Women in India have always been topic of concern since ancient times. Though on one hand, the society talks about the respect of women and preach them in the name of Goddess Durga, Goddess Saraswati, Parvati and Goddess Kali, but on the other hand the society also abuse women in the form of several evils like child-marriage, female infanticide, Sati, sexual harassment and many more. Ramayana teaches that because Ravana abducted Sita his entire clan was wiped out. Further, Mahabharata also teaches that the Kauravas were killed because they dishonored Draupadi in public.

From an unknown period in Medieval India to the modern times the condition of women is still the same with hardly any change. In India, the families are always `Patriarchal` that is male dominated. Women were never given any rights of liberty and equality. They were always treated in an inferior way. Women were considered as machines for giving birth to children. The condition of women was so bad that if she gave birth to a girl child she was treated in a humiliated manner. Women were not only abstained from being educated but also were not permitted to step out of the house. They were asked to eat after their husbands have eaten and in fact were given to eat the leftovers of their husband`s meal. In the 19th century European scholars observed that Indian women were virtuous and "naturally chaste".

During the British rule, there were many reformers like Ram Mohan Roy, Jyotiba Phule, Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar etc who fought for equal rights of women. Apparently it may seem that there was no positive contribution of British during their rule in India, but that is not entirely true. The wives of missionaries like Martha Mault nee Mead and her daughter Eliza Caldwell n‚e Mault pioneered the women education in South India. Later, with constant efforts of Raja Ram Mohan Roy, the practice of Sati was abolished, and it took Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar`s crusade to improve the conditions of widows in India. The Widow Remarriage Act of 1856 helped the cause through a formal law.

Some of the rebellious women leaders in India are Kittur Chennamma, Abbakka Rani, Rani Lakshmi Bai, Begum Hazrat Mahal and the Begums of Bhopal. These are few of the popular and notable female rulers, who were trained in martial arts and did not observe purdah. Some of the earliest Indian women who obtained educational degree were Kadambini Ganguly, Chandramukhi Basu and Anandi Gopal Joshi.

Indian women played a critical role in the independence movement. Some of the famous names in the freedom struggle include Dr. Annie Besant, Bhikaji Cama, Pritilata Waddedar, Rajkumari Amrit Kaur, Vijayalakshmi Pandit, Sucheta Kripalani and Kasturba Gandhi. Apart from these names there are; Durgabai Deshmukh, Muthulakshmi Reddy etc.

But such a situation no longer exists and there has been a considerable shift in the position of women in society. Present day women in India participate in all types of activities such as sports, education, media, politics, science, technology and culture. Indira Gandhi, who was the longest serving woman Prime Minister, held office for fifteen years. The Article 14 of the Constitution of India guarantees equal opportunity for women. Article 15(1) states no discrimination by state, article 16 states equal opportunity for women. The female activism in India picked up the pace in 1970`s. In the process there are lots of women leaders who have emerged as local leaders like, Medha Patkar of the Narmada Bachao Andolan. Government of India declared 2001 as the Year of Women`s Empowerment, also known as Swashakti.

Notable Indian Women in Education
Savitribai Phule was a renowned social reformer, who along with her husband Mahatma Jotiba Phule played a crucial role in enhancing the women`s right in India during the British Raj. She was the first female teacher of the first women`s school in India, and she is also considered as the face of modern Marathi poetry. She even opened a school for under privileged children.

Notable Indian Women in Arts and entertainment
Vocalists and singers like Gangubai Hangal, M.S. Subbulakshmi, Lata Mangeshkar and Asha Bhosle are widely revered in India. Anjolie Ela Menon is also a popular painter in India.

Notable Indian Women in Sports
The condition for women sports in India is yet not popular. But still some women have made a name for themselves in the field of sports. Some of the popular female sportspersons are J.J.Shoba, P.T.Usha, Kunjarani Devi, Diana Edulji, Saina Nehwal, Sania Mirza, Koneru Hampi and Karnam Malleswari.

Notable Indian Women in Literature
Many popular women writers India are renowned poets and story writer world wide. Kamala Surayya, Sarojini Naidu, Shobha De, Arundhati Roy, Anita Desai, Kiran Desai, Jhumpa Lahiri are some of the popular faces in Indian literary circuit. Arundhati Roy and Jhumpa Lahiri were awarded the Booker Prize and Sarojini Naidu is called the nightingale of India.