--- title: How Indian Women Are Reclaiming Their Right to Public Space in Delhi description: Women are stretching the existing boundaries of cultural rules that attempt to demarcate a woman’s place in an unequal city canonical: https://time.com/3978845/women-public-space-india/ author: TIME article:opinion: true article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-07-31T16:57:08.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T07:38:18.318Z article:section: Ideas og:title: How Indian Women Are Reclaiming Their Right to Public Space in Delhi og:description: Women are stretching the existing boundaries of cultural rules that attempt to demarcate a woman’s place in an unequal city og:url: https://time.com/3978845/women-public-space-india/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt71962a4ecc9d9eb6/69885d360a4a22b5b99c5654/india-women-rape-protest.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 5184 og:image:height: 2916 og:image:alt: A flash mob performs during a candlelit vigil protesting violence against women as they mark the second anniversary of the deadly gang rape occurred in New Delhi on Dec. 16, 2014. og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: How Indian Women Are Reclaiming Their Right to Public Space in Delhi twitter:description: Women are stretching the existing boundaries of cultural rules that attempt to demarcate a woman’s place in an unequal city twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt71962a4ecc9d9eb6/69885d360a4a22b5b99c5654/india-women-rape-protest.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # How Indian Women Are Reclaiming Their Right to Public Space in Delhi > Sponsored content. 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Named editors include Richard Hall (The Brief), Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs (Inside TIME), Eliza Berman (Worth Your Time), Philip Elliott (D.C. Brief), Justin Worland (Future Proof) and Harry Booth (In the Loop). Health Matters is written by TIME's health desk. #### How do I sign up for a TIME newsletter? Go to time.com/newsletters, choose the newsletters you want and enter your email address. There is no cost and no subscription requirement. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/newsletters?i=b04669d8-d3bd-4538-8ed8-debc19dc1785&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1) ## Video: The Delhi Gang Rape: TIME Talks to Suspect's Family [Watch (HLS stream): The Delhi Gang Rape: TIME Talks to Suspect's Family](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/VmM8gABA.m3u8) (6:53)  _Published 2013-03-14. TIME correspondent Krista Mahr visits Delhi gang rape suspect Ram Singh's village to examine the social and economic causes behind the increase in gender-based crime in Delhi._ by [Melissa Butcher, University of London / The Conversation](https://time.com/author/melissa-butcher/) ## Melissa Butcher, University of London / The Conversation Jul 31, 2015 4:57 PM UTC  A flash mob performs during a candlelit vigil protesting violence against women as they mark the second anniversary of the deadly gang rape occurred in New Delhi on Dec. 16, 2014. A flash mob performs during a candlelit vigil protesting violence against women as they mark the second anniversary of the deadly gang rape occurred in New Delhi on Dec. 16, 2014. Saurabh Das—AP by [Melissa Butcher, University of London / The Conversation](https://time.com/author/melissa-butcher/) ## Melissa Butcher, University of London / The Conversation Jul 31, 2015 4:57 PM UTC Urban redevelopment in India over recent decades has had particular implications for women. While the economic deregulation of the 1990s opened up new possibilities for work, leisure and relationships, it has also led to new stresses. Cities such as New Delhi have become sites for experimentation, autonomy and aspiration for women. Yet against these images of emancipation can be juxtaposed everyday risks and vulnerabilities. Contradictions abound in a space that values the woman’s body as a liberalized commodity. Women are under constant scrutiny: for what they wear, how they behave, where they are going, who they are with, at what time of day or night. They are under pressure to conform to familiar boundaries of tradition and class. Challenging these boundaries carries the risk of psycho-social dissonance and assault of various kinds. Perhaps it is no coincidence that the increasing number of women working in the IT industry – or socializing in bars and restaurants – arose in tandem with the rise of cultural nationalist politics in India. Following the rape and murder of young student Jyoti Singh in New Delhi in December 2012, some held that responsibility for violence against women should be attributed to “[western lifestyles](http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Rapes-occur-in-India-not-Bharat-RSS-supremo-Bhagwat/articleshow/17880248.cms?)”. Public debates have also focused on other forms of the “outsider” as a source of fear and hostility on Delhi’s streets, naming [rural migrants](http://www.hindustantimes.com/newdelhi/pm-warns-of-footloose-migrants-from-rural-areas/article1-981257.aspx) a “menace in society”. ## Bearer of tradition Clearly, violence against women in Delhi is not a new phenomenon that has arisen out of economic liberalization and urban redevelopment. Yet the intense focus on the death of Jyoti Singh and subsequent cases is indicative of a cultural shift. This young woman, from a provincial background but “aspirational”, represented what “world class” Delhi was supposed to afford women: safe access to public space and a cosmopolitan lifestyle. Such attacks highlight the contradictions held within the body of the woman. She must embody the progressive city but also remain the bearer of tradition measured by skirt lengths. The presence of young professional women in Delhi’s public spaces may be desirable to legitimate claims of “global city” status. However, in reality, this access is conditional and based on maintaining a cultural order inflected by a moral discourse of [respectability](http://www.hera-single.de/about/respectability/contesting-respectability/). As writers such as [Shilpa Phadke](http://www.penguinbooksindia.com/en/content/why-loiter) argue, women must manufacture purpose in order to access the city, they cannot just “loiter”. Much of this purpose is non-sexualised conduct such as engaging in family activities or shopping in the new mega-malls. Women navigate the city “giving back” through aggressive language, evading stares, reclaiming spaces such as rooftops and parks. They seek safety in numbers, knowing when to wrap a scarf more tightly around their head or cover their knees when sitting. These appear to be everyday skills to cope with the city and to manage its discomfort. While in these actions women may appear fragile, they are in fact asserting a place in Delhi, especially when reassured by anonymity or the protection afforded by socio-economic capacity such as owning a car. This is an understanding of Delhi opposed to the computer-generated images of independent, happy women in new condominiums that look down from advertising hoardings throughout the city. Clearly, women are not necessarily timid or immobile in the face of Delhi’s aggression. They are taking part in producing space and seeking out pleasure. There are limits, but these limits can be stretched. Roaming may be curtailed for some who have to remain in the line of sight of home, and choices restricted at times by the pressures of respectability. Yet, women have the capacity to generate ambiguity through their presence, disrupting cultural rules that attempt to demarcate a woman’s place in an unequal city. _This_ [_article_](https://theconversation.com/how-women-are-reclaiming-their-right-to-public-space-in-delhi-44105) _originally appeared on_ [_The Conversation_](http://theconversation.com) ## Transcript [00:08] [ SOUND ] Callate in Rajasthan's Karauli district is the [00:10] picture of rural tranquility. [00:15] [ INAUDIBLE ] its mustard fields, its home to just a handful [00:18] of farmers. It also happens to be the childhood home [00:23] of one of India's most hated men. This is the mud [00:27] shack were Ram Singh and his younger brother, Mukesh, [00:30] grew up. They're amongst the six men accused of [00:34] savagely raping and murdering a 23 year old woman in [00:38] New Delhi last year. Their trial was under way, [00:42] but on the morning of March 11th. Ron Sing was found [00:46] hanging from the roof of his jail cell. His death [00:50] has stirred little sympathy on the streets of Delhi. According [00:54] to me, it's great because he should be punished, and it's [00:56] great that he's realized what he has done to a lady. So I [01:00] feel it's really good. Sing was the main accused in the [01:04] December attack which shocked and outraged the nation. [01:09] His brother Mukesh has also been charged with four [01:12] others. They're on trial for raping a young student, [01:16] stripping her, and throwing her off a moving bus on [01:19] December 16 of last year in New Delhi. She [01:24] died two weeks later on December 29. Thousands [01:29] of people poured onto the streets in India to demand [01:32] justice. Police used tear gas and water canons [01:37] when crowds surrounded the parliament. What started [01:41] as spontaneous demonstrations, has since evolved into a [01:45] wider movement against gender and equality. But despite [01:49] the public outcry, little is known about the six men accused [01:54] of one of India's most infamous crimes. [ CROSSTALK ] [01:58] [ FOREIGN ] To find out more, Christa Moore of Time [02:01] magazine visited Ramen [02:07] and Mkesh Sighs home village. [ FOREIGN ] Pombal is [02:11] inconsolable in his grief. He and his father live just [02:16] a stones throw away from Raman [02:22] Makaskay's home in Kuroli district and [02:32] have known them [02:36] since they were children. [ FOREIGN ] [ FOREIGN ] Pong [02:41] says they grew up poor without electricity, running [02:45] water, or even a toilet. Little has changed today. [02:50] It's not surprising, then, that Ram and Mukeshten's parents. [02:54] Decided to move to the bright lights of New Delhi when the [02:58] boys were just children. But even at that age, they were [03:02] witness to some harsh realities. Mira Krishna [03:06] is a district official in [ INAUDIBLE ]. She says violence [03:09] against women is a way of life here. [ FOREIGN ] [03:42] [ FOREIGN ] [ FOREIGN ] Like millions before them, the [03:45] Sings moved into a tiny shack in a Delhi slum. Neighbors [03:50] say the boys ran wild as the parents struggled to earn [03:53] money. Many believe the influx of such economic migrants [03:58] is responsible for the rising crime rate in Delhi. Like [04:04] Ram Singh, migrant workers mostly come from the [04:07] ultra- conservative, impoverished interiors of India. They [04:11] have neither the money nor the social connections to fully [04:14] belong here. Sociologists believe this feeling of anonymity [04:19] and isolation emboldens them to commit crimes. Delhi's [04:23] crime scene is much worse today than it was several [04:27] years back. It's not because of poverty. Because I think [04:31] that people were poorer then. It's rather because a number [04:36] of people have now decent city life, have enough money, [04:39] but not that much to satisfy the ambitions and passions, [04:44] so there's the [ INAUDIBLE ] of being able to touch and [04:46] grasp and that is why they often turn to violence. [04:50] [ SOUND ] Add to this, the weak policing and rule of law. [04:54] And you have a society where there's very little fear of [04:57] punishment. Of the 635 reported rapes [05:01] in Delhi last year, there was only one conviction. Given [05:06] this culture of impunity, it's likely that the men who [05:09] committed the December rape thought they could simply [05:12] fade into the masses here And never get caught [05:15] [ SOUND ] but [05:21] no one could have anticipated the ferocity of the public's [05:24] reaction. [ FOREIGN_LANGUAGE ] [05:36] There is something deeper to this collective anger. These [05:40] protesters are fighting not just against Ram Singh and his [05:44] co- accused but against traditional values that keep women [05:48] in traditional roles. As long as they were behaving [05:51] themselves in the kitchen, and, you know, raising children [05:55] and running around barefoot it was fine. But now that [05:58] they're doing these things, and though they're not actually [06:00] challenging men, but because they're there doing things, [06:03] demanding certain things, you know, as rights I may not [06:07] beginning to get angry and upset. The young [06:11] rape victim was just such a woman. An ambitious [06:16] physiotherapist student who dreamt of traveling the world. [06:18] [ MUSIC ] [06:22] Many have welcomed Sees death as a divine justice. But [06:27] others feel it is a hollow victory. [ MUSIC ] [06:30] [ NOISE ] [06:32] Protestors are demanding the swift acts of. [ SOUND ] [06:35] Prosecution of the remaining defendants. But perhaps [06:39] more importantly, they want profound changes [06:43] to India's laws and attitudes towards [06:48] women. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"OpinionNewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3978845/women-public-space-india/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3978845/women-public-space-india/"},"headline":"How Indian Women Are Reclaiming Their Right to Public Space in Delhi","datePublished":"2015-07-31T16:57:08.000Z","dateModified":"2026-08-04T07:38:18.318Z","description":"Women are stretching the existing boundaries of cultural rules that attempt to demarcate a woman’s place in an unequal city","url":"https://time.com/3978845/women-public-space-india/","keywords":["women","society","India","Asia","gender equality","Delhi"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt71962a4ecc9d9eb6/69885d360a4a22b5b99c5654/india-women-rape-protest.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Melissa Butcher, University of London / The Conversation"}],"articleSection":"Ideas","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt71962a4ecc9d9eb6/69885d360a4a22b5b99c5654/india-women-rape-protest.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"A flash mob performs during a candlelit vigil protesting violence against women as they mark the second anniversary of the deadly gang rape occurred in New Delhi on Dec. 16, 2014.","caption":"A flash mob performs during a candlelit vigil protesting violence against women as they mark the second anniversary of the deadly gang rape occurred in New Delhi on Dec. 16, 2014.","creditText":"Saurabh Das—AP","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/section/ideas/","name":"Ideas"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/tag/women/","name":"women"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3978845/women-public-space-india/","name":"How Indian Women Are Reclaiming Their Right to Public Space in Delhi"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"The Delhi Gang Rape: TIME Talks to Suspect's Family","description":"TIME correspondent Krista Mahr visits Delhi gang rape suspect Ram Singh's village to examine the social and economic causes behind the increase in gender-based crime in Delhi.","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/VmM8gABA/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2013-03-14T20:17:49.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/VmM8gABA.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/3978845/women-public-space-india/","duration":"PT6M53S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/3978845/women-public-space-india/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```