Single Women: Stories of Despair and Survival

One of the reasons for the economic, social and political subordination of women in India is their lack of effective rights in property, especially land. Having rights over land is necessary for more equal gender relations, both within and outside the household. The situation is worse for single women—those who are abandoned, deserted, separated, divorced, unmarried or widowed

L ow-income, single women comprise the most vulnerable 10 per cent of the entire female population in the country. According to the 2001 Census, there are 36 million single women, and these are only the legally divorced or separated women and widows. Abandoned or unmarried women remain outside the government’s policy and welfare schemes, and struggle to live life with dignity. They are not eligible for ration cards, job cards or BPL cards. More important, they face problems accessing property rights, including access to land. The five women—Ganga Bai, Bisaniya Bai, Gulia Bai, Shyama Bai and Kalavati Bai—of Betul district in Madhya Pradesh, whose stories are recounted here, have either been deserted by their husbands, are unmarried or are widows. Some have accepted their fate and do not dare to confront societal norms whereas others believe that owning and cultivating even a small patch of land has helped them live a life of dignity and respect.

Ganga Bai: Can A Deserted Woman Ask for her Right to Land?

Ganga Bai, 35, lives in Dodramohar village, Bhoura gram panchayat, with her mother, daughter, younger brother Ram Das and his family, that is, her sister-in-law and their three children—two sons and a daughter. Her father died a year ago. Her elder brother lives in another house in the same village with his family. Ganga Bai has three other sisters, who live with their marital families in nearby villages. Her daughter, Preeti, is 11 years old.

Ganga Bai returned to her parents’ house around 11 years ago with her two-and-ahalf- year-old daughter when she was pregnant with her second child, Preeti. She was married to a man named Govind at a very young age. However, she was frequently abused and beaten by her husband and her parents-in- law. The violence increased after she gave birth to a baby girl.