Gender Equality, Women’s Rights in India: Problems and Prospects

Abstract

The present paper focussed on the historical background of the rise of feminism and women’s
movement and gender in India. Not only in India but all over the world there has been a close
link between feminism and the women’s movement, each encouraging and enhancing the
other. Feminism comprises a number of social, cultural and political movements, theories
and moral philosophies worried with gender dissimilarity and equal rights for women. In the
pre-independence era, the women’s movement began as a social reform movement in the 19th
century. At this time, the western idea of liberty, equality and fraternity was being swallowed
by our educated elite through the study of English and the contact with the west. Women’s
studies and now Gender studies is also an offshoot of the long history of women’s movement
in India. Various women’s studies Centres have been set up and today again these are at the
brink of disappearing from the radar and there is a struggle which is now going on. Though a
lot needs to be achieved and there are various impediments in making this reality available to
a large section of women, the women’s movement has brought women’s issues center stage
and made them more visible.