Bøger af Sumathi G

The origin of the Indian idea of appropriate female behaviour can be traced to Manuin 200 BC: "by a young girl, by a young woman, or even by an aged one, nothing must bedone independent, even in her own house". In spite of India's reputation for respectingwomen, including treating her as a Goddess, history tells us that women were also ill-treated.There was no equality between men and women. This is true of ancient, medieval and earlymodern times barring some revolutionary movements such as that of Basaweshwara, the 12thcentury philosopher in Karnataka, who advocated equality, casteless society, status forwomen, and betterment of the downtrodden. Certain broad circumstances in which Indianwomen live affect the way they participate in the economy. A common denominator in theirlives is that they are generally confined to home, with restricted mobility, and in seclusion.Other, unwritten, hierarchical practices place further constraints on women. They are, by andlarge, excluded from political life, which by its very nature takes place in a public forum.Reform movements in the 19th and 20th centuries led by great social reformersprovided boost to women's legal status in India. Independence of India heralded theintroduction of laws relating to women. The Constitution provided equality to men andwomen and also gave special protection to women to realize their interests effectively.Special laws were enacted to prevent indecent representation of women in the media andsexual harassment in workplaces. The law also gives women equal rights in the matter ofadoption, maternity benefits, equal pay, good working conditions etc.