Status of rural Muslim women in western Uttar Pradesh a case study of Saharanpur district

Abstract

The present study sought to assess the status of rural Muslim married women in terms of their socio-cultural and economic aspects. To analyse the social status, the study has covered their educational status, utilization of maternal health care services, their fertility behavior and their use of family planning methods. Cultural status has been analysed through son-preference, the practice of purdah, triple talaq and polygamy. Further, economic status of Muslim women was examined in terms of their involvement in paid and unpaid work and also their access and control over economic resources. The study also covered prevalence and causes of intimate partner violence and decision-making power of women in the household and local level governance. Apart from this, it sought to understand opinion of Muslim males as well as knowledgeable persons on various issues related to women. The study reveals that the educational status of women among the Muslim as well as among the non- Muslim community was quite low. The study clearly revealed a high fertility rate among both communities. All the respondents from both communities favored and also observed purdah . Intimate partner violence was found to be a pervasive phenomenon with all the respondents having experienced one or the other forms of violence. Economically, the respondents lacked any access to and control over resources. The study revealed that not a single respondent from both communities could by themselves take the decision about schooling of children, buying daily food articles and paid work. The results also showed complete control on women s mobility as a majority of the respondents from both communities reported that they not only had to take permission but someone from relations also accompanies them while going outside the house. Clearly, the status of rural Muslim women continues to be low even in the second decade of the 21st Century. However, the status of the non-Muslim women included in the present study is not much better.