Tamilnadu is a pioneer in the country in terms of women's emancipation

Tamilnadu is a pioneer in the country in terms of women's emancipation. The very first step was taken by the Dravidian Movement. Are you asking how?

Let's go through History. Child Marriage was the biggest issue in British India. Due to this many women were widowed at a very young age. As the increased ratio of widowed women created a huge issue in the country back then.

Opposed by Gandhi and Supported by Periyar

The issue gained Gandhiji's attention. Even though he seeks a solution, Gandhiji couldn't take a standard decision on Women's Remarriage. But even then Periyar took a firm stand on Widow Remarriage. This all happened in 1929.

The Resolution on widow remarriage was passed at the Chengalpattu Self-respect conference. Periyar took a major step in the Tamilnadu Political Scenario by bringing a resolution on abolishing the Devdasi system which was prevailing in that era. But then it was highly opposed by one of the congress leaders Satyamurthy.

the concept of Widow remarriage which was highly a topic of hesitation for Gandhiji was totally encouraged by the Dravidian Movement. In that same Chengalpattu Conference, Periyar passed a resolution offering equal rights for women in properties. He even emphasised the rights of women to get a 'boy' cut. His book on "Pen yen adimai aanal?'' (Why women get enslaved?") over the rights of women just shakes the political propaganda of the congress leaders then.

DMK on Women Empowerment

While the whole country was having a discussion on the upliftment of women, Tamilnadu propagates Women's Rights.

Even before Periyar, the renowned Tamil Poet Barathiyar wrote that 'women are as equal as men' in one of his poems during the period in which women were denied the right to education. When another eminent Tamil poet Barathidasan penned 'is it that much of a sin when widow gets remarried?' the stand on Indian women's rights was never discussed.

Even today many right-wing people's theory says that 'women should not work'. Still many parts of our country are deprived of women's rights.

But the empowerment of women will definitely raise the economical status of the country was the original belief of our Chief Minister M.K.Stalin. This is the major reason for introducing free bus travel for women in Tamilnadu.

DMK president M K Stalin was sworn in as the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu on May 7, 2021. On this occasion, he primarily signed on several important files. approving free travel on government buses for women was the primary one. This scheme received huge recognition from the women of the state.

Next, just before the new year, the Tamilnadu chief minister launched a new helpline '181' for women in distress. He launched it while inaugurating integrated help centers for women.

Karunanidhi who reigned as the chief minister of the state in the path paved by Periyar, initially inaugurated this 30% reservation for women in government jobs from 1988- 91. The law was amended in 1990.

Equal rights over Family property

Kalaignar M Karunanidhi introduced the law granting equal rights over ancestral properties to daughters on a par with sons back in the late 80s. Another huge milestone was achieved when Kalaignar made a law that only women should be employed as teachers for all the primary school classes up to 5th standard.

In the same way, Tamilnadu was the first state in the nation to sanction Thirty three percent reservation for women in local bodies elections which paved way for 40,000 women to become representatives in local bodies. This is crucial information.

Many questions "What the DMK government has ever done?". Those people conveniently forgot that all these above changes were done by the DMK during their rule.

Only during the Dravidian parties' rule, there were some prominent legal measures taken for the empowerment or emancipation of women instead of just keeping these topics in mere discussions.