1. Introduction
Socioeconomic status is
an intricate concept covering of two different aspects, the social
aspect that includes status or position in a social stratification and the
economic aspects that includes resources such as income, occupation and wealth.
Even though there is no generally accepted definition of the term
“Socioeconomic status”, so we get to see heterogeneous definition by writers
and scholars. Socioeconomic status is a construct that reflects one’s access to
collectively desired resources, be they material goods, money, power,
friendship networks, healthcare, leisure time, or educational opportunities [1]. Furthermore, it has
been defined as the position that an individual or family occupies with
reference to the prevailing average standards of cultural possessions,
effective income, material possessions and participation in the group
activities of the community [2]. Very
often it is measured as a combination of various factors such as education,
income and occupation. Therefore, it can be said that socioeconomic status is
not a unitary concept and with this concept in mind, for the present study
socio-economic status is measured by using some of the prominent factors such
as social factors, demographic factors and economic factors [3]. Women in a tribal society play a vital
role in their social, cultural, economic and religious ways of life and are considered
as an economic asset in their society. But they are still lagging far behind in
the various walks of life like education, employment, good health and economic
empowerment etc. Empowering may be understood as enabling weaker sections like poor
women, especially tribal women to acquire and to possess power and resources,
in order to make decisions on their own After the analysis of the data and
field observation, it is revealed that lack of education, poor health status
and infant mortality rate, low level of wage work, lack of self-employment
opportunity, organizing capacity and leadership quality are the main obstacles
to the economic empowerment of tribal women [4].Socio-economic profile is an important
role in characterize the social life and behavior of an individual. It is,
therefore, essential to analyze the socio-economic background of the Tribal
women and to understand the pattern of relationship between Tribal women and
local environment. In Indian society, caste and kinship has been influencing on
the social life and acute disparity in terms of standard of living and sub-culture
among various groups and regions exist, a study of the socio-economic
conditions of a leader would help to reveal the sociological significance. At
the same time, socio-economic stratification determines the structure of
political power [5].
2.
Justification of the
Study
The socio-economic status of women is the position which
they attain as a reason of the various norms, beneficial and obligations in the
society. It is often found that the women are more vulnerable section of the
society relative to the male counterpart and they often happen to be last
receiver of the opportunities delivered along with the development of the
nation. Tribal women are more isolated in term of education, employment and
health facilities from the mainland. So, it may be that they are more deprived
when compare with male-counterpart as well as the women from other communities.
So, in this regard the study is an attempt to highlight the socio-economic
status of Jenukuruba women in a district called Chamarajanagara. The Jenukuruba
are the tribal group who are the original inhabitant of hilly region
consequently they are bound to be isolated from the mainland as well as
development. So, in such a case, it is of upmost important to find out the
socio and economical condition in which they are living in order to bring them
towards the stream of development.
3.
Objectives of the Study
·
To study the socioeconomic status of Jenukuruba women in
Chamarajanagara district of Karnataka.
·
To find out the educational Level of Jenukuruba Tribal women
in the study area.
·
To examine the factor influencing on the socioeconomic
status of Jenukuruba women study area.
4.
Methods of the study
The present study is based on primary data collected
from 120 sample respondents from 10 Tribal settlements of Gundlupet taluk of
Chamarajanagara district. Following the purposive sampling method. A schedule
is used to collect the demography, social and economic status of the Jenukuruba
women and also used Interview, observation, group discussion, case study methods.
5.
Review of Literature
There are a good number of studies, explaining the causes
and consequences of backwardness and low-level socio-economic status of tribal
women. Such studies are related to a general enquiry of women exploitation and
dependency. These studies have identified lack of education, absence of skills
and training, lack of property rights, social isolation and segregation and
male control over resources and reproductive rights as responsible for women
disempowerment.
Awias (2009) [6] explained through their
work that tribal women play a major role in the co-management of their natural,
social, economic resources and crop production, livestock production,
horticulture and post-harvest operations but they remain backward because of
their traditional values, illiteracy, superstitions, indecision making, social
evils and many other cultural factors.
Ashok Kumar (2015) highlighted that the
condition of socio socioeconomic condition of Jenukuruba tribal community in Mysore
district. This study revealed that, Jenukurubas are social and economically
very backward compare to other community. Even tribal community. These people
are suffering from illness, illiteracy, poverty, lack of food and other
problems.
Ajay
Saraogi (2013) [7]
highlighted the status of women in tribal society in India; he explained
Anthropologists have been tilling recently divided on the status of woman in
tribal societies in India. The actual treatment, legal status, opportunity for
social participation and the character and extent of work, all determine each
in a specific sense and manner, the
status of women in a society. All these four determinants are
independent of each other and not casually related. The correlation between
them is empirical and not conceptual.
Das (2012) [8] in an attempt to find out the level of
autonomy and decision making power of tribal women and the impact of
socio-economic status on decision making roles have drawn a conclusion that the
tribal women enjoy autonomy at their household level, especially in social aspects
and at some point enjoy equal rights along with their husbands in economic
matters. But due to low literacy rate and unemployment the community
participation of the women is inactive and autonomy level is very low.
Franzmen, (2000) and
(Scott, 1988) [9,10] in the study, the religious sphere is
most dominating among tribes it constitutes a major field for male domination.
The women are deprived of public authority. Religion legitimizes gender
hierarchy. The subordination of women in religious activities and their denial
of access to positions of religious leadership has been a powerful tool in most
world religions in supporting the patriarchal order and the exclusion of women,
from the public form. The religious sphere is a major field for male dominance,
and a strategy to deprive women of public authority.
Veena Basin [11] explained in his article India as a
whole is characterized by sharp gender disparities, although women’s status
varies considerably by region. On virtually all frontiers of human societal
pursuits economic, educational, scientific, legal, political, official,
political and religious sphere Indian women suffer profoundly. For all time
there are socio-cultural factors, which validate for the status of women in
particular society. And he explained about tribal girl’s education, education
is a fundamental right that provides opportunities for socio-economic uplift.
In India reasons associated with not educating girl child are financial
constraints, early marriages, submissiveness, motherhood, and parental
perception of education on women’s worldview. The girl child is deliberately
denied education and the future opportunity of the total development.
6.
Result and Discussion
In the present study author attempted to understand the different aspects of social and economic
status of respondents. The main features of the socio-economic profile are
family composition [12], education composition,
occupation composition, marital status, family income, and family background of
respondents. Nevertheless, these variables could help us to know the
socio-economic status of tribal women in the selected study area in the paper.
7.
Family type
Family is the basic unit of society, which assigns social
status, roles and social responsibilities to every individual. Family is the
most powerful medium through which value system can develop over the period of
time and Individual behavior and attitude are determined by the family which
he/she belongs to. In the sense, whether the family is joint or nuclear family
and it also determines the status and role of Tribal women.
Table 1 shows that 87.5% of the respondents
belongs to Nuclear families and 9.2 % of the respondents belongs to Joint
family and remaining only 3.3% of the respondents are living in the extended
family. Thus, the data indicate that the nuclear families more than the Joint
families and extended family.
Table 2 shows that 5.8% respondents are in age
group below 20 years, 23.3% of respondents are in the age group of 21-30 years,
35.0% of the respondents are come 31 to 40 years age group, 14.2% of the
respondents are come under Below 41-50 years age category, 12.5% of the
respondents are 51-60 age group, and only 9.2 % of the responded Above 60
years.
Marital status is also a social indicator for understanding the
socio-economic status of women. Early marriage system has been one of the important
characteristics of Jenukuruba community. Marital status changes the women's
status. It also changes the women's role and increases the duties and workload
of the women. The marital status of the respondent is shown in the table below.
Table 3 shows that out of 120 respondents 68.3%
of them are found to be married, 10.8% Unmarried, 15.0 widowed and only 5.9% of
them are divorced. Nowadays Married and widowed/divorced women get different
treatments in the society but before there no discrimination in this community.
Remarriage is accepted in this society.
The education is a fundamental right that provides
opportunities for socio-economic uplift. In India many reasons associated with
not educating girl child are financial constraints, early marriages,
submissiveness, motherhood, and parental perception of education on women’s
worldview. The educational status is divided into 7 categories which are illiterate,
Lower primary level, Higher primary level, high school level, Pre-University level,
under graduation and above, also other professional course. The education
status of the respondent is shown in the table below.
Table 4 reveals that 40.8% of respondents were
observed to be illiterates followed by Lower primary (27.5%), Higher primary
(15.0%), High school (8.3%), Pre university (5.0), under graduate and above
(1.7% ) and only 1.7% women are studied Professional courses. This is mainly
because the tribal women are more prone to their traditions and they do not
come forward to upgrade their educational standards. Among this community
school dropout is very common both boy and girls [14].
8.
Occupational Status
Occupation is considered as the main source of income it
represents the socio-economic status of people. Tribal women in India
contribute positively to the local economy and participate along with men in
subsistence activities. In reality, women do more work than men. In the study
area carry out all types of work at home as well as outside that are demand of
mixed agro-pastoral economy. Apart from looking after the house, children and
cattle major portion of the agriculture is done by women who do weeding,
hoeing, harvesting and threshing. Women also work as labourers, Role of women
is not only of importance in economic activities, but her role in non-economic
activities is equally important.
Table 5 shows that out of 120 respondents 44.2%
are working as an agriculture labour, 16.7% engaged in agriculture, 24.1% in
collection of minor forest product, 3.3 % in government service, and 11.7%
respondents are engaged other occupation like business, tailoring, selling in
livestock product, gazing cattle, handicraft etc.
9.
Landholding
Land can be considered as the key resource of the Jenukuruba
community. The pattern of land holding influences the economic status of
household but also the social status in the community. The distribution of land
of the sample households has been shown in the below.
Table 6 shows that out of 120 respondent, 40.8%
respondent have no land, 45.0% less than 2 acre, 8.3% hold up 2 to 4 Acre, only
5.9% respondent hold up Above 4 acre the table clearly shows that majority of
the Jenukuruba of study area hold up to only Below 2 acre. In the study area,
the Jenukuruba who is land less or who have less than 2 acre they are depending
cooli and collecting minor forest product. Most of the Jenukurubas not
cultivate land.
10.
Annual Income of the Family
The income of a person in general, is an indicator of his
economic status. The economic status of a person will impact on his/her
attitude. Therefore, the study assumes that, the attitude of women belonging to
the families with higher income differs from that of the attitude of women who
are in middle or lower level of the income group. The economic status of the
family also plays an important role in the attitude, ideas and values of family
members and their decision-making. The respondent’s annual income is indicated
below in the table No.7, in a detailed manner.
Table 7 indicates that 28.4% of the
respondents have annual income of up to Rs. 10,000, 47.5% respondents annual
income is from Rs.10, 001-20,000, 15.8% of the respondents annual earning is
Rs.20, 001-30,000, 5.0% of the respondents are earning is 30,001 to 40,000 and
only 3.3% respondent annual income of above Rs. 40,000.
Health condition can be taken as another important socio-economic
indicator. Even in this modern era quite a large number of people including
tribes believe in superstition practices, preferring the Shamanas and healers. Preferred
place of treatment by the respondent women has been present below:
Table 8 indicates that 55.0% respondent prefer
Government hospital for treatment whereas 23.3% respondent prefer private
Hospital or clinic, 18,4% respondent depending on traditional healers and
temples, but 3.3% respondent don’t take treatment. This is due to lack of
education, old mentality belief on superstation and low economic status.
11. Cause of Low Socio-economic Status of Respondents
The researcher asked some questions to know opinion of the respondents
about the main reason of Jenukuruba women's backwardness of their status. In
the study area, the higher percentage of respondents reported that the main
cause of backwardness of Jenukuruba women's low socio-economic status, lack of
education, patriarchal system is the cause of their low status, and also
inferiority complex, culture constraints, lack of awareness are the causes of
their low socio-economic status.
12.
Conclusion
In this study, it is known that Jenukuruba women have
multidimensional role and responsibilities in their families. Their work burden
is higher but most of the time spent in their household activities. The
literacy rate of Jenukuruba women is low. They are deprived from acquiring the
education due to the various social, personal, economic factors which are
directly related them is not getting outside job. Only few Jenukuruba women
have land ownership house ownership. Most of the Jenukuruba women have to work
more in agriculture but have a comparatively less decision-making power than the
male counterparts. But the decision-making role of men is superior in most of
the variables. Only few activities have equal contribution of men and women in
household decision making. Thus, it can be concluded that the socio-economic
status of Jenukuruba women is low. So, policy makers and local development
practitioners to design appropriate and effective policies and programmers in
this regard. Informal education classes should be extended for the illiterate
women with some incentives. Efforts are necessary to be made to develop women's
social prestige, self-confidence and feeling of equalities by educating them. Poverty
is the most threatening constraint on the improvement of women's socio-economic
status. Various programmers such as vegetable farming, goat farming etc. should
launch to increase the living standard of community, for, this government
should make female base programs such as education, free health, and incentives
for higher and employment based programs etc.
case report