Which one of the following is correct?

Answer & explanation

Correct answer: option 3

The correct answer is Option (3) → Women’s movement is a struggle against dowry, sexual harassment, violence against women

Option (1) Women’s movement is a movement against welfare — Incorrect. Early women’s organisations such as the All India Women’s Conference began by working for ‘women’s welfare’, and the movement later fought for land rights and employment too; it has never been against welfare.

Option (2) Women’s movement is to weaken women’s organisations — Incorrect. The movement worked through women’s organisations; like any social movement it had organisations, ideology and leadership, so it built them up rather than weakened them.

Option (3) Women’s movement is a struggle against dowry, sexual harassment, violence against women — Correct. When the women’s movement was renewed in the mid-1970s, it took up new issues such as violence against women, and it has fought for land rights and employment alongside rights against sexual harassment and dowry.

Option (4) Women’s movement in India began only after 1947 — Incorrect. There was an active women’s movement before 1947, as the early 20th century saw the growth of women’s organisations such as the Women’s India Association (1917); what came in the mid-1970s was its renewal, called its second phase.

NCERT (2025-26): “Early Women’s Organisations … 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.…”

“Post 1947 … An issue that is often raised is that if there was an active women’s movement before 1947, what happened afterwards? One explanation has been that many of the women activists who were also involved in the nationalist movement got involved in the nation building task. Others cite the trauma of Partition responsible for the lull. 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. Apart from organisational changes, there were new issues that were focussed upon. For instance, violence against women. Over the years, there have been numerous campaigns that have been taken up. You may have noticed that application for school forms have both father’s and mother’s names. This was not always true. Likewise, important legal changes have taken place thanks to the campaign by the women’s movement. Issues of land rights, employment have been fought alongside rights against sexual harassment and dowry.”