Single but not Alone: the Journey from Stigma to Collective Identity through Himachal’s Single Women’s Movement

Across the northwestern Indian state of Himachal Pradesh, never-married, divorced, separated, abandoned and widowed women have joined together across differences of caste, class, ethnicity and region to organize as members of Ekal Nari Shakti Sangathan (the Association of Empowered Single Women). Until recently the term single woman (ekal nari) was rarely, if ever, used locally to describe a particular woman’s circumstances of living outside the institution of marriage. Yet since the emergence of Ekal Nari Shakti Sangathan (ENSS) in Himachal Pradesh in 2005, over 9,000 women have become dues-paying members of the organization, re-identifying as single women, and struggling collectively to craft lives of dignity and respect. In this article I focus on the new subject position of ekal nari (single woman) and the formation of a collective identity. I argue that as “ekal nari” is deployed within the context of a new social movement, it becomes a new subject position into which persons are called forth, resulting in both emancipatory as well as disciplinary effects

New York Women's Foundation Queens Borough Brief

This brief provides demographic and descriptive data of Queens, an overview of NYWF's investments, and highlights of the work of grantee partners based in the borough. The profile includes participant success stories from the field as well as a discussion of ongoing challenges. Information included in this report was generated from semi-annual reports provided by grantee partners

Striving for equity: exploring gender-inclusive medical leadership in India

INTRODUCTION: There is a notable gap in studies examining the impact of gender within sociocultural norms in non-western professional settings, especially concerning the well-being of women physicians. METHODS: Using purposive sampling and thematic data analysis, we recorded interviews with 30 physicians in India during May–July 2023. Participants were aged 34 to 65 years, with experience ranging from five to 35 years, in various clinical (37%), surgical (30%), paraclinical (23%) and hospital administration (10%) roles, 97% were postgraduates and 53% were women. The research questions explored how leadership roles happened, managing key challenges, barriers and enablers, and practical interventions to support women into medical leadership positions. RESULTS: Findings revealed that the majority of interviewees believed gender-related barriers were obstructing women’s progress and success in medical leadership roles in India. These barriers were identified within three overarching domains: (1) specialty, (2) organisational and (3) sociocultural. Interviewees commonly acknowledged the male-dominated landscape of medical leadership although some women stated that they did not perceive any barriers for women’s advancement into leadership roles. Interestingly, some men surgeons held the perception that women might not be as effective in certain surgical disciplines, such as orthopaedics and neurosurgery. Some men physicians, however, considered women physicians in India to be highly effective multitaskers. CONCLUSION: We recommend structural reforms in medical education, leadership development, workplace systems and cultures, and improved implementation of equality, diversity and inclusion policies in the Indian context

Widows, Education and Social Change in Twentieth Century Banaras

In the first half of this century, some one dozen women in Banaras played key rotes in channelling the educational movement into new directions, expanding its agenda to include girls, especially poor girls. These women stand out as pioneering in that they founded schools, dynamic in the way they administered and expanded them, and radical in the vision they had for their students. What makes the case of these women particularly interesting is that they were mostly widows. They rejected the familiar stereotypes for widows through their activism, but in subtle ways that retained for them the respect of society Through the manipulation of symbols, they attained the position of \u27devis\u27. Other women of the time, from before then, and right up to the present, who are active in education—and indeed in other areas of public life—have similarly found that functioning within certain norms that define \u27purity\u27, \u27virtue\u27, and \u27austerity\u27 enable them to go further in their professional work. Is this merely an instrumental technique of the most obvious kind, or do these highly motivated, enterprising women not share the same cultural fund of values as their society, and often deliberately choose to exploit the flexibility and contextuatity inherent in a cultural tradition

WOMEN'S ROLE AS CAREGIVERS AND PATRIARCHY

The 15th Next-Generation Global Workshopテーマ/Theme: Making care visible and sustainable: imaginations for the future日程/Date: 24-25 September, 2022開催場所/Venue: The workshop will be held Online第15回次世代グローバルワークショップIn a small town of Manipur, India, a woman who contracted Covid 19 was expected to continue her duty as a daughter in law. The mother in law, who otherwise had no problem, started questioning her daughter in law's position as a woman when she had to take a break from her daily household chores with her getting infected. To an old woman born and brought up in a patriarchal society, the values of patriarchy with women's most important duty being that of a homemaker, caregiver and nurturer weigh more than anything. Glorification of women on social media posts became quite popular with women being appreciated and glorified for being able to cook or take care of the family despite being Covid positive herself and needing care and medical help. This raises questions as to when is a woman considered deserving of care and help from others? And most importantly, why do we normalise women to work and take care of others when she herself needs it? It is not uncommon to find women getting ready for children, doing household chores even when they are unwell. She is considered rebellious or unfit to be a mother if she puts herself first at any point. While women are considered and expected to be born caregivers who put family before themselves with natural instinct to sacrifice their own health, careers etc. for the families, their sacrifices are not made visible. It is always taken for granted and considered to be of least significance.This paper addresses the role of women as a caregiver at home or as a profession from the lens of feminism. With patriarchy being at the root cause for the plight of women, the paper will try to understand how gender roles are predetermined and how this whole belief system around “care” as a woman's duty is a result of it. It is only when patriarchy is addressed that we will be able to find a way to sustainable care in the future with everyone across all genders being able to avail it and their works being respected

Our lives matter: sex workers unite for health and rights

Profiles eight groups worldwide fighting for sex workers' health and rights and the decriminalization of sex work through innovative advocacy and service models. Summarizes the sex workers' situations, the groups' actions, and the resulting changes

Women in Combat: The Rise of Women in Defense Forces

The role of women in the Indian Armed Forces has evolved significantly over the past decades, shifting from supportive roles to leadership and, more recently, combat positions. This article outlines the historical milestones that have shaped women’s inclusion in India’s defense services, starting from their entry during World War II and leading up to the landmark Supreme Court ruling of 2020 that granted women permanent commission status. Despite these advances, women in the Indian military still encounter challenges, including limited access to certain combat roles, gender bias, and societal perceptions of traditional gender norms. In this article, we explore the historical milestones that have shaped women’s participation in the Indian Armed Forces, the challenges they continue to face, and the path ahead toward full integration and equality. By examining the role of women in shaping modern defense strategies and leadership, the article offers a comprehensive overview of their contributions and the path forward for an inclusive Indian Armed Forces

A Critical Analysis of Policy Initiatives for Empowering the Other Gender

Women account for almost 50 % of the populace of any nation; therefore, their contribution to growth cannot be overlooked. Females are unquestionably the foundation of every civilization, performing numerous tasks every day. They have, nevertheless, been a marginalized section of the community in many areas of the globe. Female’s roles in India have always been much larger than their social definitions, which reflect the overall gender prejudice. A country cannot achieve its long-term goals without trained women since women are the moms who write a generation’s destiny. Chetan Sanghi, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Women and Child Development, once said: “We would like to change the paradigm to women-led development”. In India, female rights have improved dramatically in the past several years. In India, a significant number of females are leaving their homes to pursue education. To restore their rightful and dignified status, governments, NGO’s, various agencies have initiated empowerment programmes that deliver a powerful basis to raising the internal solid point in addition to self-worth for the rural females. The Indian government has proclaimed 2001 to be the year of female liberation. The Rajya Sabha approved the Female’s Quota Bill on March 9, 2010, one day after International Women’s Day, guaranteeing 33 % seats for women in parliament and state parliaments. Now is the moment to recognize the importance of women’s empowerment via knowledge and leadership advancement in a fast-growing nation like India. This article aims to examine problems connected to female liberation and to provide solutions in the form of different government policies to achieve this goal.Prince Sattam bin Abdulaziz University project number (PSAU/2023/R/1444

Gender and the right to mobility in South Asia

"South Asia including Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka encompasses source, transit and destination areas for women who migrate for employment. In context of current migration patterns, this study identifies and analyzes sociopolitical restrictions on women s mobility; and highlights local, national and regional feminist perspectives, strategies and approaches to promote mobility, work and freedom from violence at all stages of migration. The strategies and tactics discussed in this report expand current discourses on migrant rights and provide insight that can inform local, national and regional policies and programmes to promote migrant rights. Part I provides a brief overview of migration patterns, delineates the many restrictions on women s mobility and underlines the spectrums of violence faced by migrant women. Violence in this context includes economic, physical and sexual violence. Part II documents the range of strategies used by South Asia Women s Fund (SAWF) partners. These social movement actors are committed to addressing all forms of migration related violence through an explicitly feminist, rights-based and regional approach. Key thematic areas of engagement include confronting defacto and dejure restrictions on women s right to mobility, right to work and right to information; and challenging social and policy practices that undermine and stigmatize women s work. Finally, the study concludes with thematic recommendations grounded in grassroots experience to inform partner strategies, SAWF funding priorities and future directions of rights-based anti-trafficking initiatives. These insights are relevant to recent global initiatives to address the impact of uneven economic growth within and among countries, including the United Nations Sustainable Development Agenda, Habitat III Urban Agenda and International Labour Organization deliberations on Decent work in global supply chains and Violence against women and men in the world of work.