Womens struggle for their rights in Tamil Nadu 1917 to 2000

Abstract

Women did their work well in education, literature and politics upto the Vedic Period. But in the period of Manu, women got many restrictions and their rights were crushed. During the medieval period, the status of women went down and they were considered to be inferior to men. Historians have called this age as the and#145;dark ageand#146;. Then, the men started to do all the works because they thought that the women did not have strength like the men. Women assisted men in their jobs. Hunting and fighting in war were done only by men. Also men looked after the financial status of their house. With the support of men, women handled their families. Men gave financial support and women looked after the families. newlineWhen the people started to light the pyre of the dead people, it was done only by men. So the society liked to have the boy child in the world. So many of the families if they did not get male child, they started to marry their wifeand#146;s sisters or other girls. Thus, polygamy had started. People did spiritual rituals to get male child. If they got girl child, they killed the female child. Thus, the female infanticide had started in the society. Mahabharatha says, the husband can stake his wife in gambling and a man can marry five girls. It is all about slavery of women. Eventhough there was much slavery for women, some eminent women rulers like Rani Mangamma, Meenakshi and Velunachiar also ruled in Tamil Nadu. E.V.Ramaswamy Naicker is considered as the father of womenand#146;s liberation in Tamil Nadu. He was the first man, with adamant boldness and rational thinking, who questioned all the foolish customs, pseudo values of Hinduism, Brahminism, code of chastity, male chauvinism and gender discrimination. He was a real warrior and man of action through his Self Respect Movement.