CONTENTS:- Foreword. Preface. Keynote address. 1. Status of rural women with special reference to women of scheduled communities -- a situational analysis. 2. Women in text and context : an enquiry into her political and economic empowerment. 3. Dalit women, Dalit literature and anthropology. 4. Status of Indian women in Thailand. 5. Kargil to Khammam: status of women in tribal India. 6. Maternal and child health care in relation to literacy in Bharias--a primitive tribe of Madhya Pradesh. 7. Status of women in rural Jharkhand. 8. Status of woman in Maria society. 9. Employment for women and probable encounters : a perspective of home science. 10. The status of women in matrilineal Khasi society. 11. The status of the Ladiya women. 12. Status of women in rural society with special reference to polyandry of Garhwal Himalaya. 13. Women participation in village panchayat. 14. Relative political status of rural women (a case study from eastern rural Uttar Pradesh). 15. Literacy and the status of rural women. 16. Social status of women. 17. Status of women in tribal society. 18. Tribal women yesterday, today and tomorrow.
DESCRIPTION
In India, about three fourth of the population, still live in rural areas. The notion that women in rural societies enjoy relatively higher social status appears to be a myth. Gender discrimination is a social reality irrespective of the nature of societies and no universally applicable rule exist to measure the degree of status of women in various societies. There is an imperative need to delineate the factors determining the social and economic status of women and to make efforts to strengthen the process that help women to raise their status in the society through educational, political and economic empowerment. The present volume contains 18 papers by eminent scholars who are authorities in the field of social anthropology. The papers included in this book explore recent issues related to the socio-economic position of women in tribal and rural societies. The issues include -- health, nutrition, education, adoption, inheritance, succession, marriage, divorce and participation in Panchayat Raj. The papers of the volume also conclude that inspite of government’s so called efforts, the agony of rural women continues. It is our hope that the material incorporated in this volume will provide fresh information to the researchers and scholars alike.
