Gender

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Malabar women raise their voice against triple talaq

Women at the receiving end of triple talaq divorce pronouncements in the Malabar region of Kerala have stood up to their rights but have faced dire consequences. Their hopes are now pinned on the new law

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Education gives Paromita hope for a better future

The story of Paromita Mondal, a teenage girl living in rural Bengal, is testimony to the fact that the efforts of government and development organizations to retain girls in school have slowly started bearing results

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Assamese women thrive on value-added garden produce

By supplying value-added products made from fresh fruits and vegetables grown in their backyards, women in villages of Assam’s Nagaon district have become financially independent

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#MeToo movement yet to reach rural India

Although women routinely suffer sexual harassment at work in villages, the stranglehold of patriarchy and the scepter of social shaming hold them back from voicing their outrage and seeking redress

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Skill training empowers girls, raises hope for gender parity

Skill development trainings are not only helping rural communities fight poverty in Assam but are also empowering girls to aspire big, overcoming challenges posed by social stigma and deep-rooted gender disparity

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Solar pumps brighten lives of Kutch’s salt farmers

Agariyas, the traditional saltpan workers in the Little Rann of Kutch, have switched from diesel to ecofriendly solar-powered pumps to lift brine that have boosted their earnings from saved costs

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Farm ponds improve lives of Singhbhum women

Constructed to ensure water security for cultivators, farm ponds have also helped rural women by reducing their daily treks to fetch water for domestic needs, and improving their personal health and hygiene

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Women farmers suffer due to unequal land rights

Although they are often the actual cultivators, the lack of land rights among women farmers in Odisha has resulted in chronic distress because they are unable to get government loans or compensation over crop loss

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Land ownership for women needs more attention

The dismal status of women’s property rights in India continues to be a nagging socio-development challenge despite a slew of progressive laws, which need political commitment and institutionalized support

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Rice bankers of Muzaffarpur hold out hope for women’s empowerment

At a time when sexual abuse of women in a Muzaffarpur shelter for the homeless has roiled the nation’s conscience, women farmers in the district shine a beacon for empowerment by growing and selling rice saplings

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Reversing the indefensible culture of open defecation

Ending open defecation in India’s villages cannot be the sole responsibility of the government. The heads of rural households also need to made responsible to ensure that women have access to safe sanitation

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Women farmers deploy ducks to supercharge rice cultivation

Women farmers in Dinajpur are reviving traditional organic farming and using backyard concoctions to tackle farm pests. They are also using innovative methods such as integrating duck rearing with rice cultivation

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Improved stoves boon for women in rural Sikkim

Smokeless cook stoves in Talkharka village near India-Bhutan border have improved the lives of village women by tackling noxious indoor air pollution, reducing firewood consumption and providing livelihoods

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Araku Valley takes baby steps to address maternal health

An initiative to reach healthcare services to pregnant women and new mothers in the underdeveloped Araku Valley has seen a measure of success in tribal communities ruled by superstition and regressive practices

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Madhubani painters want better deal for their work

Despite global recognition, women painters of the Madhubani folk art form in Jitwarpur village have failed to escape the clutches of middlemen, who corner most of the profits. State initiatives could help stop the exploitation

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Will rural women rise up against digital patriarchy?

It remains to be seen whether the digital world of today will become more hostile to women in villages than their physical reality, which is currently dominated by men who lord it over them

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Mountain women live and work with bent backs

The absence of most men and the nature of work in the farm and forest have left women in Mandal village of Uttarakhand with no option to spend most of their time with bent over double, which severely damages their health

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Women bear brunt of poor healthcare in rural Kashmir

Healthcare infrastructure is poor in rural areas of Kashmir, and it particularly affects the women, who have to rush to Srinagar to get proper medical attention, as there is a dire shortage of gynecologists in the districts

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Does targeted finance help farm widows break free of chronic debt?

While targeted assistance has brought financial inclusion to farm widows in parts of Telangana, only concrete interventions can eradicate chronic indebtedness and ensure sustainable livelihoods

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Enterprising Odisha women take to selling fish to improve lives

Women in Odisha’s coastal fishing villages have turned to selling fish and value-added fishery products after eliminating middlemen and abolishing the home brewing of country liquor, the root cause of their problems