“The day a woman can walk freely on the roads at night, that day we can say that India has achieved independence.” --Mahatma Gandhi This slide describes about the position where a woman used to stand or stands in the current era or even in the days of vintage and the struggles a woman faces in her day to day life.

1. Presented by-
SANJUKTA BANIK

2. INTRODUCTION
• The status of women in India has been subject to
many changes over the last few millennia.
• Rabindranath Tagore in his novel aforesaid “For we women
are not only the deities of the household fire, but the flame
of the soul itself.”
• In modern India, women have been successful in achieving
all heights as an athlete, an astronaut, a singer and even as
a politician.
• However, women in India are generally still exposed to
numerous social issues. According to a global study by the
Thomson Reuters Foundation study, India was named the
world's most dangerous country for women.

3. WOMEN IN ANCIENT INDIA
• Women controlled vital positions in the ancient
Indian society.
• Indian women during the ancient time was said to
be superior to men.
• They used to take important decisions and were
also allowed to choose their own husband.
• Women enjoyed the tremendous right to education
such as Gargi and Maitreyi.
• Ancient Indian texts describe the influence of the
women in the society.
Gargi was a prominent participant in the ancient
society through the women education in ancient
India

4. WOMEN IN MEDIEVAL PERIOD
• Medieval India is supposed to be the ‘dark age’ for
women.
• As polygamy was a norm that time, ordinary Indians
wanted to protect to protect their women from the
barbarous Muslim community.
• ‘Sati’ was practiced where women were forced to jump
into the funeral pyre of their husband.
• Child marriage was a norm in medieval India. Girls were
married off at the age of 8-10.
• Widow remarriage was also not entertained at that time.
• Girls were only given education related to household
chores.

5. WOMEN IN PRE-INDEPENDENT INDIA
• Raja Rammohan Roy’s efforts led to the
abolition of Sati Practice.
• Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar played an
important role in the implementation of Widow
Remarriage Act.
• Jhasi Ki Rani led the Indian Rebellion at 1857.
• The Child Remarriage Act,1929, legalised the
age of marriage for girls at 14 and boys at 18
which was later changed to 18 and 21.
• Many women such at Kasturba Bai, Pritilata
Waddedar played an important role in India’s
independence.

6. WOMEN IN INDEPENDENT INDIA
• Women in India now actively participate in education, sports,
media, science and technology, politics etc.
• Indira Gandhi served as the Prime Minister of India for a long
15 years making her the world’s longest serving woman
Prime Minister.
• Constitution of India guarantees equal status to all citizens
of India including women under Article 14 and does not
distinguish or discriminate between a man or a woman.
• The Constitution of India also guarantees-
i) to all Indian women equality ( Article 14),
ii) no discrimination by the state (Article 15(1)),
iii) equality of opportunity (Article 16),
iv) equal pay for equal work (Article 39(d))

7. CURRENT ISSUES
• GENDER INEQUALITY hampers the overall well-
being because blocking women from participating in
social, political and economic activities can adversely
affect the whole society.
• GENDER BIAS IN HEALTH: Health concern of
women receive a low priority resulting to women
bearing pain and discomfort in silence for long period
of time without seeking relief.
• REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH STATUS OF WOMEN:
Absence of timely transportation to the nearest hospital
is one of the prime cause why women succumb to
reproduction related issues. 1000 of women die every
year due to lack of basic healthcare facilities.

8. VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN
• Violence against women particularly intimate partner
violence is a major public health problem and a
violation of women's human rights.
• Globally, 38% of murders of women are committed
by male intimate partner.
• Child sexual abuse usually extends over time and is
usually perpetrated by a father or another male
family member.
• The trafficking of women and girls for prostitution,
sexual exploitation and forced labour is becoming a
highly profitable activity.

9. CRIMES AGAINST WOMEN
ACID
THROWING
She became the victim of an
acid attack for having refused
to marry a 32 year-old man
when she was only 15.
RAPE
Nirbhaya was beaten, gang-
raped, and tortured in a
private bus by 6 other men
including the driver.
THUSHARA
DOWRY DEATH
Demanding dowry, her
husband and in-laws locked
up in a room giving only sugar
water and soaked rice.
LAXMI AGARWAL JYOTI SINGH

10. CONCLUSION
• Women represent half the world’s population, and
gender inequality exits in every nation on the planet.
• Until women are given the same opportunities that men
are, entire society will be destroyed to perform below
their true potentials.
• The greatest need of the hour is change of social
attitude to women.
AN EDUCATED WOMEN CAN FEED A
FAMILY, BUT AN EDUCATED WOMAN
CAN SPEED ITS GROWTH