THE WOMEN OF ANNA NAGAR

In any informal settlement or slum the lives of women and their economic and health status greatly affects the livelihood of the whole community. Cultural norms dictate that women in urban slums tend to spend more time in the home caring for their families and their households. Factors in the home such as poor sanitation, leaking roofs and increased flooding and fire risks increase inhabitants vulnerability to the spread of diseases. Because they spend more time in the home, women are therefore more susceptible to the adverse outcomes associated with inadequate housing conditions. Mrs. Om Batti, who has been living in Anna Nagar since 25years , tells us that she moved to the slum with her husband, thinking delhi, being the country's capital , may provide good job opportunities for him. She, on the other hand, did not have any form of formal education. This created a lot problems for her.Being uneducated, she never stepped out of the house.The only earning member was her husband and hence she was economically dependant on him.Moreover , the cultural background she had come from did not allow her to work or earn money.She realised the importance of literacy and how it is related to empowerment of women and hence , made sure that their daughter completed basic schooling and then enrolled her for vocationally training course like knitting.This was a big step for her and her husband.Now , as a result even though Mrs. Om Batti is still uneducated and economically dependant on her husband, her daughter (married at the age of 21 due to social pressures) is employed and economically independent.Mrs. Om Batti now has even had a son, and they plan to educate him as well . The scenario is now changing.Even though majority the women are still uneducated ,the girls have started going to schools and in some cases even colleges.The girls have lots of dreams and aspirations and they aim to go for further education but are generallied married by the age of 22.Social and cultural barriers deny slum dwellers the opportunity to complete their basic education.The community is small and hence very tightly knit, even though members come from various religious backgrounds and parts of India, including Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, and some parts of Maharashtra. Women from this area mostly work as domestic help in nearby offices. Due to economic necessity, work patterns of women have changed considerably with increasing numbers of women from low socio economic settings participating in the work force.