Women And Socialisation

The twin themes for this research work are the status and role of women and differential socialization of boys and girls in the family as practised among some Hindu Gujarati lower (Socio-economic) strata castes-communities such as Vagharis, Rabaris, Thakarda, Goal and some artisan castes) settled in lower strata neighbourhoods in the Metropolitan Ahmedabad. Majority of women, though residing in nuclear households, have joint family relatives and caste-community people around them in the immediate neighbourhoods, providing lot of social and even economic security and assistance and close day-to-day social life to most of its residents whether men and women. Coupled with the fact that most women and men were either illiterate or had a few years of schooling, hold of traditional practices of the family and caste community was strong which kept women under subordination and inferiority vis-à-vis men. In these poor blue-collar families, whether women participate in earning activity and which economic activity they pursue are decided by the family and caste traditions. Nearly in half of the families, women participate in earning a living and are involved in economic affairs (pooling and keeping family income, deciding about money matter) of the family. The analysis of the socialization of boys and girls during infancy, childhood, school going and adolescent ages in terms of care (giving food, clothing, medicines, affections etc.). education, play, earning and other activities of the boys and girls reveals that little discrimination is faced by girls among the lower strata, during infancy and early childhood, however from school-going age onwards, girls, compared to boys, are put to more disadvantages. Traditional sex-linked role models are highly emphasized in rearing up of girls, while new opportunities in terms of education, vocational are emphasized in the socialization of boys.