diff --git a/docs/source/usage.rst b/docs/source/usage.rst
index 7f63b19a7..fe429e425 100644
--- a/docs/source/usage.rst
+++ b/docs/source/usage.rst
@@ -539,9 +539,10 @@ Configuration flags
 -------------------
 
 OmegaConf support several configuration flags.
-Configuration flags can be set on any configuration node (Sequence or Mapping). if a configuration flag is not set
+Configuration flags can be set on any configuration node (Sequence or Mapping). If a configuration flag is not set
 it inherits the value from the parent of the node.
 The default value inherited from the root node is always false.
+To avoid this inhertence and set a flag explicitly to all children nodes, specify the option `recursive=True`.
 
 .. _read-only-flag:
 
@@ -570,6 +571,17 @@ You can temporarily remove the read only flag from a config object:
     >>> conf.a.b
     20
 
+Example using `recursive=True`:
+
+.. doctest:: loaded
+
+    >>> conf = OmegaConf.create({"a": {"b": 10}})
+    >>> OmegaConf.set_readonly(conf.a, True)
+    >>> OmegaConf.set_readonly(conf, False, recursive = True)
+    >>> conf.a.b = 20
+    >>> conf.a.b
+    20
+
 .. _struct-flag:
 
 Struct flag
diff --git a/news/1124.feature b/news/1124.feature
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..474d4cabd
--- /dev/null
+++ b/news/1124.feature
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+OmegaConf.set_readonly() and OmegaConf.set_struct() have an option recursive, that explicitly sets the flag to all children nodes
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/omegaconf/base.py b/omegaconf/base.py
index 77e951058..1e28f4128 100644
--- a/omegaconf/base.py
+++ b/omegaconf/base.py
@@ -152,6 +152,7 @@ def _set_flag(
         self,
         flags: Union[List[str], str],
         values: Union[List[Optional[bool]], Optional[bool]],
+        recursive: bool = False,
     ) -> "Node":
         if isinstance(flags, str):
             flags = [flags]
@@ -175,6 +176,21 @@ def _set_flag(
                 assert self._metadata.flags is not None
                 self._metadata.flags[flag] = value
         self._invalidate_flags_cache()
+
+        if recursive:
+            from . import DictConfig, ListConfig
+
+            if isinstance(self, DictConfig):
+                for key in self.keys():
+                    child = self._get_child(key)
+                    if child is not None:
+                        child._set_flag(flags, values, recursive=recursive)  # type: ignore
+            elif isinstance(self, ListConfig):
+                for index in range(len(self)):
+                    child = self._get_child(index)
+                    if child is not None:
+                        child._set_flag(flags, values, recursive=recursive)  # type: ignore
+
         return self
 
     def _get_node_flag(self, flag: str) -> Optional[bool]:
diff --git a/omegaconf/omegaconf.py b/omegaconf/omegaconf.py
index 8b130895b..c794d0f2f 100644
--- a/omegaconf/omegaconf.py
+++ b/omegaconf/omegaconf.py
@@ -518,9 +518,11 @@ def copy_cache(from_config: BaseContainer, to_config: BaseContainer) -> None:
         OmegaConf.set_cache(to_config, OmegaConf.get_cache(from_config))
 
     @staticmethod
-    def set_readonly(conf: Node, value: Optional[bool]) -> None:
+    def set_readonly(
+        conf: Node, value: Optional[bool], recursive: bool = False
+    ) -> None:
         # noinspection PyProtectedMember
-        conf._set_flag("readonly", value)
+        conf._set_flag("readonly", value, recursive=recursive)
 
     @staticmethod
     def is_readonly(conf: Node) -> Optional[bool]:
@@ -528,9 +530,11 @@ def is_readonly(conf: Node) -> Optional[bool]:
         return conf._get_flag("readonly")
 
     @staticmethod
-    def set_struct(conf: Container, value: Optional[bool]) -> None:
+    def set_struct(
+        conf: Container, value: Optional[bool], recursive: bool = False
+    ) -> None:
         # noinspection PyProtectedMember
-        conf._set_flag("struct", value)
+        conf._set_flag("struct", value, recursive=recursive)
 
     @staticmethod
     def is_struct(conf: Container) -> Optional[bool]:
diff --git a/tests/test_base_config.py b/tests/test_base_config.py
index 6129120c1..833ca0d4c 100644
--- a/tests/test_base_config.py
+++ b/tests/test_base_config.py
@@ -184,6 +184,25 @@ def test_set_flags() -> None:
         c._set_flag(["readonly", "struct"], [True, False, False])
 
 
+@mark.parametrize("config", [{"a": {"b": 1}}, {"a": [1, 2, 3]}])
+def test_set_flag_recursively(config: Any) -> None:
+    c = OmegaConf.create(config)
+    assert not c._get_flag("readonly")
+    assert not c._get_flag("struct")
+    c.a._set_flag(["readonly", "struct"], [True, True], recursive=False)
+    assert c.a._get_flag("readonly")
+    assert c.a._get_flag("struct")
+    assert not c._get_flag("readonly")
+    assert not c._get_flag("struct")
+
+    c._set_flag("readonly", False, recursive=True)
+    assert not c.a._get_flag("readonly")
+    assert c.a._get_flag("struct")
+
+    c._set_flag("struct", False, recursive=True)
+    assert not c.a._get_flag("struct")
+
+
 @mark.parametrize("no_deepcopy_set_nodes", [True, False])
 @mark.parametrize("node", [20, {"b": 10}, [1, 2]])
 def test_get_flag_after_dict_assignment(no_deepcopy_set_nodes: bool, node: Any) -> None: