In the field of social sciences, the second half of the nineteenth century in India is generally considered a period of transition, both socially and economically. The revolt of 1857 led to significant changes, not only in British administrative policies but also in the attitudes of the subjects of the British Empire in India. The second half of the nineteenth century, according to Natrajan, was a period of social reform. However, the general belief of Muslim scholars is that there was a growing consciousness among Hindus to bring about social change, while the Indian Muslims chose to remain in a backward state. In the second half of the nineteenth century, social awareness for reform was generally gauged by the growing literacy rate amongst Hindu women, and it was assumed that educationally, Indian Muslim women lagged behind considerably.

This chapter reviews the state of education among women, particularly Indian Muslim women, in the United Provinces. This chapter states that like their Hindu counterparts, Indian Muslim women, too, were educated. Again, like Hindu women, education among Indian Muslim women was determined by class demarcations in social and economic terms.