The Indian Women's Search for an Identity/Shoma A. Chatterji. Second revised edition. 1997, xi, 284 p., $23.
Contents: Preface. I. Women at home: 1. Economic implications of housework. 2. Custodial rape and spousal rape. 3. Wife-battering: a global problem. 4. Rise in female-headed families. 5. Woman as a vicarious achiever. 6. Should adultery remain a sexist crime? II. Women in society: 7. Rape: is it a casteist crime? 8. Woman: the minority question. 9. Is dowry-death immune to law? 10. The trauma of divorce for Indian women. 11. Woman: the bonded sex. 12. Why do women vote? III. Women at work: 13. Women should get more job prospects. 14. Occupational monotony. 15. Women's employment: issues and perspectives. 16. The green revolution: unkind to women? 17. Night duty for women: protection or discrimination? 18. Working wife vis-a-vis the Indian husband. 19. If married change your name, or else... IV. Women and health: 20. Woman: a victim of her fertility. 21. Abortion: a double-edged weapon against women. 22. Amniocentesis: getting rid of the unwanted sex. 23. Can India afford the test-tube baby? 24. Injectable contraceptives: an anti-women programme? 25. Technology and contraception. Bibliography. Index.
"The Indian Women's Search for an Identity seeks to fill the gaps in information and education about the position of women in India. It gives a comprehensive view of the position of Indian women--within the home, in the society, at work and in terms of health.
"Women in India find it impossible to break out of the mother-wife-daughter role-stereotype, or the breeder-feeder role. Her health remains neglected bacause she has never learnt to pay attention to her own health. With the nation's enthusiasm to bring down the birth rate as much as possible and as speedily as possible, the women finds herself at the receiving end of all kinds of technology that are being invented for the rationing of the family-size. She is now being forced to get rid of the girl-child even before it is born and to produce children of the male sex alone. On the other hand, if she is infertile, all kinds of fertility tests including the production of the test-tube baby has to be faced by her alone. Despite these socio-economic handicaps, she is still groping for an identity for herself through her individual performance at the market-place without alienating herself from her traditional role. It is more of a transition she is passing through as she moves between these two roles and tries to fix her priorities. Will she succeed?" (jacket)