Women Change

CHAPTER

the World
In the previous chapter, we saw how women’s

5
work in the home is not recognised as work. We
also read how doing household work and taking
care of family members is a full time job and
there are no specific hours at which it begins or
ends. In this chapter, we will look at work
outside the home, and understand how some
occupations are seen to be more suitable for
men than for women. We will also learn about
how women struggle for equality. Getting an
education was, and still is, one way in which
new opportunities were created for women.
This chapter will also briefly trace the different
types
of efforts made by the women’s movement
to challenge discrimination in more
recent
years.
 Who does what work?

Draw images of the following –

A farmer A factory worker A nurse

A scientist A pilot A teacher

See what images your class drew by filling in the

table below. Add up the number of male and female
images separately for each occupation.

Category Male image Female image Are there more images of men
than women?
Teacher

Farmer In what kinds of jobs were there

more images of men than women?
Factory worker
Have all the nurses been drawn as
Nurse
females? Why?
Scientist
Are there fewer images of female
Pilot farmers? If so, why?

Chapter 5: Women Change the World 55

 83.6 per cent of working women in India are Rosie Ma’am’s class has 30 children. She did
engaged in agricultural work. Their work the same exercise in her class and here is the
includes planting, weeding, result.
harvesting and threshing. Yet, when we think
of a farmer we only think of a Category Male image Female image
man.
Teacher 5 25
Source: NSS 61st Round (2004-05)
Farmer 30 0

Factory worker 25 5
How does your class exercise
compare with Rosie Ma’am’s Nurse 0 30
class exercise?
Scientist 25 5

Pilot 27 3

56 Social and Political

Fewer opportunities and rigid expectations

A lot of the children in Rosie Ma’am’s class drew

women as nurses and men as army officers. The
reason they did this is because they feel that outside
the home too, women are good at only certain jobs.
For example, many people believe that women
make better nurses because they are more patient
and gentle. This is linked to women’s roles within
the family. Similarly, it is believed that science
requires a technical mind and girls and women are
not capable of dealing with technical things.

Because so many people believe in these

stereotypes, many girls do not get the same
support that boys do to study and train to become
doctors and engineers. In most families, once girls
finish school, they are encouraged by their
families to see marriage as their main aim in life.

Breaking stereotypes

Engine drivers are men. But 27-year-old Laxmi Lakra,

from a poor tribal family in Jharkhand has begun to
change things. She is the first woman engine driver for
Northern Railways.

Laxmi’s parents are not literate but they struggled

and overcame many hardships to make sure their children
got an education. Laxmi studied in a government school. Even
in school, Laxmi helped with the housework and did odd
jobs. She studied hard and did well and then went on
to get a diploma in electronics. She then took the
railway board exam and passed it on her first attempt.

Laxmi says,“I love challenges and the moment somebody says

it is not for girls, I make sure I go ahead and do it.” Laxmi
has had
to do this several times in her life – when she wanted to take electronics; when she
rode motorcycles at the polytechnic; and when she decided to become an engine
driver.

Her philosophy is simple – “As long as I am having fun without harming anyone, as long as I
am doing well and helping my parents, why should I not lead a lifestyle of my choice?”

Chapter 5: Women Change the World 57

 (Adapted from Driving Her Train by Neeta Lal, Women’s Features Service)

58 Social and Political

 It is important to understand that we live in a
Read the story below and answer society in which all children face pressures from the
the questions – world around them. Sometimes, these come in the
form of demands from adults. At other times, they
If you were Xavier, what subject can just be because of unfair teasing by our own
would you choose and why? friends. Boys are pressurised to think about getting
a job that will pay a good salary. They are also
In your experience, what are some of teased and bullied if they do not behave like other
the other pressures that boys boys. You may remember that in your Class VI
experience? book you read about how boys at an early age are
encouraged not to cry in front of others.

Xavier was happy with the results of his Class X

board exams.Though his marks in Science and Why do you want to take History?
Maths were not high, he had done well in his Think about your future.
favourite subjects – History and Languages. You have to get a good
When his parents saw his report card, job!
however, they did not look pleased at all... History will not help. It has no scope!

But, but, I don’t

My Goodness! Xavier, you have like Maths or
managed only 65% in Maths.Your Science!
marks in Physics are low too...

I know Mama, but

it’s okay, because I
don’t want to take
Maths or Science. I
want to study
History.

Be sensible, son.Take Maths, and you

can study computers side by side.The job
market for computers is very good.

Chapter 5: Women Change the World 59

 Learning for change

Going to school is an extremely important part of

your life. As more and more children enter school
every year, we begin to think that it is normal for all
children to go to school. Today, it is difficult for us
Ramabai (1858–1922), shown above
to imagine that school and learning could be seen
with her daughter, championed the cause
as “out of bounds” or not appropriate for some
of women’s education. She never went
children. But in the past, the skill of reading and
to school but learnt to read and write
writing was known to only a few. Most children
from her parents. She was given the title
learnt the work their families or elders did. For
‘Pandita’ because she could read and
girls, the situation was worse. In communities that
write Sanskrit, a remarkable
taught sons to read and write, daughters were not
achievement as women then were not
allowed to learn the alphabet. Even in families
allowed such knowledge. She went on to set
where skills like pottery, weaving and craft up a Mission in Khedgaon near Pune in
were taught, the contribution of daughters and 1898, where widows and poor women were
women was only seen as supportive. For example, encouraged not only to become
in the pottery trade, women collected the mud and literate but to be independent. They were
prepared the earth for the pots. But since they did taught a variety of skills from carpentry
not operate the wheel, they were not seen as potters. to running a printing press, skills that
are not usually taught to girls even today.
In the nineteenth century, many new ideas about The printing press can be seen in the
education and learning emerged. Schools became picture on the top left corner. Ramabai’s
more common and communities that had never Mission is still active today.
learnt reading and writing started sending their
children to school. But there was a lot of opposition
to educating girls even then. Yet many women and
men made efforts to open schools for girls. Women
struggled to learn to read and write.

60 Social and Political

 Let us read about the experience of Rashsundari
Devi (1800–1890), who was born in West Bengal,
some 200 years ago. At the age of 60, she wrote her
autobiography in Bangla. Her book titled Amar
Jiban is the first known autobiography written by an
Indian woman. Rashsundari Devi was a housewife
Learning to read and write led some
from a rich landlord’s family. At that time, it was
women to question the situation of
believed that if a woman learnt to read and write,
women in society. They wrote stories,
she would bring bad luck to her husband and
letters and autobiographies describing their
become a widow! Despite this, she taught herself
own experiences of inequality. In their
how to read and write in secret, well after her
writings, they also imagined new ways of
marriage.
thinking and living for both men and
women.
“I would start working at dawn, and I would still
be at it until well beyond midnight. I had no rest in
between. I was only fourteen years old at the time. I
came to nurture a great longing: I would learn to
read and I would read a religious manuscript. I was

Rokeya Sakhawat Hossain and her dreams about ‘Ladyland’

Rokeya Sakhawat Hossain was born into a rich family who owned a lot of land. Though she knew
how to read and write Urdu, she was stopped from learning Bangla and English. In those days,
English was seen as a language that would expose girls to new ideas, which people thought were
not correct for them.Therefore, it was mostly boys who were taught English. Rokeya learnt
to read and write
Bangla and English with the support of her elder brother and an elder sister. She went
on to become a writer. She wrote a remarkable story titled Sultana’s Dream in 1905
to
practise her English skills when she was merely 25 years old.This story
imagined a woman called Sultana who reaches a place called Ladyland.
Ladyland is a place where women had the freedom to study, work, and
create inventions like controlling rain from the clouds and flying air cars.
In this Ladyland, the
men had been sent into seclusion – their aggressive guns and
other weapons of war defeated by the brain-power of women.
As Sultana travels in Ladyland with Sister Sarah, she awakes to
realise that she was only dreaming.

As you can see,Rokeya Sakhawat Hossain was dreaming of

women flying planes and cars even before girls were being
allowed to go to school! This was the way in which
education and learning had changed Rokeya’s own life.
Rokeya did not stop at getting education just for herself.
Her education gave her the power not only to dream and
write, but also to do more – to help other girls go to
school and to build their own dreams. In 1910, she
started a school for girls in Kolkata, and to this day, the
school is still functioning.
unlucky, in those days women were not educated.
Later, I began to resent my own thoughts. What is
wrong with me? Women do not read, how will I do
it? Then I had a dream: I was reading the
manuscript of Chaitanya Bhagabat (the life of a
saint)… Later in the day, as I sat cooking in the
kitchen, I heard my husband say to my eldest son:
“Bepin, I have left my Chaitanya Bhagabat here.
When I ask for it, bring it in.” He left the book there
and went away. When the book had been taken
inside, I secretly took out a page and hid it
carefully. It was a job hiding it, for nobody must
find it in my hands. My eldest son was practising
his alphabets at that time. I hid one of them as well.
At times, I went over that, trying to match letters
from that page with the letters that I remembered. I
also tried to match the words with those that I
would hear in the course of my days. With
tremendous care and effort, and over a long period
of time, I learnt how to read…”

After learning the alphabet, Rashsundari Devi

was able to read the Chaitanya Bhagabat. Through
her own writing she also gave the world an
Unlike Rashsundari Devi and Rokeya
opportunity to read about women’s lives in
Hossain, who were not allowed to learn to
those days. Rashsundari Devi wrote about her
read and write, large numbers of girls
everyday life experiences in details. There were
attend school in India today. Despite this,
days when she did not have a moment’s rest, no
there continue to be many girls who leave
time even to sit down and eat!
school for reasons of poverty, inadequate
schooling facilities and discrimination.
Providing equal schooling facilities to
Schooling and education today
children from all communities and class
backgrounds, and particularly girls,
Today, both boys and girls attend school in large
continues to be a challenge in India.
numbers. Yet, as we will see, there still remain
differences between the education of boys and girls.
India has a census every 10 years, which counts the
whole population of the country. It also gathers
detailed information about the people living in India
– their age, schooling, what work they do, and so
on. We use this information to measure many
things, like the number of literate people, and the
ratio of men and women. According to the 1961
census, about 40 per cent of all boys and men

Chapter 5: Women Change the World 61

 (7 years old and above) were literate (that is, they
could at least write their names) compared to just
15 per cent of all girls and women. In the most
recent census of 2001, these figures have grown to
76 per cent for boys and men, and 54 per cent for
girls and women. This means that the proportion of
both men and women who are now able to read and
have at least some amount of schooling has
increased. But, as you can also see, the percentage
of the male group is still higher than the female
group. The gap has not gone away.

Here is a table that shows the percentage of girls

and boys who leave schools from different social
groups. Scheduled Caste (SC) is the official term
for Dalit, and Scheduled Tribe (ST) is the official
term for Adivasi.

School level All boys SC boys ST All girls SC girls ST girls Total
boys
Primary (Classes 1-5) 34 37 49 29 36 49 31

Elementary (Classes 6- 52 57 69 53 62 71 52
8)
Secondary (Classes 9- 61 71 78 65 76 81 63
10)
Source: Select Education Survey, GOI 2003-
2004

What percentage of children leave You have probably noticed in the above table that
school at the elementary level? SC and ST girls leave school at a rate that is higher
than the category ‘All Girls’. This means that girls
At which level of education do you who are from Dalit and Adivasi backgrounds are
see the highest percentage of less likely to remain in school. The 2001 census
children leaving?
also found that Muslim girls are less likely, than
Dalit and Adivasi girls, to complete primary school.
Why do you think that the percentage While a Muslim girl is likely to stay in school for
of Adivasi girls and boys leaving around three years, girls from other communities
school is higher than that of any spend around four years in school.
other group?

There are several reasons why children from

Dalit, Adivasi and Muslim communities leave
school. In many parts of the country, especially in
rural and poor areas, there may not even be proper
schools nor teachers who teach on a regular basis. If
a school
62 Social and Political

62 Social and Political Life

is not close to people’s homes, and there is no
transport like buses or vans, parents may not be
willing to send their girls to school. Many
families are too poor and unable to bear the cost
of educating all their children. Boys may get
preference in this situation. Many children also
leave school because they are discriminated
against by their teacher and classmates, just like
Omprakash Valmiki was.

50

From the given table, convert the

40 figures of primary class children
who leave school into a bar
Percentages

30 diagram. The first two percentages

have already been converted for
you in the bar diagram on the left.
20
All SC
10 boys boys
34% 37%
0
Boys and girls

Women’s movement

Women and girls now have the right to study and

go to school. There are other spheres – like legal
reform, violence and health – where the situation of
women and girls has improved. These changes have
not happened automatically. Women individually,
and collectively have struggled to bring about
these changes. This struggle is known as the
Women’s Movement. Individual women and
women’s organisations from different parts of the
country are part of the movement. Many men
support the women’s movement as well. The
diversity, passion and efforts of those involved
makes it a very vibrant movement. Different
strategies have been used to spread awareness, fight
discrimination and seek justice. Here are some
glimpses of this struggle.

Chapter 5: Women Change the World 63

 Campaigning

Campaigns to fight discrimination

and violence against women are an
important part of the women’s
movement. Campaigns have also led
to new laws being passed. A law
was passed in 2006 to give women
who face physical and mental
violence within their homes, also
called domestic violence, some
legal protection.

Similarly, efforts made by the

women’s movement led the
Supreme Court to formulate
guidelines in 1997 to protect
women against sexual
harassment at the workplace and Satyarani, an active member of the women’s movement,
within educational institutions. sitting on the steps of the Supreme Court surrounded by legal
files gathered during the course of a long legal battle to seek
In the 1980s, for example, justice for her daughter who was murdered for dowry.
women’s groups across the country
spoke out against ‘dowry deaths’ —
cases of young brides being
murdered by their in-laws or
husbands, greedy for more dowry.
Women’s groups spoke out against
the failure to bring these cases to
justice. They did so by coming on
to the streets, approaching the
courts, and by sharing
information. Eventually, this became
a public issue in the newspapers and
society, and the dowry laws were
changed to punish families who seek
dowry.

64 Social and Political

 Raising Awareness

An important part of the women’s

movements’ work is to raise public
awareness on women’s rights issues.
Their message has been spread through
street plays, songs and public meetings.

Protesting

The women’s movement raises its voice when violations against women take place
or for example, when a law or policy acts against their interests. Public rallies and
demonstrations are a very powerful way of drawing attention to injustices.
Showing Solidarity

The women’s movement is also about showing

solidarity with other women and causes.

Below: On 8 March, International Women’s Day, women all over the

world come together to celebrate and renew their struggles.

Above: Women are holding up

candles to demonstrate the
solidarity between the people of
India and Pakistan. Every year, on 14
August, several thousand people
gather at Wagah on the border of
India and Pakistan and hold a
cultural programme.
 EXERCISES

1. How do you think stereotypes, about what women can or

cannot do, affect women’s right to equality?

2. List one reason why learning the alphabet was so

important to women like Rashsundari Devi, Ramabai
and Rokeya.

3. “Poor girls drop out of school because they are not

interested in getting an education.” Re-read the last
paragraph on page 62 and explain why this statement is
not true.

4. Can you describe two methods of struggle that the

women’s movement used to raise issues? If you had to
organise a struggle against stereotypes, about what
women can or cannot do, what method would you
employ from the ones that you have read about? Why
would you choose this particular method?

Glossary

Stereotype: When we believe that people belonging to particular groups based on religion,
wealth, language are bound to have certain fixed characteristics or can only do a certain type of
work, we create a stereotype. For example, in this chapter, we saw how boys and girls are made
to take certain subjects not because he or she has an aptitude for it, but because they are either
boys or girls. Stereotypes prevent us from looking at people as unique individuals.

Discrimination : When we do not treat people equally or with respect we are indulging in
discrimination. It happens when people or organisations act on their prejudices. Discrimination
usually takes place when we treat some one differently or make a distinction.

Violation: When someone forcefully breaks the law or a rule or openly shows disrespect, we can
say that he or she has committed a violation.

Sexual harassment: This refers to physical or verbal behaviour that is of a sexual nature and
against the wishes of a woman.

Chapter 5: Women Change the World 67