Gender Issues: Status

Ankur Gulati Gaurav Verma Mohd. Arif Shivi Chaturvedi Vikas Kr. Yadav Rachit Sharma

IMPLICATIONS OF DECLINING SEX RATIO IN INDIA

Ashok Mitra

Sex Ratio is on the decline for the past century Some attribute it to undercounting of females because: One night census counts Purdah system Masculinity at birth is still 104 to 107 compared to 100 females Some reasons are: Female infanticide Neglect of women at early age Hard work for women in lower income groups

From a difference of only 3.4 million in 1901 the excess of males has been steadily and rapidly increasing each year. On the contrary widening of the gap seems to have dramatically accelerated since 1951. The female death rate which was lower than the male death rate in 1901 overtook the latter substantially in 1911 and has never looked back.

This table gives an idea of the extent of neglect that normally attends female babies and young girls from birth to about age 9, and the pace at which this selective neglect has been growing between 194150 and 1961- 70 compared to male mortality.
The normal experience of most countries is that the higher masculinity at birth is rapidly reduced by a higher rate of male mortality at the age 0, since male infants are more vulnerable than female.With age the ratio evens out

The rate of female mortality between ages 15 and 45 has been higher for every year of life and female mortality emerges as lower than male mortality only as late as age 50 onwards. Even here the 1961 rate of female Mortality at age 50 is marginally higher than the male rate.

This is the all-India picture. What is even more distressing is that the southern zone, which has traditionally been fortunate in having had a high sex ratio over the decades, has been rapidly shedding this advantage and exhibiting higher female mortality particularly since 1931. In other words, the sex differential has improved in favor of males.
Some states in south and some in north India have preserved a good sex ratio. These can be attributed to agricultural productivity improvement

Among the areas to be investigated the following deserve attention:

The ill effects of dowry system Various traditional and modern patterns of distribution or allocation to women of income On account of growing monetization are the women facing discrimination in terms of wages Are women losing jobs to men which gave them status, authority and disposable income in the past The relationship between deteriorating sex ratio and educational standards-rural and urban Relationship between deteriorating sex ratio and health facilities Finding whether dwindling sex ratio is an urban or primarily a rural phenomenon

DOMESTIC VIOLENCE -MALAVIKA

KARLEKAR

Definition of Violence

Violence is an act of aggression , usually in interpersonal interaction or relations. to assert ones will over another , to prove or to feel a sense of power(Litke 1992) It can be perpetuated by those in power against the powerless or by the powerless in retaliation against the coercion by others to deny the powerlessness(Pooncha 1999)

Child abuse within the home

1. 2.

3.
4.

Includes sexual aggression , beating and extracting physical labour from the child. It can be physical , psychological or emotional. According to Neera Burra , there are four categories of child labourThose who work in factories Those who are bonded Street Children Children who form the part of familial labour force.

Children are abused at work and within homes where there earnings become the property of parents. Often subjected to beatings & lashings in a range of situations as punishments. Parents felt that there are positive consequences of beatings whereas studies have shown that abused children started hating there parents ,became obstinate or ran away from home. In 1982, a study of 1000 children victims showed that81%- Physically abused 7%- Physically neglected 9.3%- Sexually abused 2.7%- Emotionally abused

Violence in the conjugal home

1.

2.

In-marrying girl is viewed as the property of husband and there is an unequal flow of goods & properties between two kin groups. Dowry is not a one time transaction. A study of 150 dowry victims in Delhi by Ranjana Kumari showed that1/4th were murdered or driven to commit suicide. More than half were thrown out of husbands house after harassment and torture. Dissatisfaction over dowry payment not only


1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

Wife abuse includesLong hours of labours( within or outside home) Food denials Neglect of ailments Verbal abuse by affines Physical abuse by husbands & other family members There is an increase in number of unnatural deaths of wives every year. Wife beating is common among all the social classes as it is a reflection of power relationship of husband and wife.

HUMAN RIGHT LAWYERING:A FEMINIST PERSPECTIVE

NANDITA HAKSAR

The liberal human rights model is based on the primacy of individual civil liberties over all other rights. Indian feminists have often fallen into the trap of accepting this model and articulating their demands in terms of individual civil rights of women.

Liberal laws v/s Rights of minorities

Liberal feminists have been attacking customary laws among the tribal people in the Northeast on the grounds that it is patriarchal. It does not treat men and women equally. Tribal women are facing anti-women customs which deprive them of their basic rights. Women groups are demanding for a uniform civil code in Northeast. Some Womens organization can support the demand of codification of tribal laws, and antiwomen customs to be declared violative of Article 14.

International human rights law recognizes the rights of indigenous people to their way of life. The Article 371-A of Indian Constitution protects Naga social & religious practices and their customary laws and procedures. Some activists are inclined to give primacy to the rights of communities and indigenous people over the rights of individual tribal women. Indian feminists have accepted a premise of liberal theory that rule of law can guarantee human rights and also women rights. The Indian States have encouraged he slogan for codification of law.

Tribal laws have been evolving over the times & have been used to solve complex issues like interventions in student movement & inter-village disputes. But the demand for a uniform civil code has been usurped by the Hindu communal forces. The feminists are insensitive to the minority rights and feelings of muslims. Some feminists have been equally insensitive to the problems of tribals in Northeast.

The Constitution and international human rights also recognize that the right of tribal peoples should be given speacial protection. The Adivasi land system is based on communal land system in which no one has absolute rights on land. The women of tribal societies have far better condition than the women in caste societies. The destruction of tribal societies means the destruction of ways of life , philosophies & traditions which are a rich source of cultures which teach values based on co-operation ,rationality and consensus in contrast to the capitalist values of competition , elections and conflicts.

ENFORCING CULTURAL CODES: GENDER AND VIOLENCE IN NORTHERN INDIA

PREM CHOUDHARY

Family related well-recognized crimes : dowry, bride burning, rape, incest etc. These crimes get enormous publicity and draw social and academic interest, attention and condemnation. The crime that is neglected and underreported : violence inflicted on inter-caste and intra caste marriages . These marriages are generally runaway marriages or elopements. These generally involve male violence by male members of the family on couple or specially the girl. Although its a family matter but spreads over to the community due to caste issues. This type of violence bring down the name of the family and the social group in the society as a whole. So this

At the centre of these codes lies control of female sexuality because its marriage is bestowal to patriarchal forces, given their concern with caste purity, status, power and hierarchy. Those who infringe caste norms in marriage meet with extreme violence. A challenge to these codes has come repeatedly both within and outside caste. So, process of democratization and opening up of economic opportunities have altered the dynamics of power relations, making for complex interaction between members of different caste groups as well as between members of particular caste. In former the growing assertiveness and resentment of subordinate lower caste and class has often resulted in inter-caste liaisons which breach upper caste norms and sexual codes.

In latter, younger members are challenging the caste/kinship ideology upheld by senior male members by questioning sexual codes and taboos defying demands of status. Most talked about incidents are concentrated in rural India and belong to western UP, Haryana and rural belt of national capital. One of the most shocking of them all is Mehrana murder case in 1991. The crimes committed by the couples were considered as heinous crime and death was the only punishment. Similar incidents took place in the northern area for subsequent years. In most of these cases crimes were committed in public. Still the police is neither willing nor able to prepare the challan to document of crime or muster evidence from villagers. Few cases which reach the stage of the court trial resulted in perpretrators being left off due to lack of evidence.

The agriculture caste did not really look down upon lower caste women who became their wives. This is expressed in a local proverb used even today in Haryana, beeranki kai jat (women have no caste). Yet in no way it was considered an upward move for natal family of low caste women. For all purposes she was not only purchased but from her parents but also made to terminate all connection with her family after marriage. Caste panchayats however are intervening to impose justice according to their own definition. Although, very little is known about the working of caste panchayats, they remain in active force in rural north India.

The intervention of caste panchayat is also an assertion of combined power and domination of upper caste senior male members over the younger men and women. However the new legal system based upon different principles has cut into their power base. Concluding from caste rules, even though the rules of caste purity were breached by men from agricultural castes, women were never allowed to break caste rules.

ECONOMICS AND PATRILINY: CONSUMPTION AND AUTHORITY WITHIN THE HOUSEHOLD

- RAJNI PALRIWALA

Big Question

Why women seems to concern with maintaining their family with fostering kinship ties and values, when these evidently are the structures constraining them????

Intra household authority & consumption

Normally the household head was the senior most male. Women of household were under the triple authority of senior women, husband and the head. Day to day consumption & livestock production. In case of deficit conflicts over suspected discrimination was likely to increase. Women have some alternate income options like - Pathan women used Tie & Die - Jat women used Ghee income

Consumption pattern in a family

Deciding what & how much to serve to whom was a responsibility/right women jealously guarded. As a result the onus of providing means of consumption fell on women in many households. Individuation of property & significance of individual earnings were acting in concert to strengthen mens consumption rights.

Valuation of women work

Generally female work was valued lower than male work. Women exercised circumscribed power of a subordinate category.

Conclusion

Gender, age, kinship hierarchies of agnation, seniority & property were the parameters within which authority, consumption rights, and the requirements of various members of household were played out.

Their family conservatism and reassertion of kinship values and sanctioned were fuelled by their needs to widen their support base, their security net, to resocialize individualized ties, even if these meant a revitalization of those very structures which controlled them.

DALIT WOMEN: THE CONFLICT AND THE DILEMMA

-Annie Namala

Dalits among the dalits

Affect of caste-class-gender combine Difference from other women Contribution to dalit and women movements

Affect of class-caste-gender

Her Class: Lack of education and marketable skills Often the sole bread winner Exploitation by landlord, employer & public Her Caste Untouchable Made to feel inferior in schools, colleges,workplace No support from establishment

Her Gender Double burden of outside labor and household Victim of family violence Unequal wages

Effect of forces in combination

Caste-Class No possibility of land ownership Lack of organizing and networks lead to further subjugation and poverty Patriarchy class Eats the last and the least Assigned supposedly light work Unequal wages

Patriarchy-Caste Atrocities, violence and oppression by men of other castes Tool and means to take revenge, especially in times of caste wars

Dalit Women in Dalit movements

Dalit movement: struggle against caste hierarchy,opression Struggle for self dignity, rights & justice However, raising of dalit womens questions is considered a weapon to divide Patriarchal nature of dalit communities Women are the masses. Considered strategic to have women in front Fight for minimum wage, but not for equal wage Fight for land, but not for entitlement of women

Dalit Women in womens movements

By and large, womens movement has remained distant from dalit women The womens movement sees it as dangerous to divide women into dalits and non-dalits. Womens movement are counted as those which question gender inequality Issues like low wages, land alienation are not taken up since the decision making is not only by women.

Dalit women: more in resonance with dalit movement

Dalit movement addresses crucial, deep rooted and urgent issues faced by dalit women. Need to include dalit women in leadership position. Movement should not shy away from addressing the gender issues. Gender bias is in whole of society From a strong position within the dalit movement, dalit women should cooperate with womens movement

It is only if we can question the twin aspects of caste and gender that we can work towards a society based on equality and justice.

WOMEN AND GENDER IN THE STUDY OF TRIBES IN INDIA

-Virginius Xaxa

Portrayal of Tribal Women

Physical mobility, choice in marriage,divorce and remarriage, access to property and resources. Depicted as having social status than their counterparts in caste society.

Stages of social formation

Change in tribal society is through change in mode of livelihood: from food gathering to food producing. In food gathering,gender inequality in one sphere was offset by equality in another. In case of Birhors in Jharkhand,greater importance of men due to distribution of meat is neutralized by womens market exchange activities. Shift from communal ownership to private ownership of land This leads to inequality and gender inequality has been highlighted as the most pervasive.

Witch hunting has been traced to the pattern of land ownership in tribal socities. Victims of witch hunting are widows who have possession of husbands land. Practices indicative of higher social status in one setting act as social depressor in other, Practice of bride price: compensation to girls family for loss of an economically active member. Has thus become a justification by men to abuse their wives Treated as commodity.

Women continue to be govened by customary laws. Due to heterogeneity, it is difficult to generalize the poistion of women as a whole across tribal groups. Tribes differ from dominant community of the region. Outsiders are treated as oppressive.

Land in many tribal communities is held by lineage and not by individuals One of the ways by which non-tribals acquire land is by marrying tribal women Often, after land transaction, non-tribal men have abandoned tribal women.

Issues of womens property rights Conflict with customary laws of tribes Tradition is that land is owned not by individuals but by lineage. Issues such as these pose the problem of women as an individual and as a member of community on other hand. As an individual, a woman is entitled to human rights provisions, yet provisions in the Indian Constitution aim to protect and safeguard the interests of the community as a whole.

Thank You