Eternal India Encyclopedia

Eternal India encyclopedia

PEOPLE

sex, "equality before the law", "equal protection before the law" and "equality of opportunity in matters of public employment". Women enjoy the same right as men to vote and to contest elections, to seek and to hold public office. The Hindu Marriage Act of 1956 enforces monogamy, outlaws polygamy, makes provision both for judicial separation as well as divorce for marriages performed according to Hindu religious rites. The Act also provides for payment of alimony. The Hindu Marriage Act marks an advance on the rules of alimony prevailing in other countries in that alimony can be paid not only to the wife but also the husband in special circumstances. Marriages may also be con- tracted by registration under the Special Marriage Act of 1954, which also provides for divorce on similar grounds to those allowed under the Hindu Marriage Act. The Hindu Marriage Act 1956 has been further amended by the Hindu Marriage (Amendment) Act 1976 providing for divorce by consent. A significant step in the emancipation and equality for women was taken with the Hindu Succession Act of 1956 which conferred on women absolute rights in the property devolving on them which meant they could alienate, sell or mortgage it. It also provided for equal share for daughters along with the sons in the self-acquired property of the Hindu father in case of intestate succession. Till then, under the Hindu Women's Right to Property Act of 1937, a widow could enjoy her husband's share in co-parcenary property for her lifetime without the right to alienate it. In Hindu Law a woman had no right to adopt a child because the entire theory of adoption was based on the belief that for the salvation and peace of a man's soul a son had to make a spiritual ceremony called pinda-daan. So if a man did not have a child of his own he was allowed to adopt a male child. A female child could never be adopted. By the Hindu Adoption and Maintenance Act of 1956 any male Hindu is allowed to adopt a son or a daughter provided he gets the consent of his wife. Married women have not been given the right to adopt but an unmarried woman, a divorcee or a widow can adopt a child. By the same law, a woman can claim maintenance if she is living separately without divorce or judicial separation, if she proves that her husband has been guilty of desertion or cruelty, or has any other wife living, or keeps a concubine in the same house as his wife or any other cause justifying her living separately. Muslims, Christians and Parsees are governed by different laws relating to marriage, divorce and succession to property. The total percentage of female literacy in the 1991 census was 39.42 (compared to 63.86 for men) a definite advance on the previous census figures of 29.75 (1981 census), 21.97 (1971), 15.34 (1961) and 8.86 (1951). Among the States, Kerala has the highest female literacy rate of 86.93. Rajasthan with 20.84 comes at the bottom of the table.

QUOTE

To call woman the weaker sex is libel, it is man's injustice to woman. If by strength is meant moral power, then woman is immeasurably man's superior. Has she not greater intuition, is she not more self-sacrificing, has she not greater powers of endurance, has she not greater courage? Without her, man could not be. If non-violence is the law of our being, the future is with women. - Mahatma Gandhi

CHANGING FACE OF INDIAN WOMEN

SEX RATIO (Females per 1000 males)

Y ear

Sex Rati o

Y ear

Sex Ratio

1901 1911 1921 1931 1941

972 964 955 950

1951 1961 1971 1981 2015

946 941 930 934

945*

Sex Ratio in Selected Countries

Australia(2008)

949

Russia(2008)

944

UK(2008)

951 948 943 836

Japan(2008)

946

Denmark(2008) Newzeland(2008)

China(2008)