J. Krishnamurty IMPLICATIONS OF A DECLINING SEX RATIO IN INDIA'S POPULATION: PROGRAMME OF WOMEN STUDIES-I; THE STATUS OF WOMEN: LITERACY AND EMPLOYMENT: PROGRAMME OF WOMEN STUDIES-II By Ashok Mitra Allied Publishers, New Delhi, 1979, pp. vii 85 & pp. 74, Rs. 25.00 & Rs. 20.00 THE STATUS OF WOMEN: HOUSEHOLD AND NON-HOUSEHOLD ECONOMIC ACTIVITY: PROGRAMME OF WOMEN STUDIES-III By Ashok Mitra , Adhir K. Srimany and Lalit P. Pathak Allied Publishers, New Delhi, 1979, pp. 78, Rs. 20.00 VOLUME IV NUMBER 5-6 March-April/May-June 1980 The declining sex ratio and
the status of women in India are questions which should concern specialists and
non-specialists alike. The Women's Studies Programme of the ICSSR has' taken
up and funded a number of studies on women, but to inform the general reading
public they have issued a number of pamphlets highlighting the main issues.
The
first pamphlet by Ashok Mitra discusses the declining sex ratio in India. The
basic facts are clear and have been discussed extensively in the professional
literature. The sex ratio for India (females per thousand males) has been going
down ever since 1871-72 when the first all-India Census was conducted. Both
male and female death rates declined from about 53 per thousand in 1901 to 20.5
per thousand for males and 23.4 per thousand for females in 1971. But over this
period for the age-group 0-5 male mortality rates which were higher than for
females upto about 1931, became lower than for females after 1931. Also for the
1951-1971 period Mitra shows that age-specific mortality rates for the ages 15
to 45 are higher for females than for, males; unfortunately, the all-India
figures for the pre-1951 period for this age group are not provided. The
neglect of girl children and the mortality risks associated with childbearing
are still operating in India and Mitra discusses this in some detail using
available data. Widespread anemia among pregnant women, excessive child
bearing, insanitary conditions, neglect of girls and economic pressures are explanations
provided by Mitra for the declining sex ratio. He dismisses the view that
there are intrinsic differences between India and other countries in the
biology of reproduction, i.e., that perhaps more male children are born in
India per thousand female children compared to other parts of the world. The
arguments do demonstrate the unfavourable environment for females, but what
has to be shown is that it is differentially unfavourable over time for women
compared to men. The decline of purdah and some improvements in social health
must have benefited women, but apparently the latter has benefited men more.
Also the view that women earlier had less domestic strain as family workers
than they now have as underpaid wage employees needs documentation before it
can be accepted.
In the
second pamphlet Mitra discusses literacy and employment in relation to the
status of women and in the third pamphlet household and non-household
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