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Project August 3, 2017

Women and Opportunity in Southern India

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Gunasundari, now a successful tailor, learned her craft for free through classes at the Ulaga Matha Church in Thiruvannamalai. Image by Praveena Somasundaram. India, 2017.
Gunasundari, now a successful tailor, learned her craft for free through classes at the Ulaga Matha Church in Thiruvannamalai. Image by Praveena Somasundaram. India, 2017.

The patriarchal notion of women's inferiority to men follows Indian women from a young age, contributing to the severe gender inequality in the country. Despite improvements made to help women and children, many women still give up their education in order to work to support their families. Even then, because of their lack of education, many women find their salaries insufficient to raise their kids. Additionally, they are often paid less than the men they work with.

However, Indian women find hope through government-approved women's empowerment groups and churches that offer free training in handcrafts such as tailoring. With such training, they are able to find jobs and earn enough to take care of their families. This project illuminates the stories of women in rural areas of southern India who have sacrificed their studies to take up a job and others who have been able to learn crafts through various programs made to benefit them.

RELATED TOPICS

Three women grouped together: an elderly woman smiling, a transwoman with her arms folded, and a woman holding her headscarf with a baby strapped to her back.

Topic

Gender Equality

Gender Equality