Select the stages in chronological order leading to rise of gender just society.
A. Growth of autonomous women's movement
B. Growth of organisations like the Women's India Association
C. Women participated in national movements
D. Efforts are being made towards a gender just society
Choose the correct answer from the options given below:
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 3
The correct answer is Option (3) → B, C, A, D
(B) Growth of organisations like the Women’s India Association — the early 20th century saw women’s organisations grow at the national and local level: the Women’s India Association (1917), the National Council for Women in India (1925) and the All India Women’s Conference (1926).
(C) Women participated in national movements — these organisations soon widened their scope to national freedom. The AIWC asked, “Can the Indian man or woman be free if India be a slave?”, and women such as Gufiallo took part in the Civil Disobedience Movement.
(A) Growth of autonomous women’s movement — after a lull following 1947, the women’s movement was renewed in the mid-1970s, its second phase. Its organisations were ‘autonomous’, independent of political parties, because parties tended to marginalise women’s issues.
(D) Efforts are being made towards a gender just society — the present stage. A gender-just society would allow both men and women to be free, and programmes such as Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao Yojana are efforts in this direction.
Note: The lines on the growth of the autonomous women’s movements in the mid-1970s, in the section on the women’s movement of the chapter ‘Social Movements’, were there in the pre-rationalised NCERT, which NTA followed in 2023. This portion has been deleted from the NCERT book (2025-26), though the chapter is still there and still describes the renewal of the women’s movement in the mid-1970s.
NCERT (2025-26): “8.8 The Women’s Movement … The early 20th century saw the growth of women’s organisations at the national and the local level. The Women’s India Association (WIA) (1917), All India Women’s Conference (AIWC) (1926) and National Council for Women in India (NCWI) (1925) are ready names of organisations that we can mention. While many of them began with a limited focus, their scope extended over time. For instance, the AIWC began with the idea that ‘women’s welfare’ and ‘politics’ were mutually exclusive.…” “Post 1947 … In the mid–1970s, there was a renewal of the women’s movement in India. Some call it the second phase of the Indian women’s movement. While many of the concerns remained the same that there were changes both in terms of organisational strategy, as well as, ideologies.…” “…A gender-just society would allow both men and women to be free. This of course rests on the idea that for true freedom to grow and develop, injustices of all kind have to end.…” NCERT (Pre-rationalised): “8.8 The Women’s Movement … There was the growth of what is termed as the autonomous women’s movements. The term ‘autonomy’ referred to the fact that they were ‘autonomous’ or independent from political parties as distinct from those women’s organisations that had links with political parties. It was felt that political parties tended to marginalise issues of women.…” |