Activities

Educational Institutions for Women

During the 1970s only a few scholars and activists had researched women’s issues and highlighted women’s roles in the family and the economy. A few Christian educational institutions for women, such as the Isabella Thoburn College, Lucknow and Lady Doak College, Madurai, were among the first to introduce WS in their curricula. The formation of IAWS provided an impetus and the Association actively advocated the establishment of Women’s Studies Centres in universities. IAWS members have continued to be closely involved with the UGC’s efforts in this direction. Women’s studies gradually gained space both within academia and outside. In the 1980s several autonomous women’s groups and NGOs began to shape public discourse through their campaigns and strong articulation, setting an agenda for action on women’s concerns.

Administrators in the government and agencies that were sympathetic to the women’s movement helped to fund research. The emergence of feminist publishing served to bridge distinctions between activist writings and research, and also between basic and applied research. Through the years, IAWS has had an important role in giving legitimacy to the multiple objectives of women’s studies, critiquing and countering gender bias in the production of knowledge, and in policies, institutions and processes.