The enigma of the Kerala woman; a failed promise of literacy.

9788187358268

The enigma of the Kerala woman; a failed promise of literacy.

Ed. by Swapna Mukhopadhyay.

Social Science Press, India

2007

189 pages

$70.00

Hardcover

HQ1075

Mukhopadhyay (economics, U. of New Delhi) takes a critical eye to the assumed link between high literacy among women in the Indian state of Kerala and a more equal social status for Kerala women compared with those in neighboring areas. A combination of data collected by the Gender Network, case studies, and b&w photographs with anthropological captions, the text discusses the limitations of modern indicators of gender equality, a gender disparity caused by sex-selective abortions and poor attention to maternal health, and the recent history of "reform" efforts for women in the area, among other issues. This book is distributed by Berghahn Books.

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