WOMEN’S MOVEMENT: Trends and Dilemmas 
Report of a Seminar Organized by Saheli 
On the Occasion of International Women's Day 

Newsletter July 1999


March 8th is a historical day, a symbol of the struggle waged against exploitation and oppression by women all over the world, for over a century. It is a day to express and demonstrate our collective strength and to renew our struggle for equality and justice. This year we decided to get together to analyse the various trends within the women's movement in India, and the challenges and dilemmas we face today. 

Many changes have taken place following the initial fervour of the autonomous women’s movement in the late ’70s. Issues taken up have been changing, as have strategies and forms of protest. The ’80s and 90S have witnessed a growing participation of left groups in the women’s movement. Parliamentary Left Parties, Marxist-Leninist Parties, Trade Unions and mass movements have taken up the women’s agenda in a BIG way. Simultaneously, there has been a spurt in the number of NGOs WORKING on women’s issues. Because of the pressure of women’s movement, the State was forced to make women-specific programmes and policies and women-centred laws. 

But the extent to which these laws and policies have actually resulted in bringing about a change in the position of women, is still a moot question. The fact that inspite of the existence of a vibrant women’s movement not only does discrimination against women still continue, but an equally disturbing aspect is the increasing violence on women. On the other hand, the gradual and insidious co-option of the demands and vocabulary of women’s movement by the State and other forces has had an adverse effect on the movement itself. The problems have been compounded by the rise of communal forces as also due to the liberalised economy. In a scenario, where so much is being talked about the rights and position of women without a visible change in the status of women, it becomes important to take stock of the situation with a view to the present trends, their weaknesses and limitations as well as to chalk out strategies for the future. 

We felt that International Women’s Day WOULD be a good occasion for activists associated with all trends within the movement to critically analyse the gains of the movement as well as the dilemmas facing us. We also thought that possibilities of strengthening our networking could be explored. With this in view, on March 6th 1999, we organised a one-day meeting titled, ‘Women’s Movement: Trends and Dilemmas,’ to initiate a debate. About 60-70 participants from various backgrounds ATTENDED the meeting and participated in a fruitful discussion.