Question

Why women in the 19^th Century were obliged to continue wearing Indian dresses even though men switched over to convenient Western clothing?

Answer 1

Women in nineteenth century India were obliged to continue wearing traditional Indian dress even when men switched over to the more convenient Western clothing because of India’s inherent social and traditional customs. Our society is pre-dominantly patriarchal, and women were expected to maintain the honour of the family. Women in the Victorian age were expected to be docile, gentle and good housewives; the same rules governed the lives of women in India too. They could not dress like men and hence, they continued to wear traditional clothes. This directly points towards the secondary position that women held in society. It was not a decision they had the independence to take since women were considered the inferiors of men.