CHAPTER - 05 WOMEN CHANGE THE WORLD
NOTES
Who does what work?
- Both men and women have different roles in society.
- By getting education, women have opportunities to rise in every field.
- Women’s movements have risen to challenge discrimination in all parts of the world. It is essential that women are treated equally and with respect as they are as important as men in society.
• Fewer Opportunities and Rigid Expectations:
(i) A lot of people feel that women are fit only for certain kinds of jobs like nursing or teaching.
(ii) People believe that women are not fit for the technical jobs.
(iii) In most families, women are taught that after school they have to get married.
(iv) Laxmi Lakra, however, broke this stereotype image when she became the first woman engine driver of the Northern Railways.
(v) We live in a society full of pressures. Boys are pressurised to think about getting a job that will pay a good salary. They are also teased and bullied if they do not behave like other boys. These pressures lead to children not able to cope with life's challenges when they become adults.
• Learning for Change:
(i) Going to school is an important part of life. It shapes an individual's personality.
(ii) Today, it is difficult for us to imagine that school and learning could be seen as out of bounds or not appropriate for some children.
(iii) In the past, very few people learnt reading and writing. In communities that taught sons
to read and write, daughters were not allowed to learn the alphabet.
(iv) Even in families where skills like pottery, weaving and craft were taught, the contribution of daughters and women was seen as secondary.
(v) In the nineteenth century, new ideas about learning and education appeared. But there was a lot of opposition to educate girls even then.
(vi) In 1890s, Ramabai championed the cause of women’s education.
- She never went to school but learnt to read and write from her parents.
- She was given the title ‘Pandita’ because she could read and write Sanskrit.
- She went on to set up a Mission in Khedgaon near Pune in 1898, where widows and poor women were encouraged not only to become literate but to be independent. They were taught a variety of skills from carpentry to running a printing press,
(vii) Rokeya Sakhawat Hossain learnt English from her elder brother and an elder sister inspite of family opposition and went on to become a famous writer. 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.
(viii) Rashsundari Devi of Bengal was the first Indian woman to write an autobiography called ‘Amar Jiban’.
- Her book titled Amar Jiban is the first known autobiography written by an Indian woman.
- Rashsundari Devi was a housewife from a rich landlord’s family. At that time, it was believed that if a woman learnt to read and write, she would bring bad luck to her husband and become a widow. Despite this, she taught herself how to read and write in secret, well after her marriage.
• Schooling and Education Today: Today both boys and girls attend school in large numbers.
• Difference in their Education Still remains because:
(i) India has a census every 10 years which counts the population of the country. This information is used to measure things like literacy, sex-ratio, etc.
(ii) A huge number of SC and ST children leave school at an early age. The 2011 census even shows that Muslim girls are less likely than Dalit girls to complete primary school.
(iii) Many reasons like non-availability of teachers and schools, lack of transport, cost of education, indifferent attitude of teachers and parents are responsible for negligence of education of some children.
• Women’s Movement:
(i) Women have individually and collectively struggled to bring about changes. This is called Women’s Movement.
(ii) Different strategies have been used to spread awareness, fight discrimination and seek justice. Many men support the women’s movement as well. The diversity, passion and efforts of those involved make it a very vibrant movement.
(iii) These movements are related to campaigning, raising awareness, protesting and showing solidarity.
Campaigning:
(i) Some examples of successful campaigns are 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 within educational institutions.
Raising Awareness:
(i) 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:
(i) 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:
(i) The women’s movement is also about showing solidarity with other women and causes. For example, celebrating International Women's Day and sharing each other's thoughts.
EXERCISE
Q.1: How do you think stereotypes, about what women can or cannot do, affect women’s right to equality?
Ans: Stereotypes, about what women can or cannot do affect women’s right to equality by forcing society to give them certain roles and not allow them to take up other roles. Many girls do not get the same support that boys do to study and get trained. In most families, once girls finish school, they are encouraged by their families to see marriage as their main aim of life. In communities that taught sons to read and write, daughters were not allowed to read the alphabet. Even in families where skills were taught, the contribution of daughters and women was only seen as supportive. This is unequal treatment because the choice of the woman is not considered and she is not free to do what she wants. This leads to fewer opportunities and rigid expectations from women in society and hampers innovation.
For example, if women are not allowed to take up technical roles due to the stereotype that women can not handle technical things, then there will be fewer women scientists and hence, the lack of innovation. Many people believe that women make better nurses because they are more patient and gentle.
Q.2: List one reason why learning the alphabet was so important to women like Rashsundari Devi, Ramabai and Rokeya.
Ans: Learning the alphabet was important to women like Rashundari Devi, Ramabai and Rokeya because women were forbidden education as it was considered dangerous for their moral development and family life. By learning how to read and write, these women achieved a degree of independence.
Through her own writing, Rashsundari Devi gave the world an opportunity to read about women’s lives in those days. Her book titled Amar Jiban is the first known autobiography written by a woman. At that time, it was believed that if a woman learnt to read and write, she would bring bad luck to her husband and would become a widow. Despite this, she taught herself how to read and write in secret after marriage. Ramabai set up a Mission in Khedgaon near Pune in 1898, where widows and poor women were encouraged not only to become literate but to be independent. They were taught a variety of skills, from carpentry to running a printing press. She never went to school but learnt to read and write from her parents. Rokeya started a school for girls in Kolkata in 1910.
Q.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.
Ans: This statement is not true. On reading the information, we realize that girls from poor families drop out of school because their parents are unwilling to send them to school because of lack of money for transportation and education costs. There are no toilets for girls in some schools. They face a lot of discrimination from the teacher. Also, in many poor rural areas, there are no proper schools and teachers who teach on a regular basis. Hence, many poor girls drop out of schools.
Q.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?
Ans: Two methods of struggle that the women’s movement used to raise issues are by raising awareness , protesting, showing solidarity and campaigning. Campaigns have led to new laws being passed. Women’s movements raise awareness on women’s rights issues. They spread their message through street plays, songs and public meetings. Women’s movements protest when violations against women happen or when a law or policy works against their interest.
I would choose the method of raising awareness as it will ensure that I will be able to put across my point of view effectively.
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