Empowerment and Nation-Building: Madhav Sadashiv Golwalkar's Perspectives on Women in Post-Independence India

Abstract

This paper explores Madhav Sadashiv Golwalkar’s perspectives on women's empowerment in post-independence India, emphasizing their role in nation-building. Despite the constitutional provisions that promote gender equality and women’s rights, women remain excluded from significant spheres of social, economic, and political life. Golwalkar, a prominent thinker and leader of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), viewed women's empowerment as essential to societal progress. He emphasized women's roles within the family, society, and organized institutions, highlighting their potential to foster national pride and serve the greater good. Golwalkar believed in empowering women not through self-indulgence but by encouraging their contribution to society, aligning with traditional Indian values. However, his views on women were limited by patriarchal beliefs, often restricting their roles to the domestic sphere and promoting chastity and celibacy. While his ideology aimed to spiritually uplift society, it also faced criticism for being reactionary and irrelevant to modern liberal democracy. The paper critically examines these views, presenting a nuanced understanding of Golwalkar’s legacy in shaping the discourse on women and empowerment in India.