What women said: Contraceptive technology, *policy and services from the other point of view
Abstract
This thesis aims to point to the lack of inclusion of marginalized women user's perspectives in the government subsidized family planning system in West Bengal, India. It presents an argument for the inclusion of such women's voices in this context, and attempts to fill in this gap by presenting reports from interviews conducted in Post-Partum (PP) clinics in West Bengal. Chapter one discusses the absence of marginalized women user's perspectives, and presents a historical background to the development of fertility related policy and services in the context under discussion. Chapter two presents the theoretical lens used in this project, which is drawn from the Subaltern Studies School under the larger aegis of Postcolonial theory. This chapter also discusses the socio-cultural background of marginalized women's experiences in the state of West Bengal, India. Chapter three discusses the methodological perspectives of this project. Qualitative research concepts drawn from both the Subaltern Studies School and Feminist theory are discussed and synthesized for appropriateness in the context under discussion. This chapter also presents a detailed picture of the centers at which fieldwork was conducted for this project. Chapter four discusses marginalized women's search for fertility control related information and services within their communities. As women first look for such information from family and other immediate community, this chapter presents women's perspectives on the first stage of information seeking about birth control. Chapter five discusses marginalized women's experiences of the government subsidized Post Partum clinics at which interviewing for this project was conducted. This chapter also presents a list of recommendations for the PP clinics, based on what women said they would like to see changed in the system. Chapter six discusses the implications of the fertility transition in West Bengal, which means that women today have fewer children than they used to. This chapter argues that the process of fertility transition has profoundly impacted women's conceptions of motherhood. Chapter seven discusses the impact of the researcher (in this case myself) on the research setting. It also outlines the learning experience emanating from this research project, and provides two major future directions for research based on the findings of this study.
Degree
Ph.D.
Advisors
Dutta-Bergman, Purdue University.
Subject Area
Social structure|Womens studies|Cultural anthropology|Obstetrics|Gynecology
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