Differentiation in India Women between British Colonial Period and Now

Significant Differentiation in India Women between the British Colonial Period and Now
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Significant Differentiation in India Women between the British Colonial Period and Now
Indian women have been victims of their own culture for a long time. This explains the rigorous reforms directed towards improving the status of the Indian woman since the colonial period to the modern era. Different aspects of women's concerns like sexual rights, marriage, property ownership, retrogressive cultural practices, leadership & nationalism, and education have been some of the major aspects characterizing gender differentiation in Indian society. The colonial period greatly influenced the status of women in India both negatively and positively. The colonial era was one divided along gender and status lines where the social status of women was dependent on men who were hastened by religious tradition and customs. Several reforms have been enacted in India since the colonial period by Indian women and the influence of English feminists and policies. Culture has been, for the most part, the most utilized tool for women victimization and social injustices towards them. The status of women has been continually improving as more reforms take root to fight for women in the Indian community through the implementation of bills like the Sati Abolition Act, Hindu Code Bill and Age of Consent Bill among others. The 20th century has foreseen significant alienation of the derogatory practices against women in Indian society and the great mobilization of women's rights since the colonial period. This paper analyzes the different changes of Indian women since the colonial period to date and different aspects of change.[Samuel Stanley and Santosh Kumari. Position of Women in Colonial Era, International Journal of Educational and Technology 1(2) (2010).]
Major reforms for Indian women during the post-colonial period
The colonial period marked a turning point of women subjection with major reforms taking place during and post colonialism. Ghosh (2006) captured the colonial era situation of women well through the assertion that the indigenous women were often without names and were assumed to be voiceless and were denied rights or exercising any agency. Stanley and Kumari (2010) described the colonial-era Indian women as victims of inequality and social injustice who were denied the opportunity of attaining education.[Durba Ghosh., Sex and the Family in Colonial India; The Making of Empire. Cambridge Studies in Indian History and Society (2006).]
The pluralistic culture characterized by different religions (Muslim, Hindu) that had customary law, varied from tribes and castes, making reforms in India more complex than in other British colonies; an aspect that worsened the situation for women in India as they became the main focus of foreign rule exertion. Tarabai Shinde exposed the real situation of Indian women in the nineteenth century concerning patriarchy and harmful customs like Sati and Savitri and represented some of the earliest reforms against the Indian culture. These customs were some of the traits of the Indian culture that were oppressive to women, but their reformation was halted and slowed by ...