Status of Indian Women through Ages

The status of women is the yardstick to assess the standard of culture of any age of any nation. Even though put inferior, women play a vital role in strengthening and shaping up the human civilisation. Her status can be determined through various socio-economic and political laws and customs of society in the field of education, marriage, household-proprietary rights, religious freedom, widow remarriage, freedom to move about in society, arts, professional life, her contribution to society per se, associated social evils, etc. The timeline to study the status of women can be divided into three periods. One, the Vedic Period where even though there existed two schools of thought regarding women’s position, women, in general, enjoyed almost equal status along with men, be it in education, having a say in her marriage at the age of sixteen, dignified position in society post-marriage, widow remarriage and absence of polygamy. They had professional and economic freedom, a great religious and public life, and a taboo-free sexual life where the profession of prostitution was not considered shameful. Everything else remaining unchanged, Post Vedic period confined women to four walls of the house and saw the introduction of the Devadasi system. Though in the later stage, Buddhism and Jainism tried and lifted her social status, they lowered her politico-economic status in society. The age of Dharmasastras and Manusmriti put a thrust on female chastity with ever-increasing male domination and thus subordinated her completely. Second, in the Medieval period, with the Arab, Turk, and Mughal invasions, women lost the rest of the available freedom and security. With all kinds of discrimination and violence in terms of preference for a male child, female infanticide, child marriages, the prohibition of widow-remarriages, purdah, seclusion, polygamy, rape, abduction, sati, and jauhar, a strong dislike towards girlchild developed. In the last period, called the Modern period when British ruled India, the status of women was at its lowest scale. However, with the world over struggle in the 19th and 20th centuries regarding Women’s Emancipation and with the effort of Indian educated reformists like Raja Ram Mohan Roy changed Sati, child marriage and widow remarriage. And finally, Gandhi’s Indian National movement call paved the way for women’s liberation. Post-Independence in 1947, women's position was better to some extent.The formation of the Indian Constitution on 26th January 1950, which is the basic law of the land recognized sex-based equality as a fundamental right. Many provisions relating to women were made concerning her equality, security, and freedom. However, in the 21st century, we realise that freedom still eludes.