Q3.The women’s questions arose in modern India as a part of the 19th-century social reform movement. What are the major issues and debates concerning women in that period?

The 19th-century social reform movements in India critically addressed the 'women's question', recognizing their subjugated status as a key impediment to societal progress. This period saw concerted efforts to challenge entrenched patriarchal norms.

• Sati: Practice of widow immolation.
• Child Marriage: Early marriage, impacting health and education.
• Prohibition of Widow Remarriage: Widows faced ostracism and hardship.
• Female Infanticide: Due to patriarchal preference.
• Lack of Female Education: Denied access to knowledge.
• Purdah System: Seclusion, restricting public life.
• Property Rights: Minimal or no inheritance rights.
• Polygamy: Causing distress to women.

• Scriptural Interpretation: Reformers cited texts for rights; orthodox used them to justify existing practices.
• Pace of Reform: Gradualists vs. radicals demanding immediate change.
• State Intervention vs. Social Initiative: Debate on colonial state legislation versus indigenous social awakening.
• Western vs. Indigenous Influence: Extent of Western liberal ideas versus India's own traditions.
• Focus on Upper-Caste Women: Criticism that reforms primarily addressed issues of upper-caste Hindu women.
• Women's Agency: Limited consideration of women's own voices and consent, often viewing them as passive recipients.

Pioneers like Raja Ram Mohan Roy, Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar, Jyotirao Phule, and Dayanand Saraswati spearheaded these. Key acts included Abolition of Sati (1829), Hindu Widow Remarriage Act (1856), and Age of Consent Act (1891).

Reforms were often top-down, had limited reach beyond urban elites, and did not fundamentally challenge deep-rooted patriarchal structures.

The women's question in the 19th century was pivotal, laying groundwork for future feminist movements and significantly shaping modern Indian society and its legal framework.