Empowering Women and Untouchables by Mahatma Phule

Women and untouchables were the two worst sufferers in Hindu Society. They bore the burnt of unequal social structure and Hindu religious dogma. The social customs and traditions concerning the women in Hindu society had been inhuman to say the least. The institution of ‘Sall’ which relegated women to a position worse than a slave had ‘its origin’ in pre-vedic times. They did not enjoy any respect in Vedic times. Since than the general Hindu attitude has been one of paternalistic type subjugating women completely to men and treating them as a commodity for pleasure.

They were never treated as equals with man. The women in their sphere of life was surrounded from all ideas with restrictions and limitations which were progressively increased by the subsequent law givers through generations — Manu, for instance, clearly enjoined a position of complete servitude and dependence for women in no uncertain words as ‘the father protects her in childhood, her husband in youth, her sons in the old age, a woman is never fit for independence. Thus in the course of time they developed many taboos and restrictions on women’s life. Life long widowhood disfigurement of the widows, Sati, early marriages, Pradah system, prohibition on their getting education, female infanticide, polygamy etc. all these were the chains that tide women firmly into a position of the worst type of attitude. These were the traditions confined to the higher castes. In fact the lot of women was more miserable.

The missionaries were the first to raise the voice against the degradation of Hindu Women. They criticised the customs of ‘Safi’ polygamy, lifelong widowhood, taboo on their education etc. They started schools for girls. The first day school for girls was started in 1807 by Mrs. Hannah Marshman, a missionary. In Bombay the American missionaries and Scotish Missionaries took the initiative in establishing the schools for girls”. The enlightened Indians soon realised the gravity of the situation and started social reformmovement. Rajaram Mohan Roy and Pandit lswarchandra Vidyasagar did pioneering works in this area.

In Maharashtra, Lokhitwadi was a great critic of the tradition and customs with respect to women prevalent in the Hindu social order. He stood for the equality of women men, it is interesting to note that he based his argument on rationality and went even to the extent of saying that if the law books came in the way they should be simply pushed aside. But the dominant trend in social reforms was to rely heavily on old text books rather than justifying it on the basis of the principles of rationality and equality”.

The Lokhitwadi, Bhadarkar, Agarkar, as well as the Parsis like Wacha, Malbari etc. tried to create public opinion in favour of women’s education against early marriage, widow marriage as well as their economic independence”. But the movement encountered mounting opposition. In fact Tilak himself emerged as a leader in the agitation against the age of consent Bill of 1891, in which liberals like Renade and Agarkar were keenly interested’.

To Phule the question of women’s liberation was not an isolated issue. He considered the slavery of women as a part of general Hindu culture and the social, structure based on inequality and hierarchical divisions. Unless the whole social structure is revolutionized, there was no chance of liberating women from their bondage. Picemeal efforts could be of little use. Nevertheless as a matter of strategy Phule accepted the validity of the piecemeal reforms like the education of women, widow remarriage, abolition of polygamy etc., and supported such activities undertaken by others.

He started a girls schools in 1851, offered patronage to the widows and provided asylum in his house particularly to the illegally pregnant widows. He opposed early marriages on eugenic grounds as it damaged the health of both husband and wife and the offspring were weak and unhealthy (Ibid, 252). He held that the early marriages were responsible for polygamy as the bride-groom after growing mature disliked his wife whom he had married in his childhood without giving consent. So he used to marry another woman of his choice during his adultage. Early marriages also stood in the way of woman’s education and hence imposed a life of dependence on them Phule regarded Brahman accountable for keeping the women uneducated and slave of men. 

Phule’s aim was to breakdown the authoritarian structure of the institution of family which bred unequal status for the women folk. In his ‘Sarvajanik Satya Dharma Pusatak’ in which he has spelt out an outline of the new equalitarian order of society, he has stressed not only the equality of all men among themselves but also of the equality of all women with men in all respects. In the wedding (according to Sarvajanik Satya Dharma) both bride and bride-groom were required to take a oath separately of Loyalty and equal treatment to each other. Particularly the bride-groom was to promise his bride the right of education.

Phule wanted that equality must guide the relationship between men and women. He assigned to women even a higher dignity than men as it is, she who gives birth to a child and nures it with motherly affection and love. He regarded women as superior to men in every respect. Men are partial cruel, adventagous and wicked compared to women. He therefore argued that it was not right to overlook a moral fault in man and castigate a women for a similar faults. The moral law should be applied in the same to men and women.