1. 2015
Varikoti Sai Samyukta
ASSIGNMENT - 1
What is the understanding of Feminism in West and East? How does modernity
influence gender roles, particularly in India?
2. What is the understanding of Feminism in West and East?
Feminism is a range of movements and ideologies that share a common goal to define,
establish, and achieve equal political, economic, cultural, personal, and social rights for
women. This includes seeking to establish equal opportunities for women in education
and employment.
Feminism in the West: Feminism began in the western world in the late 19th century
and has gone through three waves. In first wave, feminism was oriented around the
station of middle or upper class white women who involved suffrage and political
equality. Second-wave feminism attempted to further combat social and cultural
inequalities. Third-wave feminism is continuing to address the financial, social and
cultural inequalities and includes renewed campaigning for greater influence of women
in politics and media. In reaction to political activism, feminists have also had to
maintain focus on women's reproductive rights, such as the right to abortion. In western
world, feminism mainly began due to the reasons that women were not given the right
to vote and the wages given to them were far less than those of men.
In the United States, radical feminism (abolish patriarchy in all social and economic
contexts) developed as a response to some of the perceived failings of both New Left
organizations such as the Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) and other feminist
organizations. Initially concentrated in big cities like New York, Chicago, Boston,
Washington, DC, and on the West Coast, radical feminist groups spread across the
country rapidly from 1968 to 1972.
Radical feminists in the western world called for a radical reordering of society in which
male supremacy is eliminated in all social and economic contexts. Radical feminists seek
to abolish patriarchy by challenging existing social norms and institutions, rather than
through a purely political process. This includes challenging traditional gender roles,
opposing the sexual objectification of women, and raising public awareness about rape
and violence against women. The New York Radical Feminists (NYRF) took a more
psychologistic (and even biologically determinist) line. They argued that men dominated
women not so much for material benefits as for the ego satisfaction intrinsic in
domination.
In the United Kingdom, feminism developed out of discussions within community based
radical women's organizations and discussions by women within the Trotskyist left.
Radical feminism was imported into the UK by American radical feminists and seized on
by British radical women as offering an exciting new theory to replace Trotskyism. As
the 1970s progressed, British feminists split into two major schools of thought: socialist
and radical. In 1977, another split occurred, with a third grouping calling itself
"revolutionary feminism" breaking away from the other two.
Australian radical feminism developed slightly later, during an extended period of social
radicalization, largely as an expression of that radicalization.
Feminism in the East: True equality and respect for women may be found within Islam.
The Quran, as we have seen, expresses women's equality and the Prophet did much to
3. improve the status of women. The early female believers were actively involved in the
struggles of the nascent Islamic community. They supported and aided the early Muslim
men to adhere to their faith. In short, Islam does not debase woman (as Western society
does) but rather respects her and regards her as different from but equal to man.
In India, Patriarchal system of families exist and majority of population living in the
rural section of the society, women are treated as burden to the family for the reasons of
education, dowry etc. The fact that girls are needed to assist their mothers at home,
most of the women in rural areas are uneducated. In an Indian household, a male child is
treated very different when compared to a female child in all aspects like giving pocket
money, or sending them to long distance for education or employment. Feminism in
India was challenged by various minority groups for not entirely addressing the needs
of minority populations. Mainstream feminism in India was upper caste and Hindu in its
orientation and did not address the concerns of minority women. This led to the
formation of the Awaaz-e-Niswaan (The Voice of Women) in 1987 in Mumbai in largely
Muslim part of the city. The Muslim community has personal laws that often were
considered harmful to the rights of Muslim women.
How does modernity influence gender roles, particularly in India?
Although the scenario of male domination has decreased comparatively in Indian
society, there are still many issues which vary the gender roles. Long back, in Vedic
period, there were no disparities between male and female. But in the later times, the
traditional system of oppressing females has started. The customs and traditions like
‘Sati Sahagamanam’ etc. were abolished and eminent people like Raja Ram Mohan Roy
and Eshwar Chandra Vidhya Sagar have conducted many movements which emphasized
women education. The role of women in various sectors in the present Indian society is
far different from the past. But the country is still severely male-dominant and
unwelcoming to movements that go against sex and gender traditions in India.
In religious matters, the customs and traditions were blindly followed without knowing
the biological reasons behind them. Women were not allowed to take part in all types of
worship. They were not allowed to enter into few temples (in Kerala). In some places,
they are not allowed to touch the idols of Linga. Earlier, the tradition was that women
take care of the kitchen and children; man was the earning member of the household.
This tradition was followed for many years, which is the main reason of women for
having no major role in any development matters. But now, though the trend is changed
and women go out of the home and work the whole day, men don’t take charge of the
kitchen, though he is unemployed. In political sector, though they promise to have few
seats reserved for ladies in their manifesto, it never passes into the law due to the male
dominant political parties. Legally, though the transfer of patriarchal property is equal
between sons and daughters, it is rarely followed and women get less share. And the
share which she gets is used for dowry. Her right to manage the land and income from
the property is very less.
Modern influences are affecting the younger generations in parts of India, where girls
are beginning to forgo the more traditional ways of Indian life and break gender
stereotypes. All these traditions and customs are slowly vanishing in the present
4. generation due to the development in the modern world, especially in India. There are
many policies come up not only for the dalits but also for emphasizing the participation
of women in the present development sector. There are many state governments
assisting women for the education and dowry etc. The patriarchal system of families is
vanishing and women are also going out of home and working. Women have landed in
highly respectable careers. Development and modernization would solve many
problems and bring people a better life.
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G.L. Nijeholt, (1988), ‘Women and development: the fallacy of integration’
Chaudhuri, Maitrayee. Feminism in India (Issues in Contemporary Indian
Feminism).
http://womensissues.about.com/od/feminismequalrights/a/FeminisminIndia.htm
Fields of Protest: Women's Movements in India. University of Minnesota Press;
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