The book highlights the commonalities and differences in rural women’s experiences across the countries and communities of the South Asian region. It argues that the low status and weak empowerment of rural women is on account of the structural conditions of poverty and inequality in the region, the social and cultural shaping of gender ideologies and the multiple patriarchies and caste and class dominance through which poor women experience power relations. However, a sense of optimism pervades as country experiences reflect the renewed concerns and commitments about rural women’s empowerment in both state policy and the significant snowballing of social activism in the region. The essays in the book reiterates the importance of poverty alleviation, providing decent work opportunities, investing in education and health, involving women in decision making and governance such that their substantive empowerment could be fostered by enhancing their capabilities, entitlement and choices.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR Jaya Arunachalam
Dr. Jaya Arunachalam the President of Working Women's Forum (India), a social organisation initiated in 1978 to develop the total human resource potential of every poor women workers in the informal sector. She was bestowed with the "Padamsri" award by the President of India for her distinguished services among the poorest women, a grassroot trade union of poor working class women in Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and andhra Pradesh. She also holds the Presidentship of the Indian cooperative network for women specially evolved by her as an informal banking system to suit the needs of the poor women as a national delivery mechanism for country-wide operations. For her exemplary work among the poorest women in Idnia she was awarded a 'Honorary Doctorate' by the Unviersity of Lueneburg (Germany) in 1999. Dr. Arunachalam was a member of the steering group on women's Development of the Eighth Five Year Plan in 1990-95. For her unmatched and outstanding services to poor working women, the Government of Tamil Nadu Conferred on her "Stree Shakti Puraskar Award" in 2002. Considering her contribution towards poverty eradication for over 25 years, she conferred the "International Activist Award 2003". She has attended and presented papers at innumerable National and International conferences and visited several countries in North America, Europe, Africa, Latin america, Australia and Asia including China.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR U. Kalpagam
is professor at the G.B. Pant Social Science Instiute, Allahabad, India. She has published two monographs Labour and Gender: Survival in Urban India and Gender and Development in India. She recently edited Women in India: Contemporary Concerns and has co-edited four books on rural women, labour and poverty.
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