Abstract
The paper considers the after effects of the global pandemic coupled with economic crisis on the aspirations of middle-class urban women in India. An attempt is made to understand how women define or re-define their future concerning marital aspirations, child birth, and career in a post pandemic world. The Indian patriarchal society standards restrict women and often force them to choose between a professional career versus a personal “well-settled” life. This mindset often comes in clash with educated women looking to break glass ceilings and ensuring their social and economic independence. Amidst rising Hindu nationalist ideologies and it’s imagery of an ideal Indian woman which binds women in a traditional division of labor and home bound activities, the paper asks how women navigate and assert their choices in such socio-political scenario. The text employs a combination of feminist methodology, auto-ethnography, interviews, and surveys with working women between the age group of 25-40 years old placed in urban cities across the country. Ultimately the study looks at whether the pandemic and its after effects have brought any shift in their idea of “normal”.
Presenters
Richa TewariJr Account Executive , Corporate and CSR PR, Kommune Brand Communications, Uttar Pradesh, India
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
KEYWORDS
COVID-19 Pandemic, Women, Patriarchy, Marriage, Family, Normal, Middle Class, Workforce
