Interviews

Interview with Revati Prasad on May 20, 2002

Ms. Prasad is a sophomore undergraduate at Ohio University pursuing a degree in political science and journalism.

She is originally from New Delhi, and has been in America for two years.

How do you think globalization has affected your country?

Globalization has affected India in many ways. There has been a progressive change toward Americanization. TV and media are influenced by pop culture. It took me two months to get up to speed with what was going on American culture when I first came here, because I was familiar with it at home. Globalization means more liberalization because India is pretty conservative. You can really see the changes in the metropolitan areas. People’s moral attitudes have become more relaxed, if not laxed.

How do you think globalization has affected women in India?

The effect has a lot to do with liberalization. Globalization has given women a stronger voice. People are more accepting of women’s rights. Globalization has relaxed moral attitudes. Smoking and drinking is more accepted for women, so much to the point that such behavior by women has become a symbol of empowerment.

There has also been in increased emphasis on women’s rights at the grass roots level. There has been a shift towards some women becoming more traditional in their dress and language, while at the same time, they are progressing toward empowerment. Other women, empower themselves by becoming more Western in their style of dress. Dating is also more acceptable, depending on the parents.

How do you view women’s roles in India now?

I don’t feel oppressed. I was raised in a female household knowing I could do whatever I wanted to do, but I know I am part of a small minority. Most women don’t have the same opportunity. Women have to work so much harder to get an equal standing in society, and their credibility is constantly questioned.

How have you perceived the changes in women’s roles over the past 10 years?

Women are more vocal. Women’s lib started in the 70s and is beginning to grow and is on an upward spring. There has been a noticeable change in what women can do and what their opportunities are. The government has done more advertising (TV and radio commercials) portraying women in leadership roles and being in the army.

What do you think the biggest challenge/issue/problem is facing Indian women today?

We are still dealing with getting females in school and eradicating female infanticide. Contraception use is still an issue as well. Major leaps have been made, but we still have far to go.

How do you feel about globalization in general?

I feel it is more bad than good. It has undermined state sovereignty in so many ways. Globalization is just the spread of corporations who are accountable to no one, with no checks and balances. The idea that capitalism and democracy go together is absurd.

Interview with highly educated Indian woman on May 19, 2002

She has lived in America and in India.

How do you think globalization has affected your country?

Globalization has created an environment for change. These changes have impacted all sectors of human life. The changes have taken place in political, economic, social, cultural, as well as personal realm of everyday life. The intervention of mass media (satellite television in specific) coincided with the economic liberalization in India. Satellite television is predicated on western values and has been in conflict with the Indian value system. It has created tensions for an average Indian family. What the people are seeing on television is no more consistent with the native Indian expectations. However, the positive effects of globalization may have outnumbered the negative. People are more wary of the world events and have a direct opportunity to participate in world politics and economy. As a result of this, a new middle class has emerged. This class is a fusion of Indian and western value system. It is unique and characteristic of globalization.

How do you think globalization has affected women in your country?

Women in the urban settings have become more independent and self-sufficient. The lower middle class is experiencing a shift in the way family relations worked. Traditionally women stayed at home taking care of domestic needs and children. Now most of the women are setting out of their private spaces to earn a living. Globalization has created certain needs based on capitalist sentiments. Advertising everyday reinforces new needs and creates a vicarious lust for more and more consumer good in the masses. This has resulted in families desiring more household income to be able to afford these items. Therefore, the women need to work and contribute to the household income to afford a certain lifestyle.

In the rural sectors, women have been independent and strong-headed. They have been the primary breadwinners in several cases. The society does want to accept this truth where women can be self-sufficient and need not rely on men for their survival. However, the traditional roles continue to influence our worldview and we continue to believe that women are oppressed. They are in ways that are characteristic of patriarchal societies. I am not asserting that women are free and empowered but I am certainly offering a fresh perspective that conveys to the western reader that women in the rural dwellings are more capable of taking care of themselves than in urban cities.

These women in rural settings have been influenced by globalization through media and through numerous intervention programs –non-profit organizations- that are constantly investing in women’s issues in big way. These NGOs are creating awareness and proposing ways of change. The women are increasingly empowered and stronger than before. This change is not universal and does not happen in any particular pattern. Hence, we can observe pockets of changes due to efforts of a few. We need more such interventions and investments so that this work can continue.

What do you think is the biggest challenge/problem/issue facing Indian women today?

To answer this question I need to be sure which women are we talking about. We need to specify urban women or rural women. Their stories are different and their status is different too.

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