| Summary: | A stimulating original assessment of the Indian woman today. Where does the contemporary Indian woman stand today? In what manner does she reflect the influences, insidious and overt, of cultural and historical conditioning? Is there such a thing as a 'typical' Indian woman? If so, what are her centers of conflict and harmony? What is the present-day reality in terms of progress, the break-up of the joint family, the role of the woman as a wage-earner? Does she find herself leading a life of contradictions? The issues dealt with in this illuminating book are those that connect female awareness and its struggle against patriarchy with specific Indian situations and problems. Indian religious texts and shastras are used to reinforce the argument that gender in many ways has become a curious equalizer with respect to Indian women even though the conventional caste-structure continues to dominate social operations.
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