A new feminist movement is spreading quickly throughout India.

What has
caused this newfound feminist movement that has taken over India? And why now
is the world interested in the movement? For many years, womens rights has been
a prominent issue in India as women, both upper and lower class struggle to gain
respect from their male counterparts. So why now is India finally taking action? This
goes back to a horrific incident that occurred in New Delhi in 2012. The victim in
this incident represented the modern Indian. She was a young female,
accompanied by a male, aspiring to become a doctor. She went to a movie with her
male friend at 8 and was gang raped on the back of a bus on her way home. The
brutality from the rape would lead to her death and the court would sentence the
four men involved to death. This incident has become a defining catalyst for the new
wave of feminism in India today. But what about the thousands of other incidents
that have gone unreported?
The more urban and progressive areas of India receive more attention now
due to the New Delhi incident. Now, womens rights are on the political agenda of
many politicians who feel the pressure from the public to change the laws
concerning the rights of women. Still, the progress being made is slow and has not
reached many secluded and rural areas.
It is imperative that this movement grows and more importantly adapts to
target those who have more traditional beliefs. This raises the question; can the
Western feminist mindset that is now propelling the feminist movement in the
urban areas of India be applied to the rural areas of India? The answer is no. This is
why in order to create change within the rural areas of India, feminist movements
must change and fully understand the traditional beliefs that propel some of the
sexist ideology that has allowed men to remain in the position of power. The
feminists in these areas have less power than their urban counterparts but this can
change.