Sambhav-2024

• Start the answer with a discussion that sets a context for the question.
• Discuss the rise and growth of social reforms aimed at improving the status of women in British India.
• Conclude suitably.

Introduction

As the 19^th century unfolded, a wave of enlightenment swept through British India, ushering in a transformative era where social reformers sought to dismantle oppressive structures and pave the way for the empowerment of women.

Body

The rise and growth of social reforms aimed at improving the status of women were as follows:

• Abolition of Sati (1829): The early 19^th century saw the initiation of social reforms to address the practice of Sati, in which widows were expected to self-immolate on their husband's funeral pyre.
  • Raja Ram Mohan Roy played a crucial role in advocating for the abolition of Sati, ultimately leading to the passage of the Bengal Sati Regulation Act in 1829.
• Preventing Female Infanticide: The practice of murdering female infants immediately after their birth was a common practice among upper-class Bengalis and Rajputs who considered females to be an economic burden.

• The Bengal regulations of 1795 and 1804 declared infanticide illegal and equivalent to murder.

• Widow Remarriage: Efforts were made to promote the remarriage of widows, challenging the prevailing societal norms.
  • It was mainly due to the efforts of Pandit Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar the Hindu Widows’ Remarriage Act, of 1856, was passed; it legalized the marriage of widows and declared issues from such marriages as legitimate.
• Controlling Child Marriage: The relentless efforts of a Parsi reformer, B.M. Malabari, were rewarded by the enactment of the Age of Consent Act (1891), which forbade the marriage of girls below the age of 12.
  • The case of Rukhmabai pushed the reformers to get the Age of Consent Act passed.
• Education of Women: This period witnessed advocacy for Advocating for female literacy, challenging the prevailing belief that education was the exclusive domain of men. The Bethune School founded in Calcutta in 1849 was the first fruit of the powerful movement for women’s education
  • Pandit Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar was associated with no less than 35 girls’ schools in Bengal.
• Formation of Women's Organizations: In 1910, the inaugural gathering of the Bharat Stree Mahamandal took place in Allahabad, under the leadership of Sarla Devi Chaudhurani.
  • Simultaneously, the Ladies Social Conference was established by Ramabai Ranade, while Pandita Ramabai Saraswati founded the Arya Mahila Samaj, both dedicated to championing the cause of women.
• Suffrage Movements: The India suffragist movement in India began in earnest in 1917 with the founding of the Women’s India Association by Mrs. Dorothy Jinarajadasa, Margaret Cousins, and Annie Besant.
  • The All India Women's Conference (AIWC), founded in 1927, played a pivotal role in addressing various issues affecting women and pushing for political participation.

Conclusion

These movements laid the groundwork for ongoing efforts to advance women's rights in India. To empower women, the Indian Constitution, adopted in 1950, guaranteed equal rights to men and women.