ABSTRACT
There is no doubt that women have traditionally been an oppressed lot. Religion, scriptures, social systems and man-made institutions all gave women a lower place in society. Naturally, the fight for sexual equality has been a long drawn-out war. In India, the freedom movement also contained the seeds of women's liberation. Most of our national leaders and prominent writers, though males, were champions of women's causes. Naturally, free India's Constitution guaranteed equality of opportunity to women and prohibited any discrimination on grounds of sex. However, women's liberation cannot be brought about by mere law or constitutional provisions. Centuries-old attitudes have to be changed through education, social work and, above all, removing poverty to ensure the well-being of the family. The process of reform has been going on, though slowly.
