Peasants, Zamindars and the State | Class 12 History Notes

3. WOMEN IN AGRARIAN SOCIETY

In agrarian society, men and women worked together in agricultural production, with men typically tilling and ploughing, and women sowing, weeding, threshing, and winnowing. The household was the basic production unit, relying on the labor and resources of all members.

Despite joint labor, gender biases persisted. For example, menstruating women were prohibited from touching ploughs or entering certain groves. Women also engaged in artisanal tasks such as spinning, pottery preparation, and embroidery, especially in commercialized production.

Women’s role as child bearers was crucial in a labor-dependent society. High female mortality due to malnutrition, frequent pregnancies, and childbirth complications led to customs like bride-price payments and acceptance of remarriage among widows and divorced women.

Control over women was strict, with male household heads exercising authority and punishing suspected infidelity severely. However, women could petition village panchayats for justice, often anonymously, to address issues like husbands’ infidelity or neglect.

Among landed elites, women had property rights and participated in land markets. Records from Punjab and Bengal show women, including widows, inheriting, selling, or mortgaging land and zamindaris. Notably, eighteenth-century Bengal had women zamindars, such as the ruler of Rajshahi.

Women also participated in labor-intensive tasks beyond the household, including construction work, often as migrants from neighboring villages.

📊 Diagram: Fig. 8.7 A woman spinning thread; Fig. 8.8 a Women crushing stones during construction of Fatehpur Sikri; Fig. 8.8 b Women carrying loads at construction sites.

🧪 Activity: Discuss differences in men’s and women’s access to agricultural land in your state.

🔗 Connection: Leads to discussion of forests and tribes beyond settled villages.