South Asia Briefing Unit 4 - Introduction

Unit 4 of the Online Briefing Program looks at the conditions of life for rural women in South Asia. It examines the link between the subjugation of women and the persistence of hunger.

In South Asia - like in many developing countries - society holds women responsible for all the key actions required to end hunger: family nutrition, health, education, food production and – increasingly – family income. Yet at the same time – through laws, custom and tradition – women are denied the resources, the information and freedom of action they need to carry out these responsibilities. This situation holds hunger in place.

In the coming pages, we will travel through the life of a rural South Asian woman, from birth until widowhood. Her life is not an easy one - she is unwanted, disadvantaged, threatened by violence, overworked, and even outcast. In spite of these harsh conditions, she is a critical provider for her family and a key producer for her country.

This lifetime may not apply to each and every rural woman in India and Bangladesh. Yet it does aim to candidly confront the situation of millions of Indian and Bangladeshi women, who are subjugated, marginalized and disempowered every day of their lives. It reflects the voices of rural South Asian women, as well as urban activists, many of whom have grappled with the extreme differences between their own upbringing, and the life of their rural sisters.

As investors around the world, our challenge is to confront the reality of life for the millions of subjugated women - our partners in ending hunger. The actions that must be taken to end hunger in India and Bangladesh will be taken by these impoverished, malnourished, illiterate women themselves. As we immerse ourselves in the coming pages, we can begin to appreciate the courage of the Indian and Bangladeshi women who are working to provide for their families and themselves.

A lifetime of subjugation for women: the link to the persistence of hunger in South Asia

Unwanted before birth
Disadvantaged as a baby girl
Childhood of drudgery,
denied education: education and the persistence of hunger
Married and secluded as a girl
In poor health and uncared for in pregnancy
The cycle of malnutrition
Overworked and invisible producer
Outcast in widowhood
Threatened by violence throughout her life: violence and the persistence of hunger
Awakening to a new possibility

A lifetime of subjugation is inherited from generation to generation of women. (UN Photo)