The Changing Status of Women in West Bengal, 1970-2000 : The Challenge Ahead

This volume covers the state of West Bengal and highlights the nature of the challenges ahead in dealing with issues relating to neglected and deprived women. It also looks back at the successes of the past that can help in confronting these challenges. Among the issues discussed are: demography; health and nutrition; economic empowerment; education; political participation; law and violence; culture and tribal women. The analysis of macro data is supplemented by revealing micro studies that focus on the participation of girls from the scheduled castes and tribes in professional education; the status of women with respect to work; political participation of women; and the status of rural women artists in West Bengal. Based on field surveys and a study of cultural trends, this valuable qualitative section offers rare insights into the lives of women in West Bengal. This Important And Comprehensive Volume Vividly Depicts The Current Status Of Women And Girls In West Bengal. The Analysis Has Been Conducted In The Framework Of The Socio-economic And Politico-cultural Ambience That Has Characterized The State In Recent Decades. The Contributors Highlight Both Areas Of Strength And Vulnerability And Clearly Demonstrate That The Status Of Women Cannot Be Conceived As Monolithic Or Static - It Has Many Facets And Is In A State Of Constant Flux.--jacket. Demography / Nirmala Banerjee And Mukul Mukherjee -- Health And Nutrition / Maitreya Ghatak -- Education / Jasodhara Bagchi And Jaba Guha -- Economic Empowerment / Ishita Mukhopadhyay -- Political Participation / Vidya Munshi -- Culture / Malini Bhattacharya -- Law And Violence Against Women / Manjari Gupta And Ratnabali Chattopadhyay -- Tribal Women / Anuradha Chanda. Edited By Jasodhara Bagchi ; Co-ordinating Editor, Sarmistha Dutta Gupta. Includes Bibliographical References (p. [250]-257) And Index. This important and comprehensive volume vividly depicts the current status of women and girls in West Bengal. The analysis has been conducted in the framework of the socio-economic and politico-cultural ambience that has characterized the state in recent decades. The contributors highlight both areas of strength and vulnerability and clearly demonstrate that the status of women cannot be conceived as monolithic or static—it has many facets and is in a state of constant flux. The analysis of macro data is supported by revealing micro studies based on field surveys and an examination of cultural trends.