Women's Education through Social Reform

The real impetus to women’s education came from the social reform movement.

In the latter half of the 19th century The Social Reform Movement in India encouraged the emergence of a number of women doctors, social workers, teachers, and scholars who became the first cadres of the Women’s Movement and gradually took over from male leaders, organisations and causes for women. From the middle of the 19th century reform movements like Brahma Samaj, Prarthana Samaj, Satyashodhak Samaj, Ramakrishna Mission, etc. worked for social and religious reform and thereby the ultimate upliftment of women. The reformers expressed their disapproval of the caste system, and worked toward raising awareness in the public at large about the then prevalent unjust social practices. They protested against gender discrimination in favour of males, and promulgated raising marriage age for both males and females, widow remarriage and women’s education.

The better known of those who especially championed the cause of education for women were Jyotiba and Savitribai Phule, Agarkar, Debendranath Tagore, and Dwarkanath Ganguli all of whom felt that women should be educated in order to develop their inherent potential. They took action to enable women to avail of education; Vidyasagar established many educational institutions throughout Bengal, the Phules in Maharashtra. All of these social reform efforts along with the schools men and women reformers opened for girls especially of lower castes and their vigorously spreading the idea of schooling for girls, made girls’ education gain acceptance. S.N.D.T. University established first in Pune 1916 by Maharishi Karve grew out of this social reform movement.

These brave men and women named above and more, Dayananda Saraswati, Pandita Ramabai and Tarabai Shinde and several others helped the nation take long strides on the road to redressal of this particular injustice; lack of education for women. Their persistent efforts certainly led individuals and authorities in India to make changes in their behaviour, thoughts and policies. All the work done by the social reformers especially of this period helped open new avenues for women through education.

 

Sex Determination (S.D.)

Sex Determination (S.D.) test

The practice of sex determination and selective sex abortion is an example of how technology and science have been employed to further oppress women in India. S.D. is a social problem like dowry and child marriage of women, and all are crimes. The law to ban sex determination and sex selection was passed in India in 1994 to counter the misuse of various technologies. However there persist in India certain societal norms and beliefs (of economic utility of sons, socio-cultural utility in descent) which translate to a preference for sons. The 1994 PNDT (Prenatal Diagnostic Techniques) was amended in 2003 to improve the prevention of sex determination.

In a society as in India where sons are preferred for cultural and economic reasons the preference for male offspring manifests in numerous ways such as different allocation of household resources favoring males, medical care with preference given to males, neglect of female offspring, female infanticide and female fetus determination and abortion. The last-named consequence is termed S.D., sex determination. In India amniocentesis and CVB are the techniques commonly used for predicting the sex of a fetus.

The legitimate use of these techniques is for detection of genetic deformities, and they are being used all over the world for that purpose. Indiscriminate use of the S.D. test itself and abortion by unskilled persons especially, can result in injury, infection or death of the pregnant woman and or fetus. Even in skilled hands this practice is rising which actually leads to deterioration of women’s health and psychological trauma. On a larger scale S.D. represents discrimination against women from the womb and is against the constitutional principle of equality. S.D. is illegal.

 

Good Read: Indian minister calls for mandatory fetal gender tests. Maneka Gandhi was mooted down in the ensuing debate. It is an interesting read. It shows how remote we are actually from the problem. I guess she sought to correct the situation but how on earth could this program have been monitored? Detractors say that she brought it up to absolve doctors of blame. Do give it a read. http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2016/02/indian-minister-calls-mandatory-foetal-gender-tests-160202092801015.html

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VulRaK1i6qo                                              

Good watch; informative, eye opening, educational.

More and more women are victimized. This is about women sold into slave marriages.

Women in Changing India Question Bank_Exams & Test Prep (True False Answers)

Savitribai Phule

Tarabai Shinde 

Pandita Ramabai

Women in Changing India Question Bank

                                                                                                                

Section 1

Q.1     A) Explain the statements given below:

   

1. The real impetus to women’s education came from the social reform movement. (Text page study marker: Unit 5 Page 78 in SNDT_3139)

2. Myths about women nurture women’s subordination.
(Here myths mean untruths, proverbs, social norms – the unwritten rules and practices you learned, heard in your childhood, ideals that you were held up to. These may include stories from Indian mythology, but is not restricted to stories from epics.) 

3. Women’s health is a social issue. 

4. The existing social structure is defined as Patriarchal society.

5. There are very few women in Parliament and in the same state legislature assembly.

6. Religion and social conventions are different for men and women.

7. Indian laws are inadequate regarding women.

8. Economic participation of women has improved their status.

9. Girl child labourers get exploited in our community

.
10. Mythological stories carry hidden messages in socialization of the girl child.

       
          B) State whether the following are True or False

1.  The two World Wars opened the gates of the job market to educated women in India (T)

2.  Dr Bhandarkar introduced the Hindu Code Bill in Parliament. 
 (F It was Dr. Ambedkar )

3. Women had no access to education nor a role in decision making at a societal level. (T)

4.  A woman’s life is useless until she gives birth to a girl child. (F)

5.  The work participation rate of women is highest in the tribal area of our country. (T) 

 6.  Amina Bibi is the first Woman Judge of the Supreme Court of India.

    (F  M. Fathima Beebi was, from 1989-1992)

7. The existing gender differences between men and women are biologically determined. (F) 

 8. Women are evaluated on the basis of their reproductive success  and on the basis of their relationship with men. (T)

 9. Woman-ness becomes an obstacle in performing any task. (F)

 10.Women’s access to education is limited despite the constitution’s guarantees. (T) 

 11. Voting is an important  indicator of women’s political awareness. (T) 

 

Skewed gender ratio in Haryana has led to even more child abuse and bride trafficking
SC has criminalized sex with minor wife

Q. 2 . Write Short Notes:

1.       Constitutional provisions for women

2.       Images of women in Media

3.       Matrilineal family

4.       Towards Equality Report

5.       Images of women in Communications media

6.       Organized sector

7.       Constitutional provisions for women

8.       Women’s organisations

Section II

1. Explain the social reform movement of the 19th century for the upliftment of women. 

2. What are the factors responsible for socialization? Describe socialization of the girl child in society 

3. Discuss in detail the hurdles on the road to women’s health

4. Women’s education is an “Instrument of Social Change” Discuss 

5. What are the major demands by women’s groups for reforms in personal law? 

6. State the various measures for countering violence against women 

7. Describe the role of women in Public Life.

8. What are the strengths and weaknesses of the Women’s Movement in India? Explain 

9. Write in brief the social reform for women that took pale in the 19th century. 

10. What are the factors responsible for socialization? Describe with examples. 

11. What are the effects on women’s health due to gender-based discrimination? 

12. Analyze the economic contribution of women in the Indian economic system.

13. Explain the role of women’s education as an instrument of social change

14. Discuss the various measures for countering violence against women.

15. Describe the three phases of the Women’s Movement in India.

16. What are the things that every woman should do to make this a better world to grow. 

Screen Adaptations of Pride and Prejudice

This 19th century story of English society's landed gentry and the women folk remains one of the twenty-first century's most loved books. The enduring novel has several adaptations of which I've listed 4 below. I really enjoyed the first one because from the get-go you glimpse pride and prejudice though the real story is about Elizabeth's pride in her family. She is well aware of each member's weaknesses and of her own sense of honour and Darcy's prejudice when he sees how Mrs. Bennet and some of her daughters act in public.

The film opens with Darcy and Bingley riding to view Netherfield and Darcy cautioning Bingley that he'll find the society somewhat savage. But you'll have to read your text if you're studying Pride and Prejudice for an exam to truly understand how Ms Austen's text engages with the social and political issues of the day such as class relations, gender, the family, education, etc.

Pride and Prejudice (1995)

(1995 TV Mini-Series) https://youtu.be/SXmn3s-vHzc

1. Pride and Prejudice: This miniseries stars Colin Firth as Mr. Darcy and Jennifer Ehle as Elizabeth Bennet. I found this the best version of "Pride and Prejudice" adaptations. The six hour long story broken down into hour-long episodes is the true to the book’s original story. In this adaptation Colin Firth is shown swimming in a lake in his early 19th century undergarments. (Not in the book btw)

It is rich in production values- costumes, music, choreography, and great locations. Firth's excellent portrayal of Mr. Darcy and Jennifer Ehle's take on Elizabeth Bennet are commendable however they were so perfect in their delivery, I got a feel of it telling a book not a story. Still this mini-series sets the standard by which all other adaptations are measured.

The Lizzie Bennet Diaries 

 https://youtu.be/KisuGP2lcPs

2. The Lizzie Bennet Diaries: an American web series adapted from Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice. The story is conveyed in the form of vlogs. It premiered on a dedicated YouTube channel on April 9, 2012 and subsequently concluded when the 100th episode was posted on March 28, 2013. It is set in today’s world and is clever and funny while still managing to stick to the plot. In 2013, The Lizzie Bennet Diaries became the first web series to win an Emmy, for Outstanding Creative Achievement In Interactive Media - Original Interactive Program.

Lost in Austen

 https://youtu.be/EFialD7RLKE

3. Lost in Austen: This clever four-part ITV miniseries follows the adventures of the contemporary heroine, Amanda Price, who steps through a door in her attic and into Longbourn in the midst of the Bennet family. While Amanda is wreaking havoc on the plot of Pride and Prejudice in the Regency period, Elizabeth Bennet stays in modern London and becomes a nanny. No matter how hard Amanda tries, she can’t keep the plot of the novel from spinning out of control. There are several nice meta-fictional touches, including Darcy getting his hands on Amanda’s copy of Pride and Prejudice. It deconstructs and reconstructs the plot of Austen’s novel, while staying true to the personality traits of her characters.

Bride and Prejudice

https://youtu.be/oDOUZldehYY

4. Bride and Prejudice: For sheer fun it's hard to beat this Bollywood adaptation of Austen’s novel. The plot actually stays close to the original, despite the story’s being set in modern India. With Darcy as an American businessman who does not appreciate Indian culture and Lalita as one of four daughters of a doting Indian father, the clash of cultures mirrors the clash of class in Austen’s original. Best of all, the film boasts lavish, exuberant musical numbers. Whether in Regency gown or sari, you'll be kicking up your heels dancing in the aisles.

Enjoy the screen adaptations of Pride and Prejudice before we get into further discussion of this great work; literary style, techniques (conversations that reveal by what is said and unsaid), and what is it that we learn about respectability, the difficult problem of how and when to change inherited social and cultural institutions without undermining family and community.  

Historical context of Pride and Prejudice

A passion for people diving deeper into what God has in store for us

Long read coming up: the posts here are for my students and some friends who love English Literature and some of my posts ramble on so consider yourself warned! If you're not from the UK, then probably like me the English history you have learned in school or read somewhere was mainly about the signing of the Magna Carta and King John.

The original Magna Carta charter mostly discussed the relationship between the monarch and his bishops though there were a few paragraphs about the rights of serfs. The later period of King John's namesake John of Gaunt, 1st Duke of Lancaster, friend of Geoffrey Chaucer (Canterbury Tales) son of King Edward III and Phillipa of Hainalut is more of an interesting read (1399-1471). It was a turbulent period, sort of “the best of times, the worst of times” when the House of Lancaster, the Plantagenet family of King Edward led by John, wielded huge influence on the monarchy though John of Gaunt was never king himself.

An early step in the evolution of the constitution of the United Kingdom

But most schools in India where I studied till I was 14, did not go beyond that; we had centuries of our own ruins and stupas to haul around on little humpbacks in our book bags for history class. We didn’t discuss the Regency era in depth in school as we had to learn about the Industrial revolution, British Rule, Indian civil movements, Indian Independence and a few great historical figures in Indian history (also Algebra and stuff).

The Regency era was not just a gentle lute playing time of cross stitch samplers, and parlour games. It was an age of expansion in thinking that went beyond the literary efforts of the Elizabethan age: alternative education not linked solely to the Church of England as schools started to give technical training, growth in trade and maritime shipping- though internal transport was still limited in modes and span. The brief Regency period saw the dawn of the Industrial Revolution, the shift from Enlightenment to Romantic trends in arts and literature and the first murmurings of feminist and abolitionist concerns in England and Western Europe. (Note that not all those named above are strictly "Regency" period, and Coleridge is a poet, Sir Walter Scott wrote poetry also.)

1870 cartoon satirizing the coming of the London season

Thomas Rowlandson. Beadle and Barrow Women. © Trustees of the British Museum.

Environment & Milieu_1

The Georgian era into which Jane Austen was born was in many ways a transitional period; a year after Austen was born the Declaration of Independence was signed and the American Revolution started. Between 1797, when Jane Austen began work on her novel First Impressions which would become Pride and Prejudice, in 1813, when the novel was published, there were great transformations- change brings in its wake revolutions and unrest. The French Revolution was fought, Marie Antoinette was guillotined, Napoleon rose to power, conquered most of Western Europe, and the Embargo Act was passed in the US.

Closer to home Great Britain combined with Ireland to become the United Kingdom, the slave trade was abolished by Parliament throughout the British empire and King George III, driven to insanity by a rare hereditary disorder, was replaced by his son, the Prince Regent, who later became King George IV.  Familiarity with these larger historical events gives context to Austen’s novels and an understanding of the particular details of daily life during the Regency period add to our reading enjoyment. There are some wonderful websites dedicated to these domestic details of the Regency period. Do take a look at them, it will help you use your imagination to draw Austen’s characters true to life in your mind. 

 Mr and Mrs Andrews by Thomas Gainsborough

https://janeaustensworld.wordpress.com
https://www.janeausten.co.uk/a-ballgown-for-april-1812/
Lucy Worsley (History Documentaries) - YouTube

Shaving ice to make ice cream

In Pride and Prejudice, the Bennets are, like Jane Austen herself, members of a fairly educated upper middle class known as the “gentry” or the “landed gentry.” Though socially eligible enough to mix with the landowning aristocracy, (those whom the butler announced first), they were a few steps beneath them in wealth, resources and rank. The landed gentry included country gentlemen of some wealth and ease (squires), military officers and many forms of clergy. Clergy and military roles were all acceptable occupations for the educated younger sons of the aristocracy and their descendants. Gentry may have owned less than 1,000 acres of land and usually lived off the rental income. Some had a country estate where they lived year round visiting London only to take care of business and legal matters.

Beneath the gentry were the labouring classes of household servants, tenant farmers, merchants and “tradesmen,” such as smiths and carpenters, village doctors, town lawyers and other professionals. Until the nineteenth century, 1829 there was no police force in England except for the Bow Street Runners in London, during the eighteenth century.

Though lower in social standing because their income came from trade- the handling of “filthy lucre” as such, many merchants and tradesmen managed to amass more wealth than the poorest of the landowners. This became especially true as the Industrial Revolution progressed bringing more and more wealth into the trade and merchant classes. Women did not work or have the right to vote. Those who were compelled to work usually became governesses, seamstresses, dressmakers, chaperones and ladies’ companions. (Women of all ages usually had to be accompanied by another lady when they went out anywhere.) Older single women especially poor ones were an object of ridicule, contempt and pity. Heterosexual singles staying unmarried was not widely accepted until very recently, a couple of decades ago. It might be noted that this topic known as spinsterhood continues to provoke strident and divided opinion in India.

Regency Household: protecting carpets

For landowners and the gentry, management of all financial matters was a man’s affair. By law and custom, a woman was granted very little control over money, even money that we would today legally consider to be her own. A woman of the upper classes could expect to be granted blessings in the form of a boodle of some cash from her family, upon marriage or on the death of her father. This lump sum of money would draw interest at a fixed 5 percent from investment in government funds, which would contribute to her husband’s income if she were married or cover her living expenses if she remained single.

A Meeting at Margate by Cruikshank

Quick Aside: The 3 lines below the title of the above piece, A Meeting at Margate are hilarious: (A Polite Bow from both Parties) Lord " Sir your face is quite familiar to me, I must have seen you somewhere before, will you do me the honor to tell me your name." Taylor, "Yes my Lord, I have had the honor - I - I - I made your Breeches." - "Oh! Oh! Major Bridges, I am very happy to see Major Bridges."

Colin Firth as Mr Darcy

You will understand on reading the novel Pride and Prejudice that ownership of English land was concentrated in the hands of the relatively small group of landed classes. They retained their hold over the land through a system that enforced strict inheritance laws. A system known as primogeniture was in place that meant all the land in one generation's possession was left to the eldest son of the family rather than divided amongst the offspring. By entailment which meant that the eldest son's property could not be divided, mortgated or sold, land was thus passed on to male children or male relatives, the eldest son of the nearest blood relation rather than breaking it up and distributing it amongst second sons and female family members. Thus, Mr. Bennett’s land is left not to his daughters but to a (male) member of his extended family, Mr. Collins. This ensures that the property stays in the family line although it disinherits Elizabeth and her sisters.

After amusing himself some time with their curiosity, he (Mr Bennet)* thus explained. ``About a month ago I received this letter, and about a fortnight ago I answered it, for I thought it a case of some delicacy, and requiring early attention. It is from my cousin, Mr. Collins, who, when I am dead, may turn you all out of this house as soon as he pleases.''
``Oh! my dear,'' cried his wife, ``I cannot bear to hear that mentioned. Pray do not talk of that odious man. I do think it is the hardest thing in the world that your estate should be entailed away from your own children; and I am sure if I had been you, I should have tried long ago to do something or other about it.''
Jane and Elizabeth attempted to explain to her the nature of an entail.  They had often attempted it before, but it was a subject on which Mrs. Bennet was beyond the reach of reason; and she continued to rail bitterly against the cruelty of settling an estate away from a family of five daughters, in favour of a man whom nobody cared anything about.

``It certainly is a most iniquitous affair,'' said Mr. Bennet, ``and nothing can clear Mr. Collins from the guilt of inheriting Longbourn. But if you will listen to his letter, you may perhaps be a little softened by his manner of expressing himself.''
*Italics mine

Matters of land ownership and inheritance are closely linked with courtship and marriage. Elizabeth Bennet is not financially independent, and in fact depends upon an advantageous marriage for her future survival. However we see that throughout the novel, she tries to assert an intellectual and moral independence. For example, she judges things for herself and she is capable of decisive action as when she calmly, yet firmly, stands up to Mrs Bennet over Mr Collins’s proposal. 

Mrs. Bennet wishes Elizabeth to marry the odious Mr. Collins in order to save Longbourn (End of Chapter 17). In his proposal, Mr. Collins explains why he assumes one of the Bennet sisters would accept him. 

“Thus much for my general intention in favour of matrimony; it remains to be told why my views were directed to Longbourn instead of my own neighbourhood, where I assure you there are many amiable young women. But the fact is, that being, as I am, to inherit this estate after the death of your honoured father (who, however, may live many years longer), I could not satisfy myself without resolving to chuse a wife from among his daughters, that the loss to them might be as little as possible, when the melancholy event takes place—which, however, as I have already said, may not be for several years. This has been my motive, my fair cousin, and I flatter myself it will not sink me in your esteem. ”

A man’s income was always reported as a number of pounds (£) “per year,” such as Mr. Bingley’s “four or five thousand a year.” About £100 a year was the barest minimum income on which a small household could be maintained, which means they could 'keep' only one maid—a servant being necessary to maintain any claim to respectability. On £300 a year, a small family could retain two servants and live somewhat more comfortably, but still could not afford a carriage, which could only be supported on an income of at least £700 a year. Mr. Bennet draws about £2,000 a year, which would be sufficient to keep up the appearance of comfort and respectability; but he bears the financial burden of providing dowries for five daughters.

An income of more than £4,000 a year, like Bingley’s, could well provide for both country and town homes, with all the prevalent comforts and fashions. Mr. Darcy’s £10,000 a year has been calculated in modern times to be worth between $300,000 and $800,000 in U.S. dollars. Another estimate, comparing Mr. Darcy’s income against the Regency average, gives him the purchasing power of a modern multimillionaire.     
                                             

           

             Georgian lady with her chaperone (caught discreetly napping)

2017 Tribute to Jane Austen

200 years later Jane Austen celebrated

Please click on link above to see the you tube video on the unveiling of her statue in Basingstoke, Hampshire, UK. (Not my video but it's a sweet watch)

Jane Austen may have died 200 years ago, but the famous novelist is still hugely popular in England, Pakistan and to some extent in India where her works are a required read for some college exams. In 2002, after a BBC poll, the British public voted her No. 70 on a list of "100 Most Famous Britons of All Time." The popularity of her work is evident in the many film and TV adaptations of Emma, Mansfield Park, Pride and Prejudice, and Sense and Sensibility, as well as the TV series and film Clueless, which was based on Emma.

On July 18, 2017 the 200th anniversary of her death the author's statue was unveiled at the marketplace in Basingstoke near her birthplace in Steventon, England. The Bank of England announced on July 19, 2017 that Austen’s portrait will appear on the new 10 pound note from Sept. 14, the bicentennial of the author’s death. A limited supply of 2 pound coins designed by The Royal Mint are already in circulation. (It's a plot to eventually get rid of the Churchill five pound note.)

Many people (critics, writers, fans, students) have argued about her being a role model for feminism and feminist thinkers. Or not. That is not the question dear Horatio. It casts no light on the real issues in the basket, on the plate, to argue about feminism as embodied in Jane Austen or her works. People argue vigorously and either side in the extreme make her out to be a feminist icon or a middle class, middle aged doyen of hackneyed opinions without a brain or care in the world. This is just evading responsibility for thinking clearly. I protest. The idea is to oppose one sex being dominant over the other. Oppose thin and fat thinking. Oppose misogynistic thought and language patterns. Oppose the chains that bind women who grow up in a patriarchal society.

Edited Excerpt From Chapter 10 of Emma by Jane Austen

 

"Dear me! - It is so odd to hear a woman talk so." says Harriet at one point in the above conversation. This must not be the case with us. We want a rational and meaningful discussion of women's rights that leads to positive changes. We are struggling to sort out the facts on murky issues about disenfranchisement of women, rights of indigenous people in some areas of the country, right to education and fair allocation of resources in family and nation. In Jane Austen's time, as in our time in this nation, there were many who would dispute that men and women could and should be equal in rights or opportunities.

The issue of women's rights has made great strides and existed for some decades in many parts of the world, especially in more industrialized countries of the world. However there is still work to be done to level out the playing field for women (by men and women) even in some of the richer, more technologically advanced nations for reproductive rights, paid maternity leave, under representation of women in political rights, etc.

Lizzy Bennet: I came to enquire here after my sister. D'arcy: On foot? Lizzy: As you see

 Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice

So is Jane Austen a feminist? Her subject matter is about courtship and marriages, research and scrutiny of available bachelors, maneuvering to meet them, parental wishes and interference, management to turn flirtations into solid marriage offers with good financial settlements- sounds a bit like corporate strategy! Some people have a hard time grasping that the concept of radical feminism is pretty much dead. I don't know if radical feminism has a place in India.

Few of the women in India who prance around on film and stage wearing revealing clothes are feminists or true artistes. Perish forbid!  Sadly too many youth here are led to believe this sort of behaviour is a letting up of social dictates, of the oppression the country is labouring under, so they think that this sort of behaviour is good and to be valued.
Consider the present day social dilemmas in our own time and milieu; the inequality between rich and poor, rural and urban, educated and uneducated- it isn't about feminism alone. Let us rage against stereotypes, against impropriety, against servitude and oppression. Let us be feminine, but not be a slave of media, forsaking our highest emotions for baser ones and let us not follow the dictates of social expectations for gender identity.

Jennifer Ehle as Elizabeth Bennet in 1995 A&E version of Pride & Prejudice

 If you consider that Jane Austen was a woman in the Georgian and Regency periods and if you analyze her novels, she is certainly looking for equality and helping her heroines find it in the context of the times. Again I say we should not deflect attention from the issue of women holding rational views and managing their own affairs, of men and women co-existing with equal rights, respect and opportunities, by pouting and asking if is this dearly departed author was a feminist?

Jane Austen was a master of witty domestic comedies who used irony for hidden social commentary. Her characters did not openly fight for women's rights. They lived constricted lives but were not ignorant or uninformed. They had a sense of disenfranchisement. The women and men thought about social class, the women questioned marriage and did not adhere strictly to what society expected of them.

Is gender equality possible? Being equal does not mean being the same. We need to remould our outdated thinking; we don't need to remould the world to fit either gender, (and others) we have to coexist equitably. It's not about a woman fitting into a masculine world. Hey, it's our world!