a study of three generations of women belonging to six different backgrounds

8/2/2019 A study of Three Generations of Women belonging to six different backgrounds

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Introduction

The emotional, sexual, and psychological stereotyping of females begins when the

doctor says, Its a girl. Shirley Chisholm

Shirley Chisholm was an American politician, educator and author. She was the first

black woman to be elected to Congress and she was also the first major-party black

woman candidate for President of the United States. In 1982 Chisholm told the

Associated Press: "I've always met more discrimination being a woman than being

black. When I ran for the Congress, when I ran for president, I met more

discrimination as a woman than for being black. Men are men."

Women have been one of the most disadvantaged groups; they are the only group in

the world who have/has been idealized into powerlessness as Erica Jong puts it. This

oppression might have found its roots in the physical vulnerability and inability to

perform labor during pregnancy, lactation and menstruation. But, this inability

restricted only to the period mentioned has been blown out of proportion. And the

identity of women has been constructed around these physical aspects. Nursing,

caring for children and management of the household became the role of women. The

work, all by itself, is of great importance as what women do by assuming these roles

is raise the future generation and care for humanity. But to womens greatest dismay,

men havent been able to recognize the importance of this role of women. Value was

attached to income earning abilities of individuals and this meant womens work is

denied recognition and importance.

Ever since birth, the girl child is molded to do household work, to do work of

secondary nature, to do non-remunerative work. This idealization of household

works in the minds of women, throughout history, lead to the acceptance of the

oppression of women by men and women.

It took many centuries, before this abusive societal order was questioned and

consequently, changed, at least to a certain extent. The 18th

century saw the base for

the feminist movements take place in the Age of Enlightenment or the Age of Reason,


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when intellectuals questioned the unequal distribution of power, in order to reform

society and advance knowledge for the greater good. The theme was to propagate

mankind equality, although womens equality was not highlighted. The feminist

movement, which arose later, is divided into three waves. The first wave, dealt with

the fighting for suffrage of women (womens voting rights). The second wave,

involved campaigning for womens equality in politics, culture and society. And the

third wave has been criticized for being a mere continuation of the 2nd

wave.

During the past three hundred years, the campaign for womens equality in all aspects

has brought about awareness and subsequently, changes in attitude towards women.

Earlier, women were confined to household activities, banned from educational

institutions in certain provinces, werent given suffrage, couldnt initiate divorce,

subject to foot binding (in China), subject to Hijab (in Muslim countries), subject to

Sati (in India) and other gender stereotyping. But, now, womens status has been

elevated from class 2 citizen to that of class 1, they have been provided with suffrage,

reservation of a certain number of seats has been made to ensure political

participation, Sati and foot binding has been abolished, education for women is being

promulgated, dowry has been abolished by law. The profile of an average woman has

changed. Her rights have changed, her roles have changed, her position in the society

has changed, and her aspirations for the future have changed. And these changes are

only an overview. But, this doesnt mean that the oppression of women is something

part of history, there are still many women who suffer.

Over the course of the project, I have interviewed eight families and 24 women

belonging to different economic strata, castes, region and level of education to

observe the change in the profile, attitudes, beliefs, status in society and roles of

women over three generations and check for progress (or regress) made by

women.


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Qualification

Generation 1

Most of them had more than 4 siblings. Kamala had 9 siblings Mangala had 7, but 2

of them died before they even turned 4. The table below shows the qualification level

of any one of the male siblings for the ease of comparision.

Name Qualification

Level

Name Qualification

Level

Family

Background

Durga Koneru-1 9th

pass,

Vijaywada

Narasmiha Mudambi B.Sc Mathematics,

Banglore

Educated family

Mangala-1 4rth pass Pachiamuthu 7th

pass Uneducated

Family

Shashi Kala

Doot-1

5th

pass Jinesh Bhandhukwala B.Com North Indian

Family

Prabhavathi

Reddy-1

10th

pass Subba Reddy 11th

pass South Indian

Family

Radha Wadwa-1 3rd

pass,

Ajmer

Ashok Lal B.Com from St

Stephens, Delhi

Rich Family

Kamala-1 Nil Deenabandhu Nil Poor Family

Ronda Sarita-1 11th

Std Vaka Srinivas 9th

pass Upper Caste

Dhanama-1 4rth pass Solomon Nil Lower Caste

When all the families answered these questions, one thing was common. Every single

womans qualification was lower than her siblings of the opposite gender. Except the

Lower Caste familys case because Dhanama was born after 14 years and up until

then they were struggling to make ends meet and Sarita, who was very proud about

the fact that she was the only girl in her class.

Prabhavathi Reddy had gotten married when she was in her 8th Std. After shifting to

her in-laws house, her husband wanted her to get a degree. So, he tutored her through

her 9th

and 10th

. But, when she failed her 11th

Std, she refused to study anymore. She

recalls him being angry with her for several weeks for giving up like that.

When asked about why they had stopped their education, most of them put a stop to

their education because they were asked to do so, with the exception of Ronda Sarita

and Prabhavathi.


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When asked, if they wanted to pursue further education at that point of time. ALL of

them said no, except, Ronda Sarita. She wanted to become a doctor, but her father

said no and she didnt put up a fight. So, generation-1 and their parents lacked

interest in pursuing education.

Generation 2

As seen in the previous generation, the qualification levels of men were much higher

than that of women, who were also their sibling.

When the interviewees were asked why their education levels were lower than their

male siblings and what in their opinion was the reason, most of them said that during

the time of their schooling their parents sent them to college/school for basic

education, but didnt really see their daughters pursuing education further or working

Name Qualification

Level

Siblings name Qualification

Level

Family Background

Suguna

Anumolu-11

B.Sc Botany

M.Sc in Applied

Botany

Raghav Koneru B.Tech Banglore

M.Sc California

Educated Family

Suguna-11 10th

Std Vignesh 12th

pass Uneducated Family

Shalini Jhaver-11 B.Com No Brothers - North Indian Family

Sarada Reddy-11 B.A Literature Hari Babu Reddy B. E Civil

Engineering MBA

South Indian Family

Sangeetha

Harlalka-11

Left B.Com in

1st

year

Jagdish Wadwa B. Com Rich Family

Gowri-11 2nd

std Gowtham 5th

Std Poor Family

Rishita -11 B. Sc Botany Ronda Ravi B. Sc

Mathematics

Upper Caste Family

Dheenama-11 5th

Std Yobu 2nd

Std Lower Caste Fmaily


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afterwards. According to Shalini-11, her parents were against her working

immediately and told her she could pursue her career after marriage. But, once

married she didnt feel like working.

So, in generation 2 although many carried a degree or a credible qualification, they

didnt join the workforce due to lack of interest or awareness. Rishitha-11 said she

never even gave it a thought at that point. She new all the while when she was in

college that she was not going to work, but get married after she finishes her degree.

But, Suguna whose father wasnt interested in educating her further, Sangeetha who

was made to leave college in the first year and Gowri and Dheenama who belonged to

poor families said that they werent keen at that point, but hoped their parents had not

rushed them into marriage.

When quizzed about if they would have pursued education or worked, if they were

given the chance to go back to their late teens or early 20s, all of them said YES.

Generation 3

Name Qualification Siblings Name Qualification Family

Background

Srijaya Anumolu-

111

B.Arch 2nd

year, Chennai Tarun Anumolu B. Tech, M. Sc Softwar

California

Educated

Sunita-111 B.E Auto, Chennai Bharath B. E Aeronautics, Chen Uneducated

Vatsala Jhaver-111 Pursuing CA, Chennai Shravan Jhaver B.Tech ECE, Pilani

MBA, Bombay

North Indian

Shreya Reddy-111 B. A Literature, Chennai Shishir Reddy B. Arch, Ahmedabad South Indian

SanchiHarlalka-

111

Vis communication Aditya Harlalka B. Com, Loyola Rich

Sita-111 10th

pass Sunil B. E Mechanical, Chen Poor

Bhuvana-111 B. Tech Mech, Vellore Kiran M.B.B.S , Delhi Upper Caste

Rani-111 B.Sc Nursing, Chennai Sham Kumar 12th pass Lower Caste


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The third generation woman of each family was more qualified than the 1st

and 2nd

generation woman of their respective families or hoped to be. And since, most of the

girls were only pursuing their undergraduate courses, I went one step ahead asked

them if they wanted to do a postgraduate. All of them except Sita and Rani wanted to

do a postgraduate.

When Rani was young her grandmother used to take her to the Kilpauk Medical

College Hospital as she couldnt be left alone at home. Her grandmother was a

sweeper there and when she was at her work, Rani used to spend her time watching

the doctors in the hospital. And thats how the desire to become a Doctor arose in her.

But due to the families financial constraints she could not pursue MBBS, but decided

to do pursue nursing instead. Her father was against the girl child continuing

education, especially since, her brother had quit after school to go and work at the

oilrigs in Mumbai. When he tried to stop her many times. She complained to him

saying- You are trying to take away my eyes by not allowing me to pursue

education. He often screams at her to stop studying and learn some household work,

which will be useful for her when she joins her in-laws.

When asked if they wanted to work after education, all of them said yes.

Income & Access to resources

The interviewees were asked to answer these questions based on their

status/experience when they were between the ages of 20-50.


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1st

generation and access to resources

With respect to income, only 3 out of 8 women belonging to the first generation said

that they earned an income. But, the management was left to their respective

husbands.

Similarly, when it came to property in their name, every one said that they didnt have

any property in their name. The only exception was Durga Koneru-1 who said she

came to own property only in the late 1980s.

In Ancient days, the law followed was that women could own a property. But, many

women didnt because of the patriarchal set up. But, this slowly changed as a result of

Womens right to property Act of 1937, Hindu Succession Act 1956 and the Hindu

succession act 2005. The first one gave women legal status as property owners. The

Name

Familybackground

Didyouhaveanysort

ofincome?

Ifyes,whomanage

dit?

Didyouhaveany

assets?

Ifyes,whomanage

dit?

Didyouhaveany

savings?

Ifyes,whomanage

dit?

Didyouacquirean

equalshareinwealth

asyoursibling?

Did you have access to

affordable

Healthcare

Education

Food

Housing

Durga Ed Yes Husban Yes - - - No (L) Yes Yes Yes Yes

Mangala Uned No - No - - - No (L) Yes Yes Yes Yes

Shashi NI No - No - - - No (L) Yes Yes Yes Yes

Prabha SI No - No - - - No (L) No Yes Yes Yes

Radha Rich No - No - - - No (L) Yes Yes Yes Yes

Kamala Poor Yes Husban X X - - No (M) No Yes Yes Yes

Sarita UC No - No - - - No (L) Yes No Yes Yes

Dhanam

a

LC Yes Husban X X - No (M) No No No No


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second, allowed women to inherit property of a deceased father when there is no

will/settlement left behind by him. And the third gives women the same rights as their

male siblings.

When it came to acquiring the same amount of wealth as your siblings, all the women

belonging to privileged groups seemed to be on the losing end, as the first generation

women belonging to Lower Caste and Poor families acquired more wealth. These

women didnt reveal the reasons (because I didnt question them). But, a little

research revealed that poor families tend to give a lot of money as dowry/ share in

wealth to their kids, to attract or keep their in-laws happy, so that they would treat

their girl child properly. One of the main reasons for heavy farmer debt was found to

be dowry.

Access to essentials/Necessities

In case of poor families it is about affordability and parental support. And, in the case

of privileged families it is a question of parental support only.

Education-

For, Sarita it was her parents and for Dhanama and Kamala, it was affordability.

Dhanama also shared that even if she could have afforded it at that point, her parents

and even herself for that matter wouldnt have been to keen. When I asked her why,

she said- Kaalam apadee- translated into English means, the ages were of that sort.

Healthcare

Pretty much all of them could afford healthcare, except for Kamala and Dhanama

who belonged to poor households.

Food & Shelter

Everyone said they could afford food and housing, except Dhanama who said the

family could not make ends meet for many years, initially.

2nd

generation and access to resources


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Suguna-11 (Ed), Shalini-11, Sangeetha-11 and Sarada-11 are all housewives but all of

them earn an income due to investments or return on bank deposits. But only two out

of these four manage their Income. Even, Gowri-11 and Dheenama-11 earn an

income by doing work. Gowri-11 sells tea, snacks and flowers throughout the day.

And Dheenama-11 works as a maid. But, even they reported that they dont have

control over their income and that their husband manages their income.

When quizzed about savings all of them said that they had some savings exceptDheenama. These women who saved didnt have any control on these savings though,

except Gowri-11, who also mentioned that her husband is not aware of her savings.

Keeping the trend in the previous generation, the women belonging to the poorer

families acquired a larger share in the wealth than their male siblings. Except for

Shalini-11 and Sangeetha-11. Shalini said she had no male siblings and thats why her

parents gave both an equal share in wealth. And Sangeetha said it was her fathers

decision. Since, I knew her, I asked her why and she said because she was his favoritechild.

Name

Familybackground

Doyouhaveanysortof

income?

Ifyes,whomanagesit?

Doyouhaveanyassets?

Ifyes,whomanagesit?

Doyouhaveany

savings?

Ifyes,whomanagesit?

Didyouacquirean

equalshareinwealth

asyoursibling/s?

Do/Did you have access to

(affordable)

Healthcare

Education

Food

Housing

Suguna-

11

Ed Yes Mys Yes Mys Yes Hus No (L) Yes Yes Yes Yes

Suguna-

11

Ue

d

No - No - Yes Hus No (L) Yes No Yes Yes

Shalini-11 NI Yes Mys Yes Sis Yes Hus Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes

Sarada-11 SI Yes Hus Yes In-laws Yes Hus No Yes Yes Yes Yes

Sangeeth-

11

Ric

h

Yes Hus Yes Hus Yes Hus Yes Yes No Yes Yes

Gowri-11 Poo

r

Yes Hus No - Yes Mys No (M) No No Yes Yes

Rishita-11 Uc No - No - Yes Hus No (L) Yes Yes Yes Yes

Dheenam

a-11

Lc Yes Hus No - No - No (M) No No Yes Yes


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Access to Essentials/Necessities

Education

Surprisingly, more women in the 2nd

generation informed that they didnt have access

to education despite the qualifications being higher in the 2nd

generation. I can just

infer, here, and say that in the 1st

generation women themselves were not keen and

therefore, their parents not being supportive didnt matter, whereas in the 2nd

generation women seemed more keen and their parents were not supportive and this

conflict of interest might have made it look like the parents denied them further

access to the education of their choice.

Healthcare

Only the poor households didnt have access to healthcare.

Food & Shelter

All of the women belonging to the 2nd

generation had access to food and

housing/shelter.

3rd

Generations access to resources

Name Family Do you have access to the following resources This

access is

due to

the

support

provided

by the

parents

Background Healthcare Education Food Shelter

Srijaya Ed Yes Yes Yes Yes

Sunita Ued Yes Yes Yes Yes

Vatsala NI Yes Yes Yes Yes

Shreya SI Yes Yes Yes Yes

Sanchi Rich Yes To an extent Yes Yes

Sita Poor Yes No Yes Yes

Bhuvana Uc Yes Yes Yes Yes

Rani Lc No No Yes Yes

Ranis problem is the affordability one. She wanted to pursue medicine, but had to

settle for nursing, due to the expenses involved. And just a year back, she went

through an expensive Kidney transplantation, which according to her family was very

expensive.


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Sita said her parents did not want her to pursue education as her brother just a year

earlier had completed B.E Mech and didnt get a job. So, when it was her time to go

to college, her father had said - nothing has come out of education other than huge

bills, in your brothers case. And you are a girl, what good will education do/give to

you? You should get married.

Decision Making

(General)

1stGeneration

Who made the decision with respect to the following events?

Name

Family

Background

Yourage&

time

of

marriage

Whom

you

should

get

marriedto

When

you

shouldhave

children

&

howmany?

Childrens

education?

Choice

of

doctor

Beinga

housewife

ora

workingwo

men,whose

decision

wasit?

Durga-1 Ed Father Father Hus & Mys Husband In-laws Mine & Husbands

Mangala-1 Ued Father Fath & Mo Husband Husband Husband In-laws

Shashi-1 NI Father Father In-laws Husband Husband Parents & In-laws

Prabhavathi-1 SI Father Father Husband Husband Husband In-laws

Radha-1 Rich Father Father Husband Husband Husband Husband

Kamala-1 Poor Father Father Husband Husband Husband Husband

Sarita-1 Uc Father Fath & Mo Hus & Wf Husband Husband Parents

Dhanama-1 Lc Father Father Hus & Mys Husband Husband In-laws

For the women belonging to the first generation, as can be seen in the 3rd

column, the

father made the decision regarding when they should get married, when enquired they

replied that they werent given any choice with respect to the age. Prabhavathi Reddy-

1 let us know that her father had returned from a days work when she was in class 8th

and told her she was to get married to a certain man called Venkat-1. In her case, the

boy was entirely her fathers choice and till the day of marriage she and her mother

hadnt even seen him. The same goes for the other women from the first generation

they didnt have a choice about the age and boy, even their mothers didnt seem to.


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When it came to the choice about when and how many children to have, 3 out of 8

said it was a mutual decision by their husbands and themselves. But 3 said it was their

husbands and one, in-laws. Shashi had 2 daughters and she didnt want to have more

kids and but her in-laws wanted her to have a boy, but she never got pregnant after

that.

Decisions regarding childrens education was completely their fathers domain.

Women didnt take decisions in either of the 8 families and when quizzed about how

they felt about (not part of the questionnaire), Radha said she didnt mind as whatever

little she new about education in those days was from her husband and it was he who

interacted with various people outside the house and knew what was best. So, it made

sense for him to choose.

Even when it came to the choice of doctor it was mostly the husbands decision. But,

in the poor families like Dhanama and Kamalas case they said whatever was

affordable and it wasnt really their husbands or their choice, in particular. Dhanama

said they would just go to an affordable hospital, something like the RGGGH and

they will be directed to a doctor, so they dont really choose the doctor.

In the 1st

generation all of them were housewives none of them worked, with the

exception of Durga who managed a camphor business in her backyard. And the

decision was both her husbands and hers. Most of them said it was expected of them

to become a housewife and didnt really think anything else was possible at that time.

But, Kamala and Dhanama had to work to make ends meet, out of financial

constraints. Both said it was their decision along with their husbands.

Expenses

Family Who took decisions with respect to the following?

Name Background Everyday

expenses

Monthly

expenses

Any large

expense

Investment

Durga Ed Wife Hus & Wife Husband Husband

Mangala Ued Wife Husband Husband -

Shashi NI Wife Wife Husband Husband


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Prabhavat

hi

SI Wife Wife Husband Husband

Radha Rich Wife Wife Husband Husband

Kamala Poor Husband Husband Husband XSarita Uc Wife Wife Husband -

Dhanama Lc Wife Husband Husband X

Even in the first generation women seemed to have taken the decisions on everyday

expenses. But the decision on monthly expenses were taken by the women or men and

women in the privileged families, but in the poor families it was mostly the men who

called the shots with respect to monthly expenses. All the eight families gave a

monotonous answer with respect to huge expenses that it was the husband who made

the decision.

In the decision on investments case, some women said that their families hadnt

invested at that point and those who remember investing said it was completely their

husbands decision.

2nd

generation


Name Backgr

ound

Yourage&time

ofm

arriage

Whomyou

shouldget

marriedto?

Whenyou

shouldhave

chil

dren&how

many?

Chi

ldrens

education?

Cho

iceofdoctor

Beinga

hou

sewifeor

workingwomen

whosedecision

was

it?

Suguna-11 Ed Father Father (C) Hus & Wife Children In-laws

doctor

Mine

Suguna-11 Ued Father Father Husb &

Wife

Husband Husband Mine

Shalini-11 NI Father Father (C) Hus & Wife Children Sister Mine

Sarada-11 SI Father

(C)

Father (C) Husband &

Wife

Husband

& Wife

Mother-in-

law

Mother-in-

laws


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The women belonging to the 2nd

generation also didnt have a choice with respect to

the age at which they were to get married. None of them were asked if they wanted to

get married at a particular age except Sarada, who said her parents had consulted herbut her father made the final decision. When it came to selecting the boy, the women

belonging to the 2nd

generation were given the liberty to state a few qualities that they

want the guy to possess. But, again, this was mere consultation. The final decision

was left to their fathers. Not, in one case did the mother have a say entirely.

Unlike in the case of the 1st

generation, in-laws didnt play a role in deciding the

number and the time at which they should have children. Seven out of eight women

said that both their husbands and themselves made the decision. Dheenama alone said

that her husband decided when she should have her children and how many.

Regarding education, two out of eight said that the decision was entirely their

childrens. And among the rest, women participated in deciding their childs

education in exactly three families. The participation was missing in poor,

Uneducated and Rich household.

When quizzed about whether it was their decision to take up a job or be a homemaker.

All of them said it was their decision, except Sarada-11 who shared a small story with

me. She told me that after the birth of both of her children, she was preparing for a

Bank Job entrance exam, which her mother-in-law was against from the beginning.

And on the day of the exam she was at the examination center when her mother in-

law called and informed her that she wouldnt take care of the children and that both

Sangeeth-11 Rich Father Father (C) Hus & Wife Husband Husband Mine

Gwori-11 Poor Father Father &

Mother

Husband &

Wife

Husband In-laws

doctor

Mine

Rishita-11 Uc Father Father Husband &Wife

Husband& Wife

Husband Mine

Dheenama-11 Lc Father Father Husband Husband

& Wife

Husband Mine


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of them were crying. Sarada-11 didnt have a choice but to come back home without

taking the exam

Expenses- 2nd

generation

In the 2nd

generation, all women gave a unanimous answer with respect to the one

who manages and decides on everyday expenses, it was they themselves. The

husband didnt interfere in everyday expenses. Even monthly expenses were left

mostly for women to decide, except in the poor households. And when it came to

large expenses men and women have an equal say six out of eight families. The

exceptions being the less privileged households.

Gender Activity Profile

1st

and 2nd

generation


Name Everyday

expenses

Monthly

expenses

Any large expense Investment

Suguna-11 Ed Wife Hus & Wife Husband & Wif Husband & Wife

Suguna-11 Ued Wife Wife Husband & Wif Husband

Shalini-11 NI Wife Wife Husban & Wife Husband & WifeSarada-11 SI Wife Wife Husban & Wife Husband & Wife

Sangeetha-11 Rich Wife Wife Husband Husband

Gowri-11 Poor Wife Husband Husband & Wif X

Rishitha-11 Uc Wife Wife Husband & Wif Husband & Wife

Dheenama-11 Lc Wife Husband Husband X


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Name

Family

Background

Bringinghomegro

ceries

Cooking

WashingDishes

Washing&Drying

clothes

Nursing&Supervising

Kids

Nursingin-laws

Nursingin-lawsparents

Nursingparents

Gardening

Sweepingthefloor

Wipingthefloor

Cleaningthebathroom

Dusting

Ironing&Folding

Clothes

Supervisingmaid

Non-householdwo

rk

Durga-1 Ed

Suguna11 Ed

Mangala-1 Ued

Suguna-11 Ued

Shashi-1 NI

Shalini-11 NI

Prabhavathi

-1

SI

Sarada-11 SI

Radha-1 Rich

Sangeetha-

11

Rich

Kamala-1 Poor

Gowri-11 Poor

Saritha-1 Uc

Rishitha-11 Uc


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Nursing & Supervising Children

The women belonging to the 1st

generation had more children, on an average, than the

women belonging to the next generation. For instance, Durga Koneru-1 had 7

children, where as her daughter Suguna Anumolu-11 had only 2 children. Similarly,

Kamala-1 had 9 children were as her daughter Gowri-11 had only 4 children. This

resulted in lesser work for the mothers.

Break down of the Joint family (Nursing for in-laws/ nursing for in-laws)

5 out of 8 women belonging to the 2nd

generation said that they didnt have any in-

laws living with them. But, in the previous generation all 8 said that they had to nurse

and look after their in-laws needs. The Husbands of the 2nd

generation women had to

move away for various reasons such as in search of job and business. In the case of

Dheenama, the in-laws also lived in Chennai, but in the outskirts, where as Dheenama

lived in Koyambedu. The breakup of the joint family has resulted in lesser work for

Dheenama. This applies to all the 5 women of the 2nd

generation who live in a nuclear

family model.

Men and domestic/Household work

When quizzed about mens household activity, ALL the women belonging to the 1 st

generation replied negatively and said that their husbands have never done any

household activity.

But, the 2nd

generation had something different to say. Some of them said their

husbands cooked food on weekends and made tea and coffee through out the week.

All these women belonged to privileged families. Sadly, the same is not reflected in

poor families.

More work performed by the maids for the 2nd

generation women

If you take the example of Durga and her daughter Suguna, Durga used to buy

groceries, cook, wash dishes, nurse & supervise her children, nurse her in-laws and

Dhanama-1 Lc

Dheenama-

11

Lc


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her father-in-laws mother, iron & fold clothes, supervise maid and also manage a

Camphor business in her backyard. But, her daughter Suguna only cooked, nursed &

supervised kids, folded clothes. The rest was taken care of by the maid/s. She had a

lot more leisure time than her mother. The same is seen in Shashi Kala Dhoot and her

daughter Shalini, her mother used to perform a lot more activities than her.

But, this luxury is not experienced by the less privileged women belonging to poor

and lower caste families. Their work seems to remain the same from the previous

generation.

3rd

Generation Gender roles

Girls belonging to rich, educated, uneducated, South Indian, North Indian and Upper

Caste family said that they dont do any household work. But Vatsala-111 who

belonged to the North Indian family said she does household work once in a while.

But Rani and Sita who belong to the Lower caste and Poor family respectively said

that they perform household chores. Rani not as much, but Sita who is only a 10th

pass

says she cooks breakfast and tea with her aunt for their eatery in the morning and then

assists her aunt in making lunch as well. After that she comes back knits flowers and

sells them in the evening next to Vadapalini temple. After selling her flowers she goes

back home around 7 helps her mother in cooking rice and putting her brother to sleep.

Health

Name Fb Health Complications Causes according to them

Durga -1 Ed Thyroid, Hyper tension, Fibroids, Diabetes Worked a lot when I was young

Suguna-11 Ed Spondylitis -

Srijaya-111 Ed Thyroid Hereditary

Dhanama-1 Lc - -

Dheenama11 Lc Anemic We dont eat a lot of vegetables

Rani-111 Lc Anemic, Kidney Failure We dont eat a lot of vegetables

Kamala-1 Pr - -


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Gowri-11 Pr - -

Sita-111 Pr Excessive tiredness Due to continuous work

Shashi-1 NI Thyroid, High Cholesterol Old age

Shalini-11 NI - -Vatsala-111 NI Iron deficient, Had Ulcer, Some tissues are numb I never ate properly when I was a

kid

Durga Koneru-1 (Ed) worked a lot when she was in charge of her household. Apart

from the regular household work, she managed camphor business in her backyard and

she never really spent much time cooking. She said their lunch mostly comprised of

pickle rice and that they never had many vegetables. According to her, during her age,

the vegetables consumed by the family were vegetables grown by her father-in-law in

their pollum which when translated into English means fields, and because of this

the types of vegetables consumed by them were very small in number. Unfortunately,

her granddaughter also has thyroid just like her. The cause is said to be hereditary, in

the granddaughters case.

One of my most surprising findings was that Dhanama and Dheenama despite

belonging to a Lower Caste household suffered from no serious health complications,

although, both Dheenama and her daughter Rani suffered from anemia. Rani,

unfortunately even went through kidney failure and got her kidney transplantation

done last year.

Even in the poor household, the first generation woman didnt suffer from any health

complications, where as the 2nd

and 3rd

generation woman had anemia. And Sita-111,

further, complained of tiredness. This might be due to her strenuous schedule

mentioned earlier.

In the North Indian family, Shashi Kala Dhoot-1 belonging to the first generation had

minimal complication caused due to old age. And her daughter Shalini-11 is

completely healthy, in her words. But, vatsala-111 doesnt share the familys

healthy history. She is Iron deficient, had Ulcer and some tissues in her body are

numb.


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Saritha-1 belonging to the upper caste family suffered from Cancer and has completed

her treatment. And daughter Rishitha-11 and granddaughter-111 Bhuvana are

Anemic.

There is nothing to discuss with respect to the health of the 3-generation women

belonging to the rich family, South Indian and the uneducated family. None have any

health complications.

Pregnancy & Abortion

Name Family

Background

Did you perform

household chores

during pregnancy

(last 2 months)

Did anyone

assist you

during your

pregnancy?

Mention who

Complications

during

pregnancy &

Abortion

Durga-1 Ed Yes Mo & Mo-in-l No

Suguna-11 Ed Yes Mother No

Mangala-1 Ud Yes Mother No

Suguna-11 Ud Yes Mother No

Shashi-1 NI Yes Mother Yes-Complicat

Shalini-11 NI No Sister-in-laws No

Prabhavathi-1 SI Yes Mother No

Sarada-11 SI Yes Mother No

Radha-1 Rich Yes Mother Yes-Complicat

Sangeetha-11 Rich Yes Mother-in-law Yes-Complicat

Kamala-1 Poor Yes Mother No

Gowri-11 Poor Yes Mother No

Saritha-1 Uc Yes Mother No

Rishitha-11 Uc No Mother Yes-Complicat

Dhanama-1 Lc Yes Mother No

Dheenama-11 Lc Yes Mother No


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All the women belonging to the first generation said that they performed household

activities even into the last two months of pregnancy. The 2nd

generation also said the

same thing, with the exception of Shalini-11, who said she stopped all household

activities in the 6th

month. In the case of assistance during pregnancy, everyone

replied positively. All of them had received help from either in-laws or their mothers.

When quizzed about complications during pregnancy three out of sixteen said that

they had complications. And with respect to abortion, most of the first generation

women said that they did not have access to abortion facilities or even the need to

abort.

Access to abortion facilities increased only in the later half of the 20th

century, so

most of the 1stgeneration women didnt have an option but to give birth, if they go t

pregnant. The following is a note with respect to the Indian abortion law, its legal

status-

As per Indias abortion laws only qualified doc stipulated conditions, can perform

abortion on a woman in an approved clinic or hospital. The Indian abortion laws fall

under the Medical Termination of Pregnancy (MTP) Act, which was enacted by the

Indian Parliament in the year 1971. The MTP Act came into effect from April 1, 1972

and was once amended in 1975. The Medical Termination of Pregnancy (MTP) Act

of India clearly states the conditions under which a pregnancy can be ended or

aborted, the persons who are qualified to conduct the abortion and the place of

implementation.

Awareness of gender Issues and View on gender equality

The following table shows the interview results of all the families-


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Name

FamilyBackground

Wouldyouhave(had)morechildrenifyouhave3girl

children,initia

lly?

Doyouthink

amajorityofwomenares

uppressedby

traditional,religiousandstereotypicalattitudes?

Ifandwhen

youhaveadaughter-in-law

,wouldyou

supportherif

shesaysthatshewillnotbe

abledoany

Doyouthinkm

enaremoredominatingthenwomen?

Wouldyoubecomfortablewithamandoinghousehold

activitiesalone?

Durga-1 Ed No Yes No Yes No

Suguna-11 Ed No Yes No Yes No

Srijaya-111 Ed X Yes Yes No Yes

Mangala-1 Ued No Yes No Yes NoSuguna-11 Ued No Yes No Yes No

Sunita-111 Ued X Yes No Yes Yes

Shashi-1 NI No Yes Yes Yes No

Shalini-11 NI No Yes Yes Yes Yes

Vatsala-111 NI X Yes Yes No Yes

Prabhavathi-1 SI Yes Yes No Yes No

Sarada-11 SI No Yes Yes No YesShreya-111 SI X Yes Yes No No

Radha-1 Rich Yes Yes No Yes No

Sangeetha-11 Rich No Yes No Yes No

Sanchi-111 Rich X Yes Yes No Yes

Kamala-1 Poor Yes Yes No Yes No

Gowri-11 Poor Yes Yes Yes Yes No

Sita-111 Poor X Yes Yes Yes No


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One of the things about equality is not just that you be treated equally to a man, but

that you treat yourself equally to the way you treat a man.

This might be the biggest challenge for women in their fight for equal status.

Although the sample interviewees were not subject to any extreme forms of

oppression, they definitely had a taste of gender biasness at some point of their life. In

the first generation, the difference between qualifications of the women and their

siblings was the widest. Perhaps their parents didnt know Bright Young who said-

You educated a man; you educate a man. You educate a women; you educate a

generation

The education levels of women belonging to the 2nd

generation were higher and the

gap between their education and their siblings education was also lesser. And, it came

down even further in the third generation, but, we cant say that. But, this didnt help

the women belonging to the poor household and Lower caste household improve their

livelihood over the generations. Access to certain resources had definitely improved,

but control and management is still a problem. Some women belonging to the poorer

sections, earn an income of their own, but leave control and management of the

income to their husbands. But, we are yet to see if the women belonging to the third

generation would do it differently. Women had more authority to make decisions in

the 2nd

generation than the first decision. But, for Dheenama-11 who belonged to the

lower cast family, decisions of any kind were mostly taken by her father before

marriage and by husband after marriage. With respect to activity profile i.e. work

performed, homemakers from the 2nd

generation and belonging to privileged

households worked much lesser than their mothers from the previous generation. But,

the same relief hasnt been observed in the poor households.

Among all the interviewees belonging to the 1st

generation and 2nd

generation, it was

only women belonging to poor and lower caste households that went out to perform

any economic activity outside the four walls of their house. Even in the 2nd

generation

this was noticed. In the richer households, women-11 still earned an income due toinvestments or home based work like investing in the share market. The third


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generation whether belonging to a privileged or unprivileged household said that they

see work outside the house as part of their plan for the future.

There is absolutely no doubt that the way forward is a bright one for women, because

education has that kind of an effect. We still havent entered a society where the

parents and their children are educated, mostly. If you see the result of the question on

whether women find men more dominating, each and every women belonging to the

first generation said yes, one out of eight women in the 2nd

generation said no and in

the 3rd

generation four out of eight women said no. Looking at this trend, I can only

say that the number will improve in the future. But, that doesnt mean women can sit

back and let it all happen. Nothing in life comes for free and there is no point in

fighting for equal rights, when they are not proactively taking part in male-centric

activities and not saying No when they are pushed back a few steps or forced into

doing something. As my mother says- You have to believe in it before you try and

convince others about it.

a study of three generations of women belonging to six different backgrounds

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