Savitribai Phule's Fight for Gender Justice

Savitribai Phule was a first women social reformer in India. Those days dalits were not allowed to take water from public tanks & wells. Many times they used to remain thirsty. In 1868 Savitribai Phule & Jyotiba phule dug a well in their house and made open for people from every caste. It was a big challenge for upper caste society. But they took a daring step. Girls were forced to marry with old age men. After the death of her husband widows were not allowed to remarry. Their heads were shaven. Savitribai organized a strike of barbers to persuade them not to shave their heads. Particularly Brahmin women were sexually exploited by males. They were driven to commit suicide. Phule started shelter home in their own house by name Balhatya Pratibadhak Griha for Brahmin widows. For the awareness they put advertisement at pilgrimage places and all over the city.

After releasing the problem of caste discrimination prevailing among women she started organizing meetings of women. She was calling women for Tilgul festival. So women from different caste used to come together and share their problems. Because of all these things she came to know the reasons of women’s worse condition. The reasons were authority was in the hands of males of family and mindset of people. In 1852 she formed Mahila Mandal in Pune. This Mahila Mandal was working for the women empowerment and liberty of women.

Savitribai organized social gatherings for women from all castes. It was a direct assault on the caste hierarchy and exclusiveness of such gatherings. Moving further, Phules also opened their house water tank for all communities. Looking at it in the context of a caste conscious, regressively minded society of the 19th century, it seems astonishing that Phules could so easily break out of caste differences and challenge the then prevailing social order. Savitribai was asking Brahmin widows to come forward and undergo safe pregnancy was a revolutionary step then as it is now.