Why were women enslaved? (பெண் ஏன் அடிமையானாள்?)

Periyar’s “Why were women enslaved?” is a insightful perspective into the unfair and unequal treatment women receive in our society. Periyar lists down the aspects and ideologies that curtail the freedom of women and in turn lead to a woman’s life always being dependent on the male counterpart.

 

The word "கற்பு" (Karpu) in Tamil has been used to attach a purity tag to a woman in terms of virginity and chastity. The same tag doesn’t apply to a man and is free to have any number of extramarital affairs. Periyar voices out for gender equality in this context with arguments that break down how Indian society has used this purity to ensure women remain as slaves to the chauvinistic males. 

Periyar talks about financial independence for women in this book. To bring this to action, he had promoted the campaign for amendment of legal acts to grant women the right to inherit ancestral property which was confined to male heirs at that point of time. This would ensure a woman’s freedom from the clutches of the household and her dependence on her husband. 

The book also emphasises on divorce, remarriage and widow remarriage to counter the enslavement of women that stems out of the institution of marriage and its moral obligations. There had been practices in Hindu religion to confine widows inside the houses and forcefully suppress their desires and feelings - in fact there have been castes who go to the extent of shaving a widow’s head for the rest of their life. This would occur no matter how old is the widow, considering child marriages were abundant during that time. The stats and figures outlined in this book about the number of widows in 1920s (some were 1 year-old babies) are shocking and present to us the pitiful state of our society 100 years back. 

Periyar puts forth his view on legalisation of prostitution and recognising sex workers with dignity instead of showing contempt towards them and branding them as immoral. He draws parallel between prostitution and other professions which involve dishonesty but considered with high regard. His blunt and honest approach towards injustice that women suffer at the hands of men and the society they live in is what makes this an impactful read. 

The fallacious inveterate beliefs that confine women are dealt with uncompromisingly forthright counter arguments, no matter which religion or ideology preaches them. The book gives a fitting end by stating the enslavement of women can end only when unnecessary pride in the masculinity of the opposite gender withers away or gets abolished.

There are some extreme views put forth in this book, which are debatable, but one cannot ignore  or brush aside the facts emphasized here. Periyar's ideology on women empowerment needs to be spread to the masses. 

Remember that these thoughts were put together in words 100 years back during a time when they would have been received with the most savage malice.

There is a reason why Periyar can never be converted into a harmless icon - his simplified writings and the undeniable truth in them have the power to reach the masses and enlighten them for a better future.

I read this book in Tamil, but wanted to write about it in English so that it reaches readers outside TN as well.