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Gallup World Poll: Women in Rural India
World

Gallup World Poll: Women in Rural India

by Raksha Arora and Rajesh Srinivasan

GALLUP NEWS SERVICE

PRINCETON, NJ -- Over the last decade, the Indian economy has transformed from sluggish and inward-looking into one of the fastest-growing in the world; much of this success has been credited to the Web-enabled flat world that has been a key driver of India's IT services industry. While the Internet might have leveled the economic playing field somewhat, India's socioeconomic landscape remains one characterized by diversity and inequity. And as Gallup World Poll data indicate, these differences are perhaps most evident among rural Indian women -- most of whom are born and live within the circumference of a much smaller set of opportunities than do their male counterparts.

While traditional indicators such as literacy levels and mortality rates define the extent of the gender gap, Gallup World Poll data collected in India over the last decade provide a public opinion context to the changing landscape. Rising living standards and emerging consumerism are themes that resonate across the survey work that Gallup has done. However, we find that while rural women have seen marked improvements in their living standards, they are least likely to have embraced the "work hard get rich" free market ethic.

The poll asked respondents which attitude about life comes closest to their own personal attitude -- "work hard and get rich," "live each day as it comes, cheerfully and without worrying," "don't think about money or fame, live a life that suits your own tastes," "resist all evils and live a pure and just life," "try to make a name for yourself," or "never think of yourself, give everything to society." In each gender by urban/rural demographic group, except for women in rural India (the vast majority of Indian women live in rural India), there has been a significant increase since 1996 in the percentage of those who subscribe to the work hard and get rich ethic. And so even though living standards are rising and the economy had made great strides where women in rural India are concerned, the possibility that they can be in control of their economic future has not yet trickled down. Far fewer rural women identify with this capitalist ideal today than they did a decade ago -- back in 1996, 51% espoused the work hard and get rich philosophy, compared with 39% in 2006.

Given that literacy rates among rural Indian women are in the 30% range and that the vast majority of rural women work in unskilled jobs in the unorganized sector (includes self-employed workers who work for small or unregistered businesses and workers without an employment contract), it is understandable that they have been unable to participate as much in the opportunities provided by a growing economy. However, that they should feel less motivated to do so than they did a decade ago is troubling.

Interestingly, at 38%, rural women are more likely than any other community/gender demographic group to describe their personal philosophy as "live each day as it comes, cheerfully and without worrying." This idea has gained ground among rural women over the last 10 years -- with the percentage of rural women who believe in this idea doubling from 19% in 1996.

This ideology seems to be closely associated with a sense of fatalism (45% of illiterates chose "live each day as it comes, cheerfully and without worrying" as their personal philosophy, compared with 16% of graduates and postgraduates) and lack of control over one's life. Given their poor status in the patriarchal scheme of rural India, limited access to education and healthcare, and the lack of economic and social freedoms -- that women in rural India do not feel a sense of control over their lives is expected. But the magnitude of this feeling as measured by Gallup's question "Do you feel that your life is completely controlled by others?" is disconcerting. At 45%, nearly half of women in rural India express a total lack of control over their lives.

Culture Change: Women in the Workforce

The converging forces of technology, globalization, and consumerism have made their mark on Indian culture and traditions. However, some values are more impervious to change than others and Indians have been selective in which aspects of Western culture they choose to emulate. In sync with the emerging consumerism, men and women in both urban and rural India are far more likely to approve of women in the workforce today than they were in 1996. There has been a similar rise in the approval of women who delay getting married to further their education or start a career.

And while the increased purchasing power afforded by two incomes might have broken down the traditional reluctance to allow women to work outside of the home, in other matters, the value system has shown no such progressive change. The majority of men and women in rural India, for instance, disapprove of marrying someone of a lower class and the percentage who disapprove has actually increased over the last 10 years for both groups. In urban India as well, the perceptions are not dramatically different and there has been little change of significance around this taboo. So, while Indians might be yielding to consumerism, other social mores remain.

Outlook for Rural Women

Overall, Gallup World Poll data find women in rural India to be on the lowest rung of the socioeconomic ladder, and even though they have far better living standards today than they did a decade ago, most of them do not have the capabilities to take part in the unprecedented economic opportunities Indians have before them today. And while their wide support for obtaining an education and earning a living, even at the cost of delaying one's marriage, shows that much has changed in rural India -- these changing values are mere unfulfilled aspirations if rural women are not allowed the resources and the ability to live a healthy life, obtain an education, and find skilled jobs.

Survey Methods

Results are based on face-to-face interviews with a representative sample of 2,100 residents of India, aged 15 and older, conducted Jan.3-Feb. 15, 2006. Interviews were conducted in English, Hindi, Marathi, Gujarati, Kannada, Tamil, Telugu, and Bengali. Households were selected at random, and respondents within households were chosen at random according to Kish tables.

For results based on these samples, one can say with 95% confidence that the maximum error attributable to sampling, weighting and other random effects is ±3 percentage points. In addition to sampling error, question wording and practical difficulties in conducting surveys can introduce error or bias into the findings of public opinion polls.

For results based on the sample of 298 women interviewed in rural India, one can say with 95% confidence that the maximum error attributable to sampling, weighting and other random effects is ±8 percentage points.


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