Forgotten Identities: Women Artisans of Kashmir

The contribution of women of sustenance and survival of cultures and civilization, as such, has assumed new proportions in the last century or so, with women engaging themselves in a range of activities for themselves in a range of activities for livelihood in urban centers. Their contributions have, however, largely gone unacknowledged due to various factors. This study attempts to address this aspect by focusing on the role of urban women in the handicrafts sector in Kashmir. Dr. Salima Jan examines how the artisan women, in spite of difficulties of earning livelihood in a patriarchal society, have adopted handicraft as a household occupation and are contributing immensely to family and society. Based on empirical data obtained from survey and presenting case studies, the work examines the socio-economic and educational background of artisan women before delving into aspects, such as, the nature of work done by them, their wages in different handicrafts, their control over there and the conditions under which the women have opted for the role. It analyses the manner in which the women cope with their dual roles – involvement in household chores as well as employment in handicrafts – and deals with their individual aspirations and rights in this context – i.e., their say in decision-making in families and changing role of women. This research effort would be useful to researchers and scholars engaged in a range of sociological disciplines but, particularly, associated with sociology of work and gender studies.