InfoChange: articles on women in India

[Guest guest]

I just ran across the following interesting collection of articles on

the status of women in India; the collection makes for fascinating

reading.

 

http://www.infochangeindia.org/WomenIh.jsp?

section_id=1 & detailurl=Women

or

http://tinyurl.com/yu9f6d

 

From the article collection introduction:

 

There are several clear indicators of the fact that Indian

women continue to be discriminated against: the sex ratio is

skewed against them; maternal mortality is the second-

highest in the world; more than 40 per cent of women are

illiterate; and crimes against women are on the rise. Yet, the

women's movement which gathered strength after the 1970s,

has led to progressive legislation and positive change,

spurred on by the participation of women in local self-

government.

 

It is a paradox of modern India that women wield power and

hold positions at the topmost levels, yet large sections of

women are among the most underprivileged. Some women

from the upper classes head political parties and command

large followings, yet women's representation in the

Parliament and state legislatures has not been more than 10

per cent.

 

The roots of discrimination against women lie in the

religious and cultural practices of India. The beginning of

changes started with the reform movements in the

nineteenth century, which addressed practices like sati, child

marriage, life of the widows, etc. The status of women in

the contemporary context is reflected in the state of their

health, education, employment and life in society.

 

The Indian women's movement started with addressing the

problems that women faced, like violence, property rights,

legal status, political participation, and the rights of minority

women. Today, Indian women have won several victories

against an oppressive way of life and are poised to raise

pertinent questions that will make their lives more

emancipating.

 

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sustainable development and social justice in India and

South Asia . It brings into sharp focus agents and avenues of

change.

 

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