Introductory Concepts of

Women’s Studies and Role

of Women in the Economy
Patriarchy
Patriarchy
• Rule of father – Patriarch- male member of the household or society- system
where father or male member- head of the family, controls all economic, property
resources and makes all major decisions of the family – control over all members
of the family and those related to it
• Ideology of women’s subordination
• Underlying basis – men superior to women and women part of men’s property
• Manifestation of social reality , interlocked with class, caste, race, ethnicity and
gender
• Male Dominance and control in the family and society
• Perpetuated through institutional belief and structures, which are kept in control
through violence and cohesion
• Not Static – dynamic, changes over time
 Patriarchal control is expressed through
• Control over women’s reproductive power – household work, child rearing,
economic activities (within and outside), what kind of work, mobility (where she
goes, and upwards – aspirations –promotions and increased responsibilities)- work
validated by amount of money she brings for household expenditure (work
undervalued), sell labour (prostitution, begging)- mother gains status from birth of
“sons”, family planning decisions made by men for women, girls and boys have to
behave a certain way
• Control over economic and material resources – property moves from one man to
another – even if property in women’s hands men control, how and where to invest,
escape financial regulations, women mere signatories
• Control over decision making in all aspects of women – exert power (economic,
political, religious, social and cultural), violence used to control women ( domestic,
rape, sexual abuse), harassment of workers, Clothes, friends, timings, etc.,
Institutional Manifestations of Patriarchy
• The Family
• Educational Processes and Institutions
• Role of media in perpetuating sex- stereotypes
• Medical, health practices and systems
• Religious influences and structures
• Economic systems and institutions
• Legal Procedures and violation of women’s rights
• Political processes
Feminism
What is Feminism?
• Definition -“An awareness of women’s oppression and exploitation in society at
work and within the family and conscious action by women and men to change
this situation”
• Belief that men and women should have equal rights and opportunities,
organized activity in support of women’s rights and interests
• Earlier feminism- struggle was for democratic rights of women – right to
education, employment, own property, to vote, enter parliament, etc – legal rights
• Now- struggle against women’s subordination to men within the home, against
exploitation by family, against continuing low status at work, in society, culture
and religion, against double burden in production and reproduction
• Not men haters , pro choice (reproductive rights and legislation)
Sexism
What is Sexism?
• Gender Discrimination- prejudice or discrimination based on person’s sex or
gender.
• Sexist attitude stems from traditional stereotypes of gender roles- may include
the belief that a person of one sex is intrinsically superior to a person of the job
• Sexism is the process whereby patriarchy attitudes and behaviors are
institutionalized, permeating the society from its language (uses of men and he
for both sexes) through our liturgy (“our father who are in heaven”, “I now
pronounce you and wife”, to its Law.
• Oppression so hard to avoid
• Women still considered weaker than men – encourages women to be subservient
and passive
• Women objectifies and sexualized in media – normalized in India
• Second class citizens , exploitable, etch
• Workplace – discriminatory pay, harassment,
 Everyday sexism
1. Sadness at the birth of a daughter
2. Female foeticide
3. Multiple pregnancies only because of the desire for sons
4. Dowry deaths
5. Training women to be subservient
6. Keeps most girls out of school or prematurely ends their education
7. Forbids boys to pay with dolls and girls to play with guns responsible for not
allowing boys to cry and denying his pain
8. Sexism is commercialization of women by the media
9. Unequal pay – sex stereotyped jobs
Gender – Meaning and
Definition
What is Gender and
Sex?
• Refers to a set of socially constructed and assigned characteristics, qualities and
behaviour of women or men
• Social identity as human beings through our interactions with people and world
around us
• Sex and Gender – two confused terms
• Sex- biology and anatomy – biological status – male, female , intersex – sex
chromosomes, reproductive organs etc
• Gender – determined by cultural values, norms and practices – social contract –
behaviour compatible with cultural expectations- normative, incompatible with
expectations –non conformity
• When child is born – not aware of what sex – but as it grows it becomes aware-
behaviour pattern set by society – differs from girl and boy
• Gender Relations – defined as the socially constructed relationships between women
and men
• Men defined in relation to women, and women in relation to men – conceived
differently in different societies – not uniform not static – (hierarchy – mother in law ,
daughter in law (1st ) and daughter in law (2nd) – patriarchy)
• Power relations between women and men – range of practices , ideas and
representations (division of labour, roles and resources – women and men at work )
• Hierarchical dualism – masculine superior, feminine inferior – traditional
dominant conception of gender is Masculine (+) and Feminine (-)
• Implying masculine and feminine constructed as opposites – masculinity gets
higher status , respect, more power – power to control, dominate and decide for
weaker lower status feminity
• Man/woman, nature/nurture, nature/culture, outside/inside
• Women – specialized in household work and child care, men - specialized in paid
work
• Gender roles – societal norms – dictating what type of behaviours are generally
accepted, appropriate or desirable for a person based on actual or perceived sec –
set of attitudes, behaviours and self-preservation methods – norms of behaviour –
learnt by socialization – children learn gender roles early on – parents family,
religion, culture- outside world (TV, magazines, other media)- adopt behaviour
rewarded by love and praise – hide behaviours ridiculed, shamed or punished
Development vs Anti-
Development
• Development no seen as an economic affair- overall social process – indicators are
global, cultural and area specific – nutrition, housing, clothing, sanitation, medicines,
security of life, education etc
• Development – side-lined women, children, lower cast and other lower income
groups
• So- called development has anti development impact on already impoverished
people – large inequalities between haves and have nots
• 1970’s- development rapidly increased – policies directed towards participation and
fulfilment of basic needs – cooperation of poor. Top down approach by the UN- poor
people being persuaded to participate in a type of development others had devised
for them- poor refused to be passively incorporated – Grass root organization
emerged – International women’s movement became visible – half of mankind not
included in development policies - UN decade for women (1975-1985)
• 1980’s – crisis hit – countries meant to do what World Bank and IMF laid down or die
– SAP – heavy reduction in social spending – food provision, education and health-
highest toll fell on the poorest social groups, not on elites or governments
• Women had to bear the greatest day to day burden - women and child labour can be
taken for granted and tapped into – cost not included in GNP
• Women last to be hired and first to be fired – shift from subsistence crops towards cash
crops – affecting women’s jobs negatively
• Many ended up as reserve army – unemployed- shifting between jobs – unorganized
sector
• High interest rates for loans- difficult to be self employed – women traditionally seen
as small producers – losing out due to massive development spear head by MNC’s
• Traditionally women jobs- typist, telephone operators- jobs cut down
• Eg; dalit women n the cauvery dealt- agricultural labourers – lost jobs because govt. of
TN promoted prawn farms – destroyed production of rice, polluted drinking water
and made land and water subservient to foreign luxury consumers wants
• Important for development strategies to bot make poor- poorer
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