MODERN EDUCATION AND SOCIO-ECONOMIC CHANGE (A case study of Muslim women in Pune city, India)

Abstract

Few issues have attracted greater interest among academicians and activists in India than those
concerning women and Islam, but much of this interest is caught up in misconceptions that usually
leave Muslim women invisible. It is a well known fact that the change is the law of nature so is the
nature of human being. Similarly on the subject of development and change the Muslim women can
not be ignored.
It is generally believed that Indian Muslim has failed to cope up with the change that is taking
place in Indian society at large. But in spite of its unique nature because of its religious orientation of
Muslim under the impact of multi directional global changes at large and in Indian situation in
particular, we find an attitudinal change and generational awareness among Indian Muslim. Similarly
when we focus our attention towards Muslim women in spite of widely accepted belief of the
backwardness, we find that they are also not immune to the inevitable impact of the changing process
at large. No doubt, large numbers of socio-economic, cultural and religious constraints hamper their
progress but we find a slow and steady change in their attitude and overall conditions such as their
role in family, status and Socio-economic profile of the sample population indicates that there is
considerable change in the position of Muslim women.
Keeping the above in mind, we decided to conduct a sample survey of Muslim women in a
progressive city like Pune, so that we get a first hand knowledge about the attitudinal changes among
them.
Our survey proves that with the influence of considerably better educational background of the
parents and other family members, awareness is emerging among Muslim women about the
importance of higher education in different fields. They have clearly understood the magnitude of
changes in social and economic order all over the globe and they are confident enough to meet the
challenges. Attitudinal change is significant and encouraging, but with reference to empowerment we
can say that they are in transitory stage