Gandhi on Freedom and Women: Advocating Equality and Social Reform

Mahatma Gandhi was not merely a political leader fighting for India’s independence-he was equally a fierce advocate for social reform, particularly concerning women’s rights and freedom. In an era dominated by patriarchal customs and deep-rooted discrimination, Gandhi emerged as a powerful voice demanding equality, dignity, and liberation for Indian women. His views on women’s freedom were revolutionary for his time and continue to resonate with contemporary discussions on gender equality.

Gandhi’s passionate advocacy for women’s freedom 🔗

Gandhi desired the utmost freedom for women and favoured their right to vote and equal legal status. He considered the unequal position of women as one of the worst social evils plaguing Indian society. Unlike many reformers who approached women’s issues cautiously, Gandhi was uncompromising in his stance on women’s rights.

He opposed practices injurious to women even if such customs had the sanction of religious texts, law, and tradition. This was a radical position given the deep reverence many Indians held for traditional scriptures. Gandhi believed that no ancient tradition, however venerable, should be preserved if it was inconsistent with morality and basic human dignity.

In his Sabarmati Ashram, Gandhi translated his beliefs into practice. Women enjoyed equal rights in every respect with men at the ashram. There was no child marriage, no observance of purdah, and women had equal say in all important matters. This practical demonstration of gender equality served as a model for the kind of society Gandhi envisioned for independent India.

Voting rights and political participation 🔗

Gandhi was ahead of his time in advocating for women’s political participation. He wanted women to have voting rights and equal status as men, and he did not want them restricted from any activity. He even went so far as to say that there should be no legal bar against a woman hunting or wielding a lance-a statement that challenged the conventional notions of feminine roles in early 20th century India.

Gandhi actively mobilized women for political action through his speeches, writings, and personal example. Women participated in political meetings, protest marches, courted arrest, and faced police brutality. They could do so because Gandhi chose a particular form of nonviolent struggle that suited women’s participation. As a result, the presence of women in the public sphere gained widespread acceptability in India.

The ideal of marriage as spiritual union 🔗

Gandhi held a profoundly spiritual view of marriage that departed significantly from prevailing customs. For him, marriage was a sacrament or sacred union of souls essential for spiritual progress. He strongly favoured monogamy for both men and women.

In Gandhi’s conception, married life was intended to promote mutual good and serve humanity. The physical union was merely a stepping stone to a higher spiritual connection. He believed that the human love embodied in marriage was meant to serve as a foundation for divine or universal love.

The wife as equal partner 🔗

Gandhi rejected the notion of wives as subordinate to their husbands. He wanted every husband to treat his wife as an ‘ardhangini’ (half of oneself) and ‘sahdharmini’ (companion in religious duty). The wife was to be a comrade with the same freedom that the husband claimed for himself, with the right to participate in every detail of her husband’s activities.

He considered the wife not as a bond slave but as a companion, helpmate, and equal partner in all joys and sorrows-free to choose her own path. This vision of marriage as a partnership of equals was revolutionary in an Indian context where wives were often expected to be subservient.

Condemning child marriage and the dowry system 🔗

Gandhi was particularly vocal in his opposition to child marriage, which he considered both a moral and physical evil. He called it a sin and breach of trust on the part of parents who arranged such marriages without the consent of the children involved.

He looked at child marriage as an immoral and inhuman act that made innocent girls objects of men’s desire. He emphasized that it ruined the health of many young mothers and converted tender-aged girls into widows before they could even understand the meaning of marriage.

The minimum marriage age 🔗

Gandhi suggested that the minimum marriageable age for girls should be 20 years. He argued that even in India’s climate, twenty years was early enough for marriage. He blamed society, not nature, for the precocity of girls who were pushed into marriage too young. His support for the Child Marriage Restraint Bill reflected his commitment to legislative reform alongside social change.

Opposition to the dowry system 🔗

Gandhi was equally fierce in his condemnation of dowry. He called the dowry custom pernicious because it lowered women’s status, destroyed their sense of equality with men, and defiled the institution of marriage. He linked the dowry system to the caste system, terming it nothing but the sale of girls.

To combat this evil, Gandhi advised parents to educate their daughters so they would refuse to marry young men who demanded a price for marriage. He suggested that girls should rather remain unmarried than be party to such degrading terms. He advocated organizing youth movements and even satyagraha against those perpetuating this custom, while calling for the social excommunication of men who accepted dowry.

Liberty in mate selection and views on divorce 🔗

Gandhi held liberal ideas about mate selection that contradicted the rigid social norms of his time. He was against societal interference in individual choices regarding marriage partners. While he acknowledged that marriages prohibited by a particular society could not be recognized immediately at the will of an individual, he firmly believed that no one had the right to forcibly prevent a marriage.

Society could refuse to recognize a marriage, but it could not forcibly stop two people from uniting. Gandhi warned against adopting a heartless attitude toward those who might disregard established conventions in matters of the heart.

Gandhi’s position on divorce 🔗

On divorce, Gandhi took a nuanced position. Marriage, in his view, confirmed the right of union between two partners but conferred no right upon one partner to demand obedience from the other. If moral progress was being interrupted due to marital difficulties, he was willing to accept divorce as the necessary alternative.

However, he did not favour complete divorce in all circumstances. He suggested that if a husband did not care for his wife, she could, without breaking the legal tie, live separately and feel as if she had never been married. This position attempted to balance personal freedom with the sanctity of marriage vows.

Championing widow remarriage and opposing purdah 🔗

Gandhi was deeply concerned about the plight of widows in Indian society. He regarded enforced widowhood as an unbearable yoke that defiled the home and degraded religion. He made a crucial distinction between child widows and adult widows in his approach.

For child widows, Gandhi spoke strongly in favour of remarriage. He believed they were never really married in any meaningful sense and should be treated as maidens rather than widows. For adult widows, while he personally preferred that they keep their marriage vows, he insisted there should be no obstacles if they wanted to remarry. He even called upon young men to marry widows as a form of social service to the country.

Tearing down the purdah 🔗

Gandhi was equally vociferous in his opposition to the purdah system. He regarded purdah as inhuman and immoral because it impeded women’s march towards swaraj (self-rule). The veil denied women freedom as well as God’s free gifts like light and fresh air.

He criticized the purdah for crippling women’s free movement, interfering with their advancement, and reducing their capacity for contributing to society. Gandhi argued that chastity could not be protected by the surrounding wall of purdah-it must grow from within and be capable of withstanding any temptation. He questioned why men had arrogated to themselves the right to regulate female purity when there was no reciprocal concern about male chastity.

Population control and women’s health 🔗

Gandhi held distinctive views on population control that differed from many contemporary reformers. He believed that India, with better land management and improved agricultural systems, was capable of supporting a larger population. However, from a practical political standpoint, he aligned with birth control advocates on certain issues.

His primary concern was women’s health and autonomy over their own bodies. He warned women to resist husbands who drained their health through repeated pregnancies. At the same time, he cautioned against the moral dangers of contraceptives, fearing they would promote a life focused solely on physical pleasure.

Self-control as the ideal 🔗

Gandhi’s preferred solution to population concerns was self-control, rooted in his concept of brahmacharya (celibacy). While acknowledging this was difficult to achieve universally, he believed it represented the highest moral path. He accepted sterilization for men in certain cases, considering them the aggressors in sexual matters, but remained opposed to contraceptive use by women.

Despite these conservative elements, Gandhi’s overall contribution to women’s welfare was transformative. His emphasis on women’s education, economic independence through spinning and khadi production, and their active participation in the freedom struggle created lasting change in Indian society’s attitudes toward women.

What do you think? How relevant are Gandhi’s views on women’s freedom in today’s context of ongoing struggles for gender equality? Can his vision of marriage as spiritual partnership coexist with modern ideas about individual autonomy and women’s rights?

References

1. https://www.yourarticlelibrary.com/women/gandhis-views-on-the-status-of-women/47395
2. https://www.gandhiashramsevagram.org/gandhi-articles/gandhi-on-gender-violence-and-gender-equality.php
3. https://www.gandhiashramsevagram.org/selections-from-gandhi/problems-of-women.php