Abstract
Women in traditional culture and patriarchal society are often perceived as repositories of societal ills. The condition of women in contemporary India has been adversely affected by many forms of injustice and oppression that arise in Indian society. They are outcasts deprived of societal privileges because of them being perceived as the inferior sex. Over the years, many Indian writers have contributed to the field of women’s literature. Even though their position has been uplifted, the exploitation of women and gender discrimination has not been eradicated. This paper seeks to explain how patriarchy, inequality, intersectional oppression, and gender discrimination result in women’s subjugation and marginalisation through a feminist understanding of the plays Tara (1995) by Mahesh Dattani and Brides are Not for Burning (1993) by Dina Mehta. The selected plays are groundbreaking in the literary canon that condemns gender discrimination, violence, exploitation, and ostracization of women. The study aims to examine and analyse male and female writers’ perspectives in literature that creatively highlight the grief, scorn, degradation, and humiliation of women in male-dominated society. Finally, it explores the core reasons for the necessity for the quest for identity within society and posits how gender issues and patriarchal structures shape women’s identities, eventually leading to the oppression and consequent injustice faced by female characters in the play.
Keywords: Gender Discrimination, Inequality, Patriarchy, Theatre, Women Issues.