For anyone who has studied Indian history, with any amount of emphasis on the women's reform movements there is one thing that comes across as a severe flaw in the movement and that is that there is a disturbing lack of opinion from women in the lower Hindu castes. In the abolishment of Sati not a single woman was ever asked their opinion upon Sati, instead it was turned into a religious debate. Another example is the destruction of the Devadasis culture in Southern India. During these reforms to make "women's" lives "better", no great poll of the women's opinion was established. The persons in charge of the government (who were mainly male, and mostly swayed by Victorian culture) did not ever ask a woman if they were okay with the changes that were being made to their culture, ways of life, or ways of viewing their society.
I am noticing a scary similarity in women's issues in this past week. In the panel talking about birth control not a single woman was present to give her opinion; but rather a panel of men was chosen to give their opinion on something that ultimately affect's women's health. Why? Why was a woman not asked her opinion on any of these matters? Why has the legislature not asked the women what they think?
Are women to be considered sub-class citizens that are unable to make decisions about their own health or quality of living? Can women not be trusted to make an informed decision on birth control, abortion, or the issues related to these debates? The answer should be "No!", but I'm not sure if the legislature is even willing to listen to those that these decisions would ultimately affect; and that is a very scary thought.
