“Discrimination against women in India is rampant. Apart from declining
sex ratio, there are adverse literacy rates. Daughters are discriminated
in education. There is domestic violence. There is denial of nutrition.
Girls are withdrawn from schools. Dowry and Marriage expenses are
also problem areas. There is honour killing and sexual violence
against women. Solutions to women’s problems are not easy to find.
Neither education nor economic empowerment of women has necessarily
brought about change for women. Entire thinking has to change for
women’s problems to be solved. But education is important. Economic
empowerment is important. Political participation is important.”
Sunanda Maushi : Domestic Maid on her challenges
I am the sole breadwinner of the house. I have two sons and their
wives but they live away from me. My younger son is unemployed and
he stays with me. He is always with his friends loitering around
and killing time. Even if he gets a job he works for some days and
quits it. My other son earns but he doesn’t provide me anything.
My husband is not working anymore due to bad health and old age.
I work from morning seven to night eleven. All the responsibility
of the house is on me including paying off the light, water, maintenance
bills.
This interview was taken earlier.
Sunanda Maushi lost her husband in the first week of April 2011
Smt Parmar : Permanent Labour - Sweeper category, Thane Challenges she has to face in her work
My main problem is that sweepers who work in housing societies
collect and throw the garbage outside their building instead of
municipalities garbage bin. They expect TMC sweepers to collect
them. My job is only to keep the roads clean and not collect garbage
of housing societies.
