Throughout recorded history, women all over the world have been held to a different standard than men. They have consistently been oppressed in nearly all aspects of life, from political to personal. In the 20th century though, great strides have been taken to end this oppression and level the playing field. However, in India, a number of deeply rooted traditions have made this effort all the more difficult, and as a result, women's triumphs over oppression in India are all the more intriguing. To understand the position Women found themselves in at the dawn of the 20th century, one must have a general understanding of their numerous historical conflicts unique to the Subcontinent. It took the overwhelming success of Gandhi's nonviolent revolution to create the an atmosphere whereby women, empowered by the times, could take a stand for their equality.

The 1970's saw the beginning of a highly organized modern women's movement in India. One of the main focuses of the movement was violence. Harassment, wife-beating, rape, and "dowry deaths" were all too common, and police enforcement was ineffective as were most attempts at prosecution. Commonly called "atrocities agains

The eventual partition and independence of India was seen as a tremendous success for passive resistance and the Gandhian way. In the decades to come a number of political movements would emerge that would utilize various forms of civil disobedience as their main form of protest. There was intense and organized women's participation in these movements, as a result of their participation in the independence movement there was a clear precedent for this.

For those who did not take part in this practice, the life of a Hindu widow was a very restricted one. A census conducted in 1881 showed that one-fifth of all women were widows, so these restrictions were very important. The Dharmashashra of Manu (a Hindu text) talks about how a Brahmin widow should act stating, "... but she may never mention the name of another man after her husband has died.(Stein, p.94) As child brides were common in the Subcontinent, one often saw young widows unable by traditional law to remarry and make an attempt at a new life. Furthermore, they rarely had the education to support themselves.

Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 1800
Approximate Pages = 7 (250 words per page double spaced)