Browsing by Author "Karmakar, Priyanka"

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Open Access
Missing Daughters: Social Perceptions and Treatment of the Girl Child in India
(University of North Bengal, 31-03-2021) Karmakar, Priyanka
India has been witnessing a decline in both sex ratio and child sex ratio (0-6 years) over decades. Female mortality at pre-natal stage, at the time of birth, neo-natal and during childhood has contributed to a syndrome called “missing girls” in India and other south Asian countries. Demographic data in India record low child sex ratio than sex ratio. Therefore, the problem basically is of missing girls than missing females. The threat lies more in childhood than adulthood. Girl child has been differentiated/ neglected in terms of health, nourishment, education and other gendered values. The problem also lies in the imbalance of child sex ratio in India which shows that apathy towards girl child is visible in some states of India. The vulnerability of the girls is more prominent in north western India than in southern India, which is the result of certain cultural practices that make discrimination and unequal treatment of daughters a normal phenomenon. The paper aims to discuss the various factors of daughter discrimination that leads to drop in sex ratio, making the missing girl syndrome all the more problematic in Indian context. The paper also discusses the basic factors that are responsible for low child sex ratio with major emphasis on foeticide, infanticide and neglect of girl child in India.
Open Access
Self-formation and Life of the Daughters in Marwari Community in Siliguri
(University of North Bengal, 2022-03) Karmakar, Priyanka
The preference for sons over daughters, which is a part of Pan-Indian culture, is more pronounced in some regions and among some communities; the Marwaris of Siliguri, is one such community. The Marwaris, who have migrated to Siliguri from Rajasthan, over the years, are a burgeoning business community in Siliguri, which is a flourishing business hub. The present paper, which is a part of my research in Siliguri, gives an ethnographic account of the Marwari community’s gender perception, especially son preference which they consider “natural” and acceptable because of the various socio-cultural and economic advantages associated with having a son. Such preferential treatment often results into the practice of daughter aversion and discrimination. The paper further demonstrates how the practice of son preference affects the self-formation of Marwari daughters who are made to grow up in an overpowering patriarchal culture and inculcate the values that help perpetuate gender discrimination.