Kerala’s gender-sensitive initiatives and their ripple effects — part 1
Kerala, the state most famously known as ‘God’s own Country’, sets a development standard that is comparable to that of many first world nations’.
This state boasts some impressive developmental statistics: Kerala has a 94% overall literacy rate — the highest in any Indian state, according to the 2011 census. The female literacy rate of 92% is also the highest in the country. The 2011 census provisional release figures stated that there were 1084 females per 1000 males, the highest sex ratio among all Indian states. The India Human Development Report from 2011 showed that Kerala tops the UNDP’s HDI list with a HDI value of 0.790, which classifies it in the high human development category.
This southern state is widely presented as a model of social development, even in the absence of a strong economic base. A leader in terms of gender-specific development indicators, Kerala’s high status of women is often credited as a reason for the state’s rapid and commendable advances. A summary report published by the Indian Government’s Ministry of Women and Child Development in 2009* indicated that, in 2006, Kerala was ranked 3rd among Indian states in the Gender Development Index, GDI, with a score of 0.745. (The Gender Development Index is the Human Development Index adjusted for disparities between women and men.) It is due to a high social index as well as the supposed presence of matriarchy in its history, that Kerala has the image of being a woman-friendly state and one that is strides ahead of the others in terms of gender parity.
Matrilineality
It is understandable, therefore, as to why Kerala was misconstrued as a matriarchal state. However, Kerala was never a matriarchal state. Matriarchy denotes a form of social organization in which the woman is the head. In the context of political and legal anthropology, it is not uncommon for matriarchal societies to be confused with matrilineal, matrilocal or matrifocal societies. Although it is difficult to classify complex social organizations into a single system, an example of a matriarchal society is the Mosuo society near the border of Tibet. What actually existed in certain select communities in Kerala was a system of matrilineal society which still forwarded patriarchal values. A matrilineal society aims to narrow down the gender gaps that are left behind by a patriarchal society by tracing descent and passing on property from mothers to daughters, as opposed to sons from fathers. Since the lineage was traced through females, children took their mothers’ surnames and stayed at the mother’s house after marriage.
The question arises then is why and how women were placed in the foreground of this kind of society. The most widely accepted origin theory is that man’s sole purpose was to indulge in warfare, leaving women to take care of the family, children, economic resources and other responsibilities. Marriage was not seen as a monogamous contract or a permanent arrangement. Women were not expected to wait for the men to return from war nor were they discouraged from taking other husbands. Hence, it is clear that in a matrilineal society, women had autonomy over their sexuality and reproductive rights without being shamed for it. Although there have been records of the existence of several such communities, the most researched among them have been the Nair/Nayar communities in south and central Kerala.
Saraswathy, a teacher who hails from the Nair community, says she has experienced some of the best practices. “My grandmother, mother and her sisters were given the biggest share while partitioning property” she says. “Matrilineal practices are almost extinct in Kerala and now only limited to family names.”
Deepti Menon, an educator from Thrissur remarks “I come from a Nair family that was considered one of the first four families that made up Kerala. My family has followed the practice of ‘Marumakkathayam’ or matrilineality as a result of which, the family name goes down through the women of the family. For instance, I have taken my mother’s family name and not that of my father. Likewise, my daughter takes my family name.” She further recalled “I remember my great-grandmother who was a tiny, upright matriarch, taking all the decisions at home, right from the making of a cup of delicious coffee served in brass cups, to the distribution of rice grains to people outside. Not a leaf fell without her knowledge.” Marumakkathayam, the system of matrilineal inheritance once prevalent in Kerala, was abolished by the Kerala State Legislature in 1975.
This form of society is now largely extinct because of a multitude of factors. The role of men in society shifted after the period of war ended — they became mainstream members of society. Upper caste men received ‘modern English education’ that was heavily influenced by Victorian family values which promoted monogamy.
Colonel Gopi Menon feels strongly that matrilineality should continue to exist in Kerala. He says, “Today, having travelled along the length and breadth of the country as an Army officer, I find that nowhere else does one find such a balanced society as one finds in Kerala. I remember my aunts always had a say in matters pertaining to the family. Their opinions were valued and they were allowed to speak their minds. The ideas of gender equality and women’s empowerment existed even before they became actual terms.” He further adds that the personality of a woman comes into play, more than the system itself. “Strong women will carry their legacy forward, but if a woman is naturally meek, she will not be able to pull herself out of the clutches of subservience.”
Undoubtedly, since women’s identities were not associated with their fathers or husbands, women had the kind of agency that they do not have in a patriarchal society. The prevalence of such communities is cited as one of the reasons why Kerala’s female literacy rate increased and female infanticide decreased during the 19th and 20th century. Women, as a consequence, had more social and financial security.
Kudumbashree
This influence of assigning women more power, freedom and independence, is evident in many of the state’s current initiatives and policies such as the widely popular and successful Kudumbashree (translating to prosperity of the family in Malayalam) which was inaugurated in 1998 by the State Poverty Eradication Mission (SPEM) of the Government of Kerala. Described as a women empowerment and poverty eradication programme, Kudumbashree brings together women from all walks of life to empower themselves economically. This Mission is composed of numerous Self Help Groups (SHGs) and Neighborhood Groups (NHGs) which operate on a system of local self-governance. At the grassroots level, women work on a range of issues such as health, nutrition, agriculture, handloom weaving and vocational training in hopes of generating income and seeking economic microcredit. As of May 2018, approximately 5 million (43,06,976 to be precise) are employed under various divisions in the Kudumbashree initiative.
Saraswathy recounts the challenges faced by a woman she knows who runs a local mill. “The mill was on the verge of shutting down when she took it up but now she supplies organic spice powder, flour and pickles with seasonal fruits. Kudumbashree is an effective way of supporting families, empowering women, improving their living conditions and educating the next generations,” she says.
Perhaps the most successful endeavors have had their breakthroughs in the agriculture sector. Approximately 2,50,000 women throughout the state participate in farming collectives which cultivate jointly lease land. The produce is first utilized to meet the consumption needs and the surplus is sold to local markets. Additionally, Samagra projects are implemented with active participation from local Panchayats while leveraging strengths in local agriculture, business, industry and markets. A grand total of 32,121 citizens partake in the diverse portfolio of projects across 14 districts of the state. Often heavily subsidized, these loans can go upwards of 10 lakh rupees. What is also surprising to know is that poor women also generate savings through training on microfinance, thrift and simple banking transactions. All these measures and many more have helped women enter the labour force, initiate their own enterprises, given them proper opportunities, incentives to save and perform both skill and service-oriented jobs.
Deepti says “I do know of a few women engaged in Kudumbashree activities. One of them works as a maid in a household. A few years ago, she got roped into the organization, and being a firebrand in every sense of the word, she soon rose to the rank of President in her own tiny group.” She adds that Kudumbashree widely benefits poor women, saying “once these women are given a chance to enhance their incomes through the various opportunities offered by Kudumbashree, the only way they could go was upwards. The poorer women also benefitted as they learnt new skills, broadened their minds through contact with other women, and were able to improve their standard of living as well”. Kudumbashree officials want the ripple effects to continue and their plans for the road ahead are to “include other marginalized people into the organization, like tribals and transgenders.”
Kudumbashree is just one of the examples of Kerala’s gender-sensitive projects. Not only has it empowered many women’s lives but also has it nudged these women into an awareness about gender equality by realizing their own potential. In the words of Jawaharlal Nehru, “in order to awaken the people, it is the woman who has to be awakened.”
* Figures from 2006 are being cited as a more recent report has not been made available
Resources:
1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kerala_model
2. http://spb.kerala.gov.in/EconomicReview2016/web/chapter04_13.php
3. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matrilineality
4. https://feminisminindia.com/2016/09/01/decline-matrilineal-society-kerala/
5. https://www.thebetterindia.com/119677/kudumbashree-poverty-gender-5-million-kerala/
