Judicial Approaches to the Criminalisation of Marital Rape

In India, as in different traditional cultures, women have been and still are treated in a number of inhumane ways. They are controlled, prone to assault and abuse and risk rape not only outside but within their own homes. Moreover, marital rape is not considered a crime in India. The article attempts to analyse Indian rape laws and to show that exemption for marital rape does not align with the fundamental principles of justice and equality, which is the basic feature of the Indian Constitution. The article argues that the exemption clause should be repealed, and marital rape be criminalised. The article further discusses the approach of the Indian judiciary towards the issue of criminalisation of marital rape.

Nutritional Status of Married Tribal Women in Jharkhand, India

The article explores the socio-economic and nutritional status of tribal married women in East Singhbum district, Jharkhand, by using mixed methods of enquiry. Dietary and anthropometric methods of nutritional assessment were supported by qualitative data. It was found that the most potent reason for undernourishment among tribal women is household food insecurity and low calorific intake. To enhance the nutritional status of tribal women, it is suggested that the issue of malnutrition be addressed with a life cycle approach, along with sustained behaviour change communication with the help of public–private partnerships and the efficient implementation of existing and new programmes to increase purchasing power and food security.

Why I said #MeToo: An Exploration of the Purpose of Disclosure Among Indian Women

The surge of sexual abuse disclosures by women during the #MeToo movement raised awareness about an important social issue that has garnered much attention. However, apart from the changes the movement initiated, the issue of why women chose to disclose in the context of the movement has not been extensively examined. Why women disclose such a sensitive topic in the public domain, often via social media, within the Indian cultural context, where matters such as sexual abuse are considered taboo, warrants further examination. This article explores the reasons for disclosure among Indian women participating in the #MeToo movement, through qualitative research, using the interpretative phenomenological approach. The emergent themes include reactions to the injustice, expectations of validation and closure, addressing stigma, initiation of dialogue and social change, as well as expression of solidarity, as the purpose for which disclosures were undertaken.

Gender Discourses and the Making of the Indian Constitution

Indian democracy was constituted after a long struggle for self- determination, which ultimately culminated in the making of a constitution for independent India. This article seeks to revisit gender discourses during the constituent assembly debates when women members were seeking for complete gender equality to be written into the constitution. The nationalist discourses on ‘Indian womanhood’ prevalent during the years of the freedom struggle were articulated and reflected in the debates and impacted the writing of the text of the constitution. The final text contains gender progressive provisions on which consensus had been achieved during the nationalist struggle but excludes explicit provisions that would have challenged the roots of patriarchal structures. Thus, while the nationalist movement provided a platform for women to organise for their rights, it also constrained the agenda of transformation.

Gendered Technologies: Youth, Gender and Mobile Phones in Chennai City

This article explores the role of mobile phones in the lives of the youth in the city of Chennai, South India. Drawing on field research, the article argues that the social life of the mobile phone is gendered. The article curates three narratives to make this argument. The first engages with young men and mobile phones and claims that the technology is instrumental in the construction of normative ideas of masculinity. The second explores the ways in which the technology has empowered young women, enabled mobility, and reconstituted female agency. The third examines the regulation and disciplining of women’s use of and access to the technology through the discourse of maanam. The aim of articulating these three narratives is to demonstrate that the mobile phone is a gendered technology.

Mental Health Status of Incarcerated Women in India: A Perspective from a Social Worker

Women constitute a growing segment of the incarcerated population across the world, presenting unique issues for social workers in correctional settings. In this article, based on a study conducted in Mandoli Jail, New Delhi, India, we address the need to broaden the scope and quality of social work provided for women inmates, specifically highlighting the potential role of social workers in promoting their mental health. Our study revealed that the mean age of women inmates was 39.43 years, indicating that most of the women were in their reproductive age and therefore prone to specific health issues. On an average, they were overweight, with only 42.22% women inmates being active, while remaining were inactive (15.56%), moderately inactive (22.22%) or moderately active (20.00%). Of greater concern were the mental health findings: 87.8% experienced distress (45.57% moderately elevated, 54.43% strongly elevated), 73.3% depression (34.85% moderately elevated, 65.15% strongly elevated), 77.78% anxiety (41.43% moderately elevated, 58.57% strongly elevated) and 82.22% somatisation (43.24% moderately elevated, 56.76% strongly elevated). Our study, consequently, identified the mental health of women inmates as a strategic priority for social workers. In this article, we explore the mutuality of various social work practice principles at different levels of intervention and the roles that social workers, as human rights-based professionals, may engage in to improve the mental health of incarcerated women.

Book review: Roli Misra (ed.), Migration, Trafficking and Gender Construction: Women in Transition

Roli Misra (ed.), Migration, Trafficking and Gender Construction: Women in Transition. New Delhi: SAGE/Stree, 2020, 226 pages, ₹1,095 (hardbound). ISBN 978-93-81345-47-4.

Book review: Tumpa Mukherjee, Women in Police in India: A Journey from Periphery to Core

Tumpa Mukherjee, Women in Police in India: A Journey from Periphery to Core. Jaipur: Rawat Publications, 2020, 212 pages, ₹1,095.