Abstract
This study aimed to evaluate the process of migration and the socioeconomic status of Indian women in Malaya between 1900 to 1945. The sustainable economic growth of the country requires an increase in terms of labour productivity. The economic growth that occurred in Malaya during the British colonisation has led to an influx of immigrants from India and China in droves. Indian labour has played a significant part in increasing Malayan economy. The presence of Indian women labour, although not as many as Indian male labour, can still be considered significant in the country’s economic growth. Their presence in Malaya has put them in an oppressed situation, and various parties took the opportunity to exploit their position. This study used a qualitative approach and conducted using the method of historical research through the library and archival research concerning the primary and secondary sources. With a focus on the period from 1900 to 1945, the study will unlock the socioeconomic position of women in India during the British colonisation and their condition during the Japanese Occupation. Their involvement in the Rani of Jhansi Regiment and the impact of their participation in this movement will also be included
Highlights
The migration of Indians to Malaya as a result of economic growth following the British colonisation has left its mark on the ethnic composition of workers in Malaya
The role and contributions given by Malay women in various fields get greater attention among local historians. This situation is due to the eminence shown by Malay women, especially in the fight for their rights since emancipation and the desire to strengthen the grip of socioeconomic and political awareness has long existed among Malay women. (Mahani Musa, 2013; Maznah Mohammad, 1989; Rohana Ariffin, 1999, Manderson, 1980; Dancz, 1987)
Conservative views are often cast on the role of women in Indian society in Malaysia
Summary
The role and contributions given by Malay women in various fields get greater attention among local historians. This situation is due to the eminence shown by Malay women, especially in the fight for their rights since emancipation and the desire to strengthen the grip of socioeconomic and political awareness has long existed among Malay women. Writings about immigrant women have drawn the attention of a handful of local authors They touched on the role of women workers from China and India in developing the Malayan economy, mainly in the plantations and mining sectors. The rights of Indian women started to take precedence in science studies as sociologists began showcasing Indian women in their writings. This article, based on a historical perspective, attempts to fill the gaps that existed in Indian women’s studies, the stories of displacement from their homeland, and the social upheavals they had before Malaya gained independence
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