The book is a compilation of papers examining women's role in rural production systems in India. The book is divided into six sections that explore conceptual, theoretical, and methodological issues; primary and secondary data; and historical perspectives.
This is a book about understanding women’s empowerment and pathways as well as roadblocks to women’s economic empowerment in rural India, as understood through an evaluation-based research of a state-funded social sector programme located in the education department – Mahila Samakhya (MS) – in Bihar, one of the socially and educationally most underdeveloped Indian states. The book presents findings of the three-year research that adopted a mixed-methods approach and evaluated the impact of MS on various facets of empowerment of women coming from the most marginalized communities. The study, therefore, tries to go beyond evaluating the MS programme and uses the research findings and insights to raise certain critical issues pertaining to social policy planning and implementation, especially in the context of women’s education and empowerment. Please note: Taylor & Francis does not sell or distribute the Hardback in India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka
Contributed articles on economic status of Indian rural women presented in a seminar held in October 2004 moderated by G.B. Pant Social Science Institute, Allahabad and Working Women's Forum, Tamilnadu, India.
Extrait de la couverture : "Rural areas and women are the two separate important areas in developmental perspectives. A special feature of this book ... is that it covers both in an interrelated context in the same volume. The role of rural women workforce in process of rural transformations is the focal theme of the book. The content of the book covers different dimensions viz., demigraphic profile of women workforce in India, occupational dynamics and employement avenues of women and other gender issues related to the theme. What makes the book more meaningful and readable are the ways in which the author suggests integration of rural women workforce in development process. The scope of the book is not limited only to a focus on factors keeping role of rural women at low ebb till recently rather it discusses how the role of rural women in rural transformation may be made more and more important."
As India strives to improve overall social and economic conditions and gender relations through policies such as the abolishment of dowry, increasing the legal age at marriage, and promoting educational opportunities for girls, serious challenges remain, especially in rural areas. Gender Equality and Inequality in Rural India focuses on the extent to which economic development has resulted in positive changes in women's empowerment and reproductive health, as well as in sex preference. Based on a study from a village in Maharashtra where impressive gains in economic development have occurred in recent decades, Carol Vlassoff examines the impact of son preference on fertility and rural women's economic empowerment and other aspects of reproductive behavior. She provides evidence of the added value of their employment beyond the traditional wage labor and domestic spheres, and argues that policies aimed at closing gender gaps in social inequalities must be complemented by policies fostering employment opportunities for women. While many studies have demonstrated the importance of social empowerment for improved reproductive health, this is the first to separate out the differential effects of social and economic factors. This work goes even further than economic arguments by demonstrating, on the basis of a robust statistical analysis, that women's education and their professional labor force participation contribute to better health and wellbeing of rural society, including through reductions in fertility, son preference, and infant and child mortality.