Gender

Women in India’s Northeastern state of Assam wield a great degree of influence in the local politics. But their participation in the frontline has been time and again taken for granted. This was evident in the recent assembly elections in the state. The BJP-led Mitrajot (alliance of friends) came back to power with the votes of more than a half of women voters. Women were also in the frontline of the anti-government protests against the new citizenship law. But both the protests and the polls have left them shortchanged.

Interview with Dr. Suchitra Dalvie by Shalini Yog Shah

Millions of workers in the informal economy in Delhi were adversely affected due to COVID-19 pandemic and the national lockdown implemented in a short notice of few hours in March 2020. There were horrific tales of workers losing large percentages of their income, incurring massive debts to meet their basic needs and running the risk of exposure to the deadly virus while trying to earn a living. This article highlights how informal workers, especially women, have been among the worst sufferers of the pandemic facing sudden shrink in livelihoods without any support system and how they are finding it difficult to recover even after the gradual reopening of the economy following the easing of the lockdown. The article suggests some medium and long term measures that can contribute to a more just and equitable post-pandemic situation.

Dolly Kikon is a feminist scholar and supports the political participation of women in the Naga community (India).

Though the instrument is flawed and limited, there is merit in engaging with CEDAW to highlight the issues of members of the LGBTIAQ+ communities in India.

Studies on Bt cotton swing between the efficacy of Bt cotton and its failure in providing rights and choices to the farmers. Based on a review of discursive analysis and selected field visits to cotton farmers in rural Maharashtra and Rajasthan, this study on Women and Genetically Modified Crops: Bt Cotton in India, attempts at understanding women’s experiences and voices in the cultivation of Bt cotton. Discussing the coloniality of power and knowledge in the given patriarchal system in India and in countries of the Global South, the authors argue for the recognition of work, knowledge and rights of women farmers and how these can be developed in a gender-responsive and sustainable manner.