Marriage among the urban poor of Dhaka: instability and uncertainty
✍ Scribed by Sonia Jesmin; Sarah Salway
- Publisher
- John Wiley and Sons
- Year
- 2000
- Tongue
- English
- Weight
- 100 KB
- Volume
- 12
- Category
- Article
- ISSN
- 0954-1748
No coin nor oath required. For personal study only.
✦ Synopsis
Qualitative and quantitative data from the Urban Livelihoods Study "ULS# are used to describe the patterns of marriage\ and in particular the rising incidence of marital instability\ among the bustee "slum# population of Dhaka[ The changing nature of bustee society provides greater options for women compared with their rural counter! parts[ Reduced social sanctions against divorce\ dysfunction of the `oshti\ weaker fam! ilial ties and increased options for labour force participation are giving women greater freedom[ Bustee women appear more able to avoid serious domestic violence by rejecting unfavourable marital ties[ However\ despite these factors\ women are faced with a dilemma regarding marriage[ Marital discord\ insecurity and instability are high and yet marriage remains a necessity[ The unstable nature of bustee life\ harassment from men\ social and economic dependency\ the di.culty of returning to the village\ and absence of strong kin networks\ force women to marry[ On balance\ women appear to be su}ering from the increasingly unstable and uncertain nature of marriage[ The experience of marital breakdown has serious social and _nancial implications[ Women living without husbands are poorer than their married counterparts[ Children\ too\ are faring badly[