On the Construction of Gender: Hindu Girls in Patrilineal India by Leela Dube, 1988

On the Construction of Gender: Hindu Girls in Patrilineal India by Leela Dube, 1988, Economic and Political Weekly, Vol. 23, No. 18, (April 30, 1988), pp. WS11-WS19

Dear students, before going to the article please are familiar with some important terminologies.

#UNDERSTANDING-TERMINOLOGY

What is Matrilineal and Matrilocal Society?  #PLEASE-FIND-HERE https://www.britannica.com/topic/matrilineal-society

What is Patrilineal and Patrilocal Society? #PLEASE-FIND-HERE https://www.britannica.com/topic/patrilineage

 

In simple words Matrilineal, Matrilocal, Patrilineal and Patrilocal Society are based on the relationship between a ‘mother and her children; and ‘father and his children that how the family name, surname, and property goes from one generation to another generation. 

Matrilineality is the tracing of kinship through the female line. It may also correlate with a social system in which each person is identified with their Matriline – their mother's lineage – and which can involve the inheritance of property and/or titles. 

माँ तथा बच्चों के बीच संबंध का या संबंध पर आधारित व्यवस्था जिसमें परिवार का नाम, वंश का नाम, और संपत्ति एक पीढ़ी से दूसरे पीढ़ी में चलती रहती है; मातृवंशीय या मातृकुलीय व्यवस्था और समाज कहतें हैं। यह साधारणतया मातृ स्थानिक होता है इसलिए इस तरह के परिवार को मातृस्थानिक परिवार या समाज भी कहतें हैं। पितृवंशीय, पितृकुलीय व्यवस्था या समाज ठीक इसके उल्टा होता है।


{{{{INSERT THE CHART}}}}}


Photo: Chart of the Matriline family and society.
फोटो: मातृवंशीय परिवार का चार्ट


The article is using these terminologies which we need to understand to understand the article. 

Socialization – This is the process in which culture and norms are transferring from one generation to another generation.

Looking Glass Self – looking at herself/ himself from the reflection of the family, friends, peer-groups and society. Here a person just looking at herself/ himself as a mirror, and here the mirror is the society. #TO-KNOW-MORE #READ-HERE https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Looking-glass_self

Cultural Reproduction – this means how society is reproducing the culture. How much they have space for new thoughts and ideas. This very vast subject and need special attention. However, you can find it here in short. #TO-KNOW-MORE #READ-HERE

#IN-SHORT

https://inequality.stanford.edu/publications/media/details/cultural-reproduction-and-social-reproduction

#IN-LITTLE-BIT-IN-DETAIL

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cultural_reproduction

 

Impact of Culture on Social Behavior – this clear in itself

Impact of Culture and Social Behavior on Children – this is clear in itself

Different kinds of Socialization for Boys and Girls – this is clear in itself

Role Expectation – it means the expectations of the person who is performing a particular role. For example, you are expecting good treatment from the doctor, and notes and lecture form me including good interactive, engaged and fact-based classes from me.

Role Play – it means the person trying to play the role of their future role. It may be natural or purposefully designed. For example, sometimes the child is playing the game of Doctor-Doctor or Cooking Food etc. Here in general girls are given a doll and boys are given different toys. These toys are not just toys but a part of gender socialization through role play.

Role of Religion in Gender Injustice – this is understood with very common sense. For example, this is the belief that one can get Moksh if Mukhagni is given by a son. There are the gender biases of society. Or the girl or a woman cannot attend the funeral process.

Role of Economic Security in Gender Injustice – there are boy preference in society because they believe that the girl or woman cannot give economic security to the parents

#THESE-DAYS

Society is moving towards gender justice, because of increasing education and secular jobs. Now girls are also interring into the jobs and become economically independent. Girls are even joining the security forces. Globalizations of media and thoughts have also played an important role in this process.

#BUT-STILL #WE-HAVE #GENDER-Inequalities

This is important to note that all kinds of thoughts including is the transfer from one generation to another generation through socialization and this socialization have some thoughts and philosophy. These may have double standards.

#DO-THIS-EXERCISE #For-Examples

Can you analyze these three pictures? Do you find any relations with these three personalities?

Pg. WS14

On this page author, Leela Dube tried to show how marriage is a matter for girls than any other things and how married women are consider auspicious over the widow one.

In Karnataka, the bride worships Gauri and distribute the Prasad  > younger girls advice to come forward to get a share so she can too become a fortunate bride and soon get married.

In Andhra Pradesh, it is believed that whoever acts as the bride companion during the wedding ceremony while she is going through the rituals will soon get married.

 

If a women’s husband is alive then she is called saubhagyawati or suhagan which means fortunate one, and sumangali which means the auspicious one.

Marriage Card

The Bridegroom is addressed as Ayushman or Chiranjeevi which means long life

The Bride is addressed as Saubhagyakankshini which means one who aspires for a blissful married state

Married women also doing fast and vratas being remained suhagan.

Author Leena Dube is very clear here about discrimination even on the marriage card.

Discrimination with Widow

The widow women are not allowed to wear some ornaments and symbols of suhagan.

Married women also not attending the ceremony of removing ornament and symbol of sugah, this is carried by another widow.

The widow women also not allowed to participate in family functions and ceremonies, like marriage etc., at least to be the first one to offer or celebrate certain rituals like Haldi ki Rashm etc.

#VIDEO-PRESENTATION

Understand the third gender in the reference of Caste, Gender, and Education in India in reference to a public address by Grace Banu. 

VIDEO: Public Address by Grace Banu, Transgender Right Activist, on "Margins Speak: Do You Want to Listen", Organised by BAPSA, JNU, Delhi, on August 02, 2018. YouTube Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z9yau9iIH4M.

DEAR STUDENTS I have advised you several times to watch this film to understand the problem of the widow in India and what was their social, cultural, and moral situation.

FILM: Water, 2005 (Released on 09.09.2005). Director: Deepa Mehta. STORY: Explore the lives of widows. YouTube link: https://youtu.be/gPXRuFL_v3s

Page No. WS-15

Feminity and Sexuality: Body, Space, and Time

“One is not born, but rather becomes, a woman”

Quoted from, Simone de Beauvoir forms her #BOOK: The Second Sex #YOU-CAN-FIND #THIS-BOOK-HERE https://amzn.to/2NGWJZh (English) https://amzn.to/2NGWJZh (Hindi)

#ABOUT Simone Lucie Ernestine Marie Bertrand de Beauvoir, (09.01.1908 – 14.04.1986), is a French writer, intellectual, who worked extensively on the issue of women.

#READ #BOOK The History of Sexuality, 1976 by Michel Foucault (1926–1984) #YOU-CAN-FIND #THIS-BOOK-HERE (in Four Volumes) Vol. 1 https://amzn.to/3vOKxa9 , Vol. 2 https://amzn.to/318AMpb , Vol. 3 https://amzn.to/2NMsksK Vol. 4 https://amzn.to/3scYg8p

Michel Foucault was a French historian and philosopher, associated with structuralism and post-structuralism.

Dear students all other things very easy to understand. The entire article is about gender differences, biases, discrimination, etc. in society, through socialisation, social structure, and cultural reproduction. 

You can also understand the problem faced by successful women from the case study of Sania Mirza, which you can find in these two videos.

When you will be settle?
Sania Mirza Interviewed by Rajdeep Sardesai on NDTV, 2014
Video Link: https://www.facebook.com/100050886398516/videos/282674403438771/ 

Sania Mirza Interview with Barkha Dutt on NDTV, 2014
Video Link: https://www.facebook.com/100050886398516/videos/282674760105402/ 

Anil Kumar | Student of Life World
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