The Working Women Of Kumaon

While interacting with patients, a doctor visiting the camp was trying to understand the socio-cultural context of the Kumaoni region. So, he asked his patients questions like what they do for a living, if women go outside and work, and about education, etc. Even with little fluency with Hindi, the doctor tried framing the questions, and I was helping him translate their answers. But the responses we received made me pause!

But here the replies we received aren’t the only surprising factor. While talking with men, I was not able to accept; how can he say he is doing nothing? That’s not possible! So I tried inquiring further, “Do you have any ancestral land or do you own a shop?” Most of them replied with “yes.” If they do have land or a shop, why would they say they are doing “nothing”?

Is This An Example Of A Working Woman?

And while interacting with women, when they replied, “yes, of course we work,” why couldn’t I believe her? I further asked her what work she does. And she called out household chores and agriculture work. Listening to these answers, I was in a dilemma: how do I translate their answers to him because the question asked was coming from a different ‘idea of work’? Where work is only considered as any kind of act that earns you money.

A modern idea of an empowered woman is where a woman is earning money, but at the same time she is also balancing house chores and taking care of her family and children alone. But still, I do not see them owning the fact that yes, we work harder, and this act other than earning money is also a work that they do. I was surprised by the fact, How can these women be so confident and courageous enough to establish that yes, we are doing very valuable work? How come they are so empowered? Should the idea of an empowered woman come from earning?

I will continue exploring the answer to this in my fellowship tenure here amongst the Kumaoni people, and beyond and return with further writings here …