Women and kinship : comparative perspectives on gender in South and South-East Asia

This work sets out to compare the situation of women in South and South-East Asia and argues that kinship systems provide an important context in which gender relations are located. It looks at three types of kinship system found in their various forms in the two regions of Asia - patrilineal in South Asia and bilateral in South-East Asia, with a presence of matriliny in both. The treatment of kinship departs from what has been found, with gender permeating the examination of chosen themes. The results obtained suggest that South-East Asian women's degree of autonomy in economic and social life contrasts with the situation in South Asia which is characterized by strong patriliny and women's lack of rights. Annotation This is the first sustained effort to compare South and South-East Asia in respect of the situation of women. Arguing that kinship systems provide an important context in which gender relations are located, the study overlooks at three types of kinship system, found in their carious forms in the two regions of Asia--predominantly patrilineal South Asia and predominantly bilateral South-East Asia, with a presence of matriliny in both. The treatment of kinship departs significantly from what is usually found. Gender permeates the examination of the chosen themes, which include group placement and perpetuation, entitlement to and rights over resources, marriage, conjugal relations, implications of residence, rights over space and children, family structures and kin networks, work, female sexuality, and limits set by bodily processes. The underlying assumptions is that kinship systems are neither innocuous nor immutable, and, operating through material relations, they express themselves most effective through values and ideology. For comparison are taken up selected populations of Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Nepal, Pakistan, the Philippines, and Thailand--representing Hinduism, Islam, Buddhism, and Christianity. The results are striking: South-East Asian women's unusual degree of autonomy in economic and social life and the relative egalitarianism between the sexes contrast sharply with the situation in South Asia, characterized by strong patriliny, patrilocal family structure, women's lack of rights, and concern about female sexuality. Many other contrasts in respect of gender parities and disparities, including education, nutrition, health, and work emanate from contrastingfeatures of kinship. Rich in information ad insights, the book fills a gap in gender stud This Is The First Sustained Effort To Compare South And South-east Asia In Respect Of The Situation Of Women. Arguing That Kinship Systems Provide An Important Context In Which Gender Relations Are Located, The Study Looks At Three Types Of Kinship System, Found In Their Various Forms In The Two Regions Of Asia - Predominantly Patrilineal South Asia And Predominantly Bilateral South-east Asia, With A Presence Of Matriliny In Both. 1. Introduction -- 2. Kinship And Family Organization -- 3. Group Membership, Inheritance, And Resource Distribution -- 4. The Management Of Female Sexuality -- 5. The Seclusion Of Women -- 6. Bodily Processes And Limitations On Women -- 7. Women And Living Spaces -- 8. Residence -- 9. Marriage -- 10. Nutrition And Discrimination -- 11. Gender And Education -- 12. Conclusion. By Leela Dube. Unup-922--t.p. Verso. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 169-210) And Index. "This is the first sustained effort to compare South and South-East Asia in respect of the situation of women. Arguing that kinship systems provide an important context in which gender relations are located, the study looks at three types of kinship system, found in their various forms in the two regions of Asia - predominantly patrilineal South Asia and predominantly bilateral South-East Asia, with a presence of matriliny in both."--Jacket