Married

The Hunger Project Online Briefing Program 
The Condition of Women in South Asia
Page 10 of 25

  Health

 

Secluded as a Young Wife

As wives, women are confined to the home and expected to serve their husbands. 

A good woman regards her husband as her god…A good woman leaves her husband’s home only for the cremation grounds. –traditional Indian saying

Secluded and confined

To go out by the front door or back door of the house is forbidden for me. I can't go to my family's house. Everyone else here is used to it. But to me it is intolerable because I was not brought up in this environment. Therefore, sometimes the house seems to me like a jail.
-Young woman from Bogra, Bangladesh 

  • Due to conservative traditions, many rural women are secluded inside the home. This usually includes the family's hut and the agricultural land just outside.

  • Customarily, the home is considered "the woman's space," while the outside world is considered "the man's space."

  • Researchers explain that the support and protection of males are the basis of a tolerable life for rural women.

  • Women can only venture outside if they are given permission and accompanied by a male family member.

  • The restrictions on women's movement limit their participation in community life and their ability to take actions that create the end of hunger.

  • Hunger persists when woman are denied access to health and education facilities, and when they cannot meet freely with other women in the community to discuss their concerns.

 

On September 23 in New York, The Hunger Project will launch our new South Asia Initiative, designed to support women in their active contributions for the end of hunger.

 
Married

The Hunger Project Online Briefing Program 
The Condition of Women in South Asia
Page 10 of 25

  Health