Degree

BS (Social Sciences & Liberal Arts)

Faculty / School

School of Economics and Social Sciences (SESS)

Department

Department of Social Sciences & Liberal Arts

Date of Award

Spring 2024

Date of Submission

2024-09-12

Advisor

Irum Iqbal Hussain, Lecturer, Department of Social Sciences and Liberal Arts, Institute of Business Administration

Project Type

SSLA Culminating Experience

Access Type

Open Access

Keywords

Reproductive Agency, Institutional Motherhood, Classic Patriarchy, Memons, Strategies Of Agency

Abstract

This study explores how Memon women exercise their reproductive agency within the context of patriarchal family structures in the Memon community. The study investigates decision-making dynamics in Memon women’s everyday lives from their educational and professional choices to their interpersonal relationships with their husband and in-laws as well as discover the intricacies of how women arrive at their reproductive choices regarding children, contraceptives, child-rearing, and more. Using a qualitative research design, in-depth interviews were conducted with seven Memon women/mothers between the ages of 18 and 30, all living in joint families to gain a deeper look into these women’s lived experiences. The findings reveal that while Memon women are situated in classic patriarchal systems, they assert their agency through a combination of overt and covert strategies, often making patriarchal bargains that allow them to maintain some degree of control over their reproductive lives. These indirect strategies may range from communication and negotiation to backstairs influence and strategic compromises. Women may also demonstrate their reproductive agency clearly by openly resisting the gendered expectations of them as mothers.

The findings have been analysed using both Kandiyoti’s theory of classic patriarchy (1988) and Adrienne Rich’s theory of institutional motherhood (1976) which reveal a nuanced interplay of patriarchal burdens, social expectations, familial obligations and personal desires which these women have to navigate through every day. Overall, this research adds to the literature surrounding reproductive empowerment of South Asian women while addressing the gap in previous literature which lacks any substantive research on the unique influence of ethnicity on women’s reproductive choices and agency. It also contributes to motherhood studies by exploring the application of a classic theory of motherhood in the South Asian context while simultaneously analysing its engagement with systems of classic patriarchy.

Pages

vii, 75

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