“Women’s movement in India has not addressed the issues of women of lower social strata.” Substantiate your view. (Answer in 250 words)

The women’s movement has secured important legal and political gains, but its reach and leadership have often been urban, middle-class and upper-caste. Therefore, its agenda has not consistently reflected the intersectional burdens faced by women of lower social strata.

Basis of the criticism

• Informal workers, agricultural labourers, domestic workers, Dalit and Adivasi women face livelihood insecurity, violence, landlessness and caste discrimination alongside patriarchy.
• Movements centred on formal employment, bodily autonomy or representation may understate wages, forest rights, sanitation, migration and access to public services.
• Leadership and media visibility remain concentrated among educated urban groups; rural voices and minority women are under-represented.
• Legal rights often fail at the last mile because of police apathy, lack of legal aid, social stigma and economic dependence.

Countervailing contributions

• Self-help groups, labour unions, anti-arrack campaigns, forest movements and grassroots collectives have centred poor women’s agency.
• Campaigns against caste violence, sexual harassment, domestic violence and discriminatory personal practices have expanded the rights discourse.

Way forward

Build intersectional leadership, fund grassroots organisations, recognise unpaid and informal work, ensure safe migration and social security, strengthen local institutions and disaggregate data by caste, tribe, class, disability and religion.

The movement’s future legitimacy depends on treating marginalised women not as beneficiaries but as agenda-setters and political actors.

Keywords: intersectionality; informalisation; feminist movement; grassroots agency; substantive equality.