boys.
• Prarthana Samaj, founded in 1867 by M.G. Ranade and R.G. Bhandarkar, promoted women’s reforms.
• Veda Samaj, founded in 1864 by Sridharalu Naidu, supported women’s education and widow remarriage.
• Begum Rokeya founded a school for Muslim girls in Calcutta.
• Pandita Ramabai, Tarabai Shinde, and Rassundari Devi wrote about women’s struggles.