International Women’s Day is celebrated every year on March 8. This day is dedicated to promoting women’s rights, equality, and their empowerment. The foundation of International Women’s Day was laid in 1909 in the United States through a protest organized by the Socialist Party of America for women’s rights. After this, in 1910, it was recognized as a global movement at the Socialist International Women’s Conference held in Copenhagen. In 1977, the United Nations officially adopted it and dedicated it to women’s rights and global peace.
According to the United Nations, women’s rights include several important aspects such as education, health, employment, equal pay, freedom in decision-making, and security. The United Nations Sustainable Development Goal (SDG-5) considers women’s equality and empowerment as a major goal. According to the World Bank (2021), countries that have promoted women’s education and employment have experienced higher economic growth rates.
According to a report by the McKinsey Global Institute (2015), if women are given equal opportunities, global GDP could increase by up to 28 trillion dollars. Thus, it becomes clear that there is still a great need for awareness in society regarding women.
If we look at history, different perspectives toward women can be seen in both ancient and Western civilizations. In ancient Greece and the Roman Empire, the condition of women was not very good. (Aristotle, Politics, Book I, 1254b). Plato, in his book Republic, spoke to some extent about women’s rights, but his inclination was also toward a male-dominated society.
During medieval Europe, due to the influence of Christianity, there were serious debates about women’s souls and their social rights. According to a famous legend, in 584 AD, at the Council of Mâcon in France, the question was raised: “Do women have a soul?” However, the historical evidence for this claim is not very strong, and some scholars consider it a myth (Joan Morris, The Lady was a Bishop, 1973).
Christian theologians such as Thomas Aquinas considered women to be “subordinate to men” and said that they are merely “helpers” created to serve men (Summa Theologica, Part I, Q. 92, Article 1).
Saint Augustine also considered women spiritually weak and said that they could attain salvation only under the guidance of men (De Genesi ad Litteram, IX, 5-9).
During the Renaissance and the Enlightenment, discussions about women’s rights began, but mainstream thinkers still considered women inferior to men. John Locke, in Two Treatises of Government (1689), discussed women’s rights, but he also did not consider them independent citizens. Jean-Jacques Rousseau, in Émile, or On Education (1762), advocated limiting women’s education only to domestic life.
In Western civilization, the idea that women were inferior was further strengthened by a theory claiming that they did not possess a soul. The Bible, the oldest scripture of Christianity, does not clearly state that women do not have a soul, but some medieval Christian thinkers interpreted it in such a way that women were considered inferior to men. According to the Bible, woman was created from the rib of man (Adam) (Genesis 2:22).
Some Christian thinkers used this to say that woman is merely a helper of man, not an independent entity with equal rights of the soul. The medieval Christian theologian Tertullian called women the “Devil’s Gateway” and believed that through them sin (Eve eating the fruit after being tempted by the serpent) entered the world. Because of this, women were considered spiritually weak and incomplete.
However, in the 19th and 20th centuries, due to feminist movements, the suffragette movement, and social reforms, this perception changed and women realized that they needed to fight directly for their rights and status. The Suffragette Movement was an influential movement in Britain, America, and other Western countries during the 19th and 20th centuries to secure women’s voting rights. This movement was divided into two parts — the Suffragists, who demanded their rights through peaceful means, and the Suffragettes, who adopted militant and aggressive strategies. In Britain, Emmeline Pankhurst and her daughters Christabel and Sylvia Pankhurst established the Women’s Social and Political Union (WSPU), which carried out hunger strikes, attacks on government buildings, and other militant demonstrations. In 1913, suffragette Emily Davison demonstrated her dedication to the movement by jumping in front of the horse of King George V of England. Eventually, in Britain, women above the age of 30 received the right to vote in 1918, and all women above the age of 21 received voting rights in 1928.
Similarly, in the United States, the movement that began with the Seneca Falls Convention of 1848 secured women’s voting rights in 1920 through the 19th Constitutional Amendment. This movement strengthened women’s political participation and laid the foundation for other movements related to women’s rights in the 20th and 21st centuries. The Suffragette Movement was not only a struggle to obtain voting rights, but it also proved to be a revolutionary step toward ensuring gender equality and women’s social and political rights.
The perspective toward women in Indian civilization and culture appears quite different from Western civilization. In Vedic civilization, the status of women was equal to that of men. During the Rigvedic period, women had rights equal to men. They participated in education, politics, philosophy, and religious rituals. Women had the right to study the Vedas and discuss the Upanishads. For example, learned women such as Gargi and Maitreyi discussed Brahma-knowledge (Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 2.4, 3.6).
Apala was a famous female sage of the Rigveda, who made important contributions to the Vedas. She is among the few women who were recognized as Vedic sages. In the eighth mandala of the Rigveda, a hymn composed by her (Apala Sukta) is included.
In marriage, there was the tradition of Swayamvara, in which women could choose their husbands themselves (Ramayana, Mahabharata). The Atharvaveda (14.1.6) states that the wife was considered the mistress of the household, not merely a servant.
Rigveda (10.85.46) states that a woman should be given equal status in society. Manusmriti (3.56) mentions: “Yatra naryastu pujyante ramante tatra devatah,” meaning where women are respected, the gods reside there. The roles of women as pativrata, grihalakshmi, and mother were honored.
During the later Vedic and medieval periods, the status of women began to decline. During the later Vedic period and the Gupta period (300-600 AD), the position of women started becoming somewhat weaker.
After foreign Muslim invasions (8th century), serious concerns about women’s safety arose in Indian society, as a result of which the purdah system became more prevalent. To protect women from invaders, they were confined to homes, which led to a decline in their social participation. Child marriage and many incidents of sati also continued to reflect the condition of women. In addition, women’s education and rights also declined greatly. Because they were deprived of educational opportunities, their participation in religious and social matters became limited, and the interpretation of religious texts came under male control, which further restricted women’s rights.
This was the period when Smriti texts spread widely. The Smriti texts continued to present a standard of social conduct in that society. While Manusmriti considered women worthy of worship, it also kept them under the authority of some man for their protection. It is noteworthy that this does not degrade the status of women but rather ensured their social security in that time. Today it is a different debate whether a woman should remain under the authority of a man or not. In fact, in the Indian tradition, both women and men have remained under each other’s guidance and control.
In the dialogue between Yajnavalkya and Maitreyi, when Yajnavalkya leaves for Vanaprastha, he seeks permission from Maitreyi. In Indian tradition, a man going to Vanaprastha was required to take permission from his wife. Later, this very dialogue appeared in the form of the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad.
According to Manusmriti (5.148),
“Father protects her in childhood, husband protects her in youth,
and son protects her in old age; a woman is not fit for independence.”
In today’s time, this may appear as male control over women, but here the responsibility is given to men that they must always protect their wife, mother, and sister. In Indian tradition, the festival of Raksha Bandhan is a festival of brother and sister, where in exchange for the sacred thread the brother takes a vow to protect his sister.
During the medieval period, women’s status began to improve again through Bhakti movements. During the Bhakti movement (13th-17th centuries), women such as Mirabai, Akka Mahadevi, and Sant Janabai played an important role in spreading spiritual awareness in society. During this period, women received religious freedom, but their social status did not improve significantly.
In the 19th century, women’s reform movements awakened a new consciousness regarding women’s rights. Through the efforts of Raja Ram Mohan Roy, Lord William Bentinck declared the practice of sati illegal in 1829. Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar promoted widow remarriage, which resulted in the Widow Remarriage Act of 1856. During the same time, Jyotiba Phule and Savitribai Phule opened the first school for women’s education in 1848.
In the 20th century, further reforms regarding women’s rights took place. Mahatma Gandhi inspired women’s participation in the freedom struggle, due to which they became active participants in social movements. In 1950, the Indian Constitution granted women equality (Article 14), equal pay (Article 39), and the right to education (Article 21A). The Hindu Marriage Act (1955) prohibited polygamy. In contemporary India, legal reforms such as the Dowry Prohibition Act (1961), the Maternity Benefit Act (1961), and the Domestic Violence Act (2005) were implemented.
Among women’s achievements are Indira Gandhi becoming the first woman Prime Minister of India (1966-1977, 1980-1984), the contributions of Kalpana Chawla and Sunita Williams in space missions, and the international achievements of athletes such as PV Sindhu, Mary Kom, and Saina Nehwal, who have brought pride to India at the global level. Today, by placing a woman from the tribal community in the highest office of India, the country is moving toward restoring its ancient cultural glory where the same Brahman is seen in everyone. There is a need to abandon all forms of discrimination and provide equal opportunities for all so that the overall upliftment of society can be ensured. This will be the foundation of the sustainability of society.
(Dr. Alok Kumar Dwivedi holds a PhD in Philosophy from Allahabad University. Currently he is working as an Assistant Professor at KSAS, Lucknow. This institution is the India-based research center of INADS, USA. Dr. Alok’s interests include philosophy, culture, society, and politics.)