Question

Analyse the role of women in the Civil Disobedience Movement.

Answer 1

• The Civil Disobedience Movement (1930-1934), founded by Mahatma Gandhi, was a watershed moment in India’s freedom struggle, with women playing a critical role in its success. Their participation questioned established gender conventions while demonstrating their dedication to the nationalist cause. Women from many backgrounds, including metropolitan elites and rural masses, joined the movement, breaking down societal barriers and actively contributing to its growth.
• They played an important role in protests and marches. Women such as Sarojini Naidu rose to prominence as leaders, mobilising crowds and addressing rallies to incite resistance to British authority. Naidu’s leadership in the 1930 raid on the Dharasana Salt Works represented women’s heroism and drew international attention. Thousands of women, even ordinary villagers, joined salt marches, breaking the Salt Law by producing and selling salt, causing a direct economic hit to British revenue.
• Women also contributed by boycotting and picketing. They organised the boycott of foreign cloth and liquor shops, exerting social pressure on communities to adhere to Swadeshi principles. In Bengal and Bombay, for example, women picketed businesses selling British goods, leveraging their home influence to encourage self-reliance. This grassroots initiative damaged British economic control while strengthening the movement’s economic character.
• Women’s involvement also included underground activities and supporting duties. Many people, including Aruna Asaf Ali, risked arrest for distributing illegal literature or hiding revolutionaries. Rural women offered logistical support to activists, such as food and lodging, which enabled the movement to continue operations. Their participation helped to overcome the urban-rural gap, making the movement genuinely national.