Working women in India tend to spend far less time than their male colleagues in advancing their careers and so miss out on promotions and other career opportunities and neither the Indian law or government policy views their work within the home as productive or of any economic value, says a new book.
The book titled "Separated and Divorced Women in India- Economic Rights and Entitlements" by Kirti Singh, a lawyer practising n women issues, examines the economic rights and entitlements of separated and deserted women in law and practises in India.
"In Indian set up it is typically the wife who spends long hours in building up and maintaining the house and in supervising the household work. Meanwhile, by spending most of her time at home, a woman loses her capacity to earn and compete in the job market," Kirti writes in the book.
In carrying out household tasks, women in many instances, have to give up their career. Thus, non recognition of household work and 'care' work results in reinforcement of gender discrimination and inequality, says the author.
Based on a survey of more than 400 women in four different regions across the country. The book published by Sage publications talks about the miserable financial conditions of separated/ deserted women and the lengthy procedural obstacles that these women have to contend with to get any justice.
It interrogates the absence of any laws that would give Indian women ownership rights in the property and assets that they have helped to acquire through financial or non-financial contributions in the marital home, and suggests that Community of Property should be made a part of law for all Indian women.
