Gopal Ganesh Agarkar on Gender Equality

I have translated one page of Gopal Ganesh Agarkar’s essay of 1880. Agarkar, a social reformer, was way ahead of his times. Just imagine writing this 130 years ago! Today gender equality and equal opportunity are buzz words but Agarkar was a true liberal and feminist much before such concepts were coined.

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This is a translated extract from Gopal Ganesh Agarkar’s path breaking essay written in 1880. The complete essay can be found in “Samagra Agarkar Vangmay Khanda 1”. Agarkar was one of the foremost social reformers Maharashtra has ever seen.

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Both genders should have access to education and that too in the same classroom!

The title of today’s essay will confound and even cause turmoil in the minds of many readers. But I cannot help it. It is imperative that I write on issues about which I have utter conviction. If knowledge is imparted to students of both the genders in the same classroom, many men will have to partake in tasks like attending to the children, washing clothes and utensils, cooking, grinding of grains etc. This cannot be helped. It is not God’s decree that only women should be doing such household chores. Also, no one can prove that since women give birth to children it is their responsibility to be occupied with such tasks. All of us know that women from affluent households are not destined to be tied down to such tasks, irrespective of the number of children they sire.  We also know that in many rich households maids are employed even to feed their young. There is no correlation or an inevitable connection between giving birth to children and ‘menial’ work being thrust upon women.

Why should we assume that every woman has to give birth to ten or twelve children? I am absolutely sure that most women aren’t really happy about giving birth to so many children. In this respect men do a great injustice to women. If only men had an inkling of what kind of pain women have to endure during childbirth they would have been more tolerant and understanding in their attitudes. But men aren’t equipped to grasp or realise the pain and agony suffered by women. Men would be more sympathetic to their better halves if they ever get to experience the hopelessness and dejection associated with pregnancies.

I am hopeful that this injustice and insensitivity will diminish soon as more and more men get illuminated with knowledge. Even women will soon realise the importance of education. As education will spread in our society, women will comprehend the true direction in which they should move and what steps they should take to uplift themselves. Once this is achieved men will have to forgo this unjust and insatiable urge to procreate.

Consent of both men and women is very important in getting married as well as in what marriage eventually leads to!