India

“Never in the history of any country, at any time, has woman been so honored as she has been in this country. Though, apparently, she seems to have lost her voice, she has always been the vital element in the evolution of the country and the nation.” These words were delivered by Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay, the female candidate of the South Kanara Rural seat in the Madras Legislative Council at an open-air public lecture before 2,000 people that included both men and woman at the Clock Tower Council. A social reformer and freedom activist, Chattopadhyay believed that if women proved competent enough to handle issues concerning women and children, rent, and revenue in other countries, an “Indian woman [would] not prove an exception.” More specifically, in 1926, the abolition of the Rent Recovery Act and the Revenue Settlement Act were the main problems in India. Chattopadhyay reasoned that for years men comprised all the positions in various governmental councils. Some uplifted the district and others failed to. By this logic, even if a woman failed to fulfill the public’s expectations, it would be no different than that of the men before her. Such powerful words emphasized that no matter a person’s gender, a woman simply could not disappoint where a man had already failed  

In 1924, meeting at the national convention in Bombay drafted a constitution for India that included a clause that decreed: “There shall be no sex disqualification with regard to franchise, membership of the governments, of the legislatures, and of the local bodies, and all offices, functions, and powers shall be open equally to both sexes.”  Kochi was the first city in India to abolish sex disqualification policies. Women could now vote, as well as seek nomination and election to the reformed Legislative Council. In the British Provinces, suffrage was restricted to municipal affairs. In Bombay, Madras, and Assam, women had the right to vote for their legislative councils. However, they were still mainly restricted from serving on legislative councils or legislative assemblies for India.  

Within five Provinces of India, qualified women had the right to vote on the same plain as men. In areas outside of the British Provinces, women served in parliament, as members of municipal, district and urban councils, and as ministers of health. Although education remained low, women succeeded at becoming lawyers, doctors, professors, magistrates, and apothecaries. In cities such as Kochi, Mysuru, and the kingdom of Travancore, women had political freedom. In June 1925, Stri Dharma—the Women’s Indian Association magazine—reported that Kochi continued to support the matriarchal system. Under this system, most women owned property and the state was ruled by the Maharani of Kochi, which was a high position. The Maharani of Kochi was considered an enlightened leader to the people.