Search

A study of single women; separated, divorced or deserted by their husbands, mostly mothers, belonging to the economically weaker sections of the society was conducted in states of North India. The women, under study, are members of non-government organisations working for rights of single women. The primary aim of this study is to analyse how women from the economically weaker sections of society rebuild their lives after their marriage breaks down, and to understand how they create new relations, and the meaning they assign to family. The focus is to understand the challenges faced by women post marital discord and whether being a part of the organisation empowers them through collective struggle. The data was collected using the methodologies of semi-structured interviews and informal conversations using their life narratives. Depending on the comfort of the respondents, their life stories are recorded or notes have been taken. The method of the narratives is used to encompass the stories of the individuals through their experiences. It was found that single women were forced into poverty as a direct consequence of their marital breakdown, and the women becoming „single‟. They seldom find support from the natal family, any kind of state support or an income they can depend upon.1 Having become a part of the organisation, these women seek to redress their rights collectively, and motivate other women in similar situations to join the social movement. Single women, not related by kinship, form a „sisterhood,‟ sharing a relationship of mutual interdependence and respect. Some single women have created women-centric families with fluid boundaries. The agency accorded to them through the strength of the collective, enables them to get rid of their stigmatised identities of „vulnerable‟ and from „broken homes‟ and empowers them to challenge patriarchal structures. The study concludes that „single women,‟ as a collective, are giving a new meaning to relationships and family, as they carve a new identity for themselves, which is not subsumed within the structure of a patriarchal family. Rethinking the family from the point of single women provides a new vantage point in the critical analysis of the family and opens possibilities of forging other family forms and relationships outside the mainstream, thus expanding the sociological theorisation of the family.

In most Southeast Asian countries, menstruation is surrounded by various cultural and religious taboos. In India too, menstruation is a tabooed topic, surrounded by silence and secrecy. The main sources of information about menstruation for young girls are their mothers, sisters and friends. However, due to the shame associated with it, such information is often partial and incorrect. This often has adverse effects on the mental, physical and reproductive health of young girls in India. Millions lack the facilities and resources they need for menstrual hygiene. This paper focuses on the need to break the stigma and silences around menstruation. It emphasizes the need to shift focus to health and hygiene practices of women in India.

Modern medicine essentially arose as a response to the Industrial Revolution and the new kinds of microbes/viruses associated with it. With the mass movement of people to cities, the focus of medical systems was on tracking disease spread and rapid ways to contain it. This resulted in a changed approach towards health and medicine. Gradually it led to the hegemony of what will be referred to as modern (allopathic) systems of medicine (as against the traditional systems). Despite the age old traditional systems of medicine, bio-medicine became the predominant system of knowledge and practice, with its scientific empirical researches, its larger than life healthcare professionals, hospital systems and sophisticated marketing techniques. Traditional/indigenous systems of medicine, although continued to exist in some parts of the world, became the alternative systems. The focus was now on cure rather than prevention. With the COVID-19 pandemic unfolding quickly, the focus in India shifted once again to prevention and a more holistic approach to health. Being restricted at home due to the lockdown, the kitchen once again became the pharmacy, and an attempt was made towards a healthy lifestyle. The fear created by the pandemic and the social stigma that got attached to being sick (infected by the virus) changed the worldview of health and illness. As the conspiracy theories around the pandemic did the rounds, the fear of the disease became paramount. The vulnerable or potential patient became the enemy, the other. The fear not only of the disease but the associated consequences prompted the masses to combine multiple therapy systems. With no vaccine or cure for the novel coronavirus and millions infected, people turned yet again towards preventive health care. The paper focuses on how, in the absence of any system of medicine to dispel the fears around the pandemic, people resort to a mix of healthcare systems (without necessarily understanding their body of knowledge). It also focuses on current, popular perceptions of medicine, to understand whether the ‘new normal’ will be a medley of elements towards a holistic healthcare regime.