Voices on South Asia

The following sections are included:

• Contents
• About the Editors
• Contributors’ Biographies
• Acknowledgements

South Asia is home to about a quarter of the total world population (approximately 1.76 billion), out of which 855 million are women. Despite being home to some of the first democratically elected female heads of state, countries within the South Asia region continue to be named as among the most dangerous places in the world to be a woman. South Asia is currently one of the fastest-growing regions in the world, with its regional economy predicted to grow at about 7.1% in 2019. The nations which make up this region are characterised by a shared historical heritage and cultural affinities. At the same time, political and cultural peculiarities differentiate them. Even within the borders of a single country, startling diversity is immediately evident. As a consequence, in South Asia “being a woman” acquires a different meaning as soon as geographical coordinates, economic conditions, religious affiliation, and social status and caste identities change. For instance, according to an investigation by IndiaSpend, on average, 68% of all Indian women are literate. However, this bland statistic masks stark differences between class and castes, as well as between specific states. This variation is evidenced by Kerala’s 97.9% literacy rate and Bihar’s 49.5% literacy rate…

The following sections are included:

• INTRODUCTION
• THEN & NOW: INDIAN WOMEN IN POLITICS
• WOMEN IN POLITICS: A CHALLENGING PATH
• ALTERNATIVE SOLUTIONS
• AN ALTERNATIVE BILL
• CONCLUSION

Small nations and transitional democracies emerging from conflict could become role models in many ways. As opposed to the transformation in larger, more mature democracies, it is often easier to bring in change where democracy is yet to mature. Nepal is going through the latter phenomenon where changes are swift, radical, and sometimes unpredictable. One such area is the political participation of women…

The following sections are included:

• INTRODUCTION
• A CHRONICLE OF WOMEN’S RIGHTS IN NEPAL
• CURRENT SITUATION AND RECENT ACHIEVEMENTS
• CONCLUSION

The following sections are included:

• INTRODUCTION
• MAKING THE MEDIA A BETTER PLACE (FOR WOMEN)
• CONCLUSION
• References

The following sections are included:

• INTRODUCTION
• LAWS AGAINST ACID VIOLENCE
• OTHER LEGAL PROVISIONS
• CONCLUDING REMARKS
• References

The following sections are included:

• INTRODUCTION
• CAUSES FOR SVH ON-BOARD PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION
• PRESENT SOLUTIONS BEING IMPLEMENTED BY WOMEN
• SCHOLAR-PROPOSED STRATEGIES
• STRATEGIES IMPLEMENTED BY THE INDIAN GOVERNMENT
• PROPOSED SOLUTION
• CONCLUSION
• References

The following sections are included:

• INTRODUCTION: MENSTRUAL TABOO AND GENDER-DISCRIMINATORY ACCESS TO PLACES OF WORSHIP
• A HINDU “MECCA”: THE AYYAPPAN SABARIMALA TEMPLE
• EXCLUSION OF WOMEN: PATRIARCHY OR FAITH?
• JUDICIAL PRECEDENTS AND THE SUPREME COURT’S VERDICT
• PROTESTS, MOBILISATION, AND POLITICISATION
• CONCLUSIONS
• References

The following sections are included:

• INTRODUCTION
• DALIT POLITICS AND NARRATIVE CONSTRUCTION
• LIFE NARRATIVE: DR. BURNAD FATIMA NATESAN’S WORK IN NORTHERN TAMIL NADU
• CONCLUSION
• POLICY IMPLICATIONS
• References

Laurel Richardson argues: “No matter how we stage the text, we – the authors – are doing the staging.” Post-modern, post-structural, and postcolonial schools of thoughts always investigate this backstage story by exploring self and subjectivity, positions, and epistemic locations of the authors and contexts. This chapter centres around my personal views on purdah, shaped by my experiences as a feminist and non-Western woman who lived in an in-between space of cultures, countries, and religions. I was born and brought up in Bangladesh in a progressive Muslim family, studied human rights, Buddhism, and feminism in Australia, explored Buddhist meditation as part of my spiritual quest, and championed female empowerment in non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and academic institutions in Bangladesh. These unexpected orientations have had a huge influence on the way I adapt to the norms of purdah in the male-dominated public space of Bangladesh…

The following sections are included:

• IS THERE A “BANGLADESH MIRACLE” FOR WOMEN?
• WOMEN IN BANGLADESH’S DEVELOPMENT STRATEGIES
• NGOS AND NEO-LIBERAL DEVELOPMENT
• HEALTH
• EDUCATION
• MICRO-FINANCE
• CONCLUSION
• References

The following sections are included:

• INTRODUCTION
• SECTION I: THE PROBLEM
• SECTION II: THE PROSPECTS
• CONCLUSION
• References

The following sections are included:

• INTRODUCTION
• EDUCATION BY GENDER: STARK GAPS ACROSS PAKISTAN
• SEMI-AUTONOMOUS STATE BODIES AND MINISTRIES
• ACCELERATING GENDER-RESPONSIVE EDUCATION INITIATIVES
• STORIES OF YOUNG WOMEN HEROES: BREAKING NEW GROUNDS AGAINST ALL ODDS
• SAIMA SALEEM- BEING BLIND AND A WOMAN, DID NOT HER HOLD BACK TO STAND UP FOR HER RIGHTS
• KRISHNA KUMARI: THE HINDU SENATOR
• ALWAYS WANTED TO … “WRITE MY NAME IN HISTORY” – NARGIS HAMEEDULLAH THE HAZARA HERO FROM QUETTA
• FROM NOOR-UL ISLAM TO NOREENA SHAMS- UNSTOPPABLE, EMPOWERED, AND DEFINED BY SPORTS
• COMMITTED TO TEACHING – COMMUTING ON MOTORBIKE IN THE FIERCE TRIBAL-FEUDAL BELT OF SOUTH PUNJAB
• CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS
• References

The following sections are included:

• INTRODUCTION
• THE STATUS OF SRI LANKAN WOMEN
• SRI LANKA’S ACHIEVEMENT(S): (HEALTH AND) EDUCATION
• ENDURING WEAKNESS: POOR ECONOMIC PARTICIPATION
• THE KBE IN SRI LANKA
• WOMEN’S ROLE IN SRI LANKA’S KBE
• WOMEN’S INDUSTRY-SELECTIVE EXPERTISE
• CHALLENGES FOR WOMEN’S PARTICIPATION TO THE KBE
• SKILL MISMATCH
• SOCIETAL ATTITUDE
• GENDER-STEREOTYPED SOCIAL ROLES
• CONCLUSION
• References

Maternal health largely reflects women’s status in a society (Shen and Williamson 1999, 210–211). It is a domain that explicates women’s basic access and rights to economic livelihood, education, healthcare, nutrition, equality, justice, and many more (Kuruvilla et al. 2014, 540–541). Every day 830 women die from preventable maternal causes across the world, with 99% in developing countries, revealing the level of global inequality (World Health Organization 2018). Maternal death is defined as “death of woman while pregnant or within 42 days of termination of pregnancy, irrespective of the duration and site of the pregnancy, from any cause related to or aggravated by the pregnancy or its management but not from accidental or incidental causes” (Alkema et al. 2016, 463). Existing research has shown that the period from conception to childbirth is in fact shaped and patterned by social and cultural values impacting women’s status prevailing in a society (Afsana and Rashid 2009, 128–133; Davis-Floyd 1994, 1125; Jordan 1997, 56–61). The interplay of different stakeholders and systems in society influences a woman’s journey throughout her life. In this paper, I will present the state of maternal health in Bangladesh and the obstacles the country is facing in reducing maternal deaths…

The following sections are included:

• GENDER EQUALITY IN SANITATION
• ABOUT THE MISSION
• SBM GRAMIN (RURAL)
• SBM URBAN
• MISSION OUTCOMES
• SBM: MISSED OPPORTUNITIES
• BRIDGING THE GENDER GAP: LEVERS FOR CHANGE
• ROAD AHEAD
• References

The following sections are included:

• INTRODUCTION
• FLFP Trends and Reasons
• Opportunities and Challenges in Increasing FLFP
• Education and Labour Force Participation of Women
• Labour Legislation and FLFP
• Discrimination and FLFP
• Policy Recommendations
• References

The following sections are included:

• Introduction
• EDUCATION: THE VEHICLE OF EMPOWERMENT
• ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
• CONCLUSION
• References

The following sections are included:

• INTRODUCTION
• LITERATURE REVIEW
• DATA
• CHARACTERISTICS OF WOMEN’S LABOUR SUPPLY
• CONCLUSION
• References

The following section is included:

• Index