This article examines the detailed data on households as per the census figures of 2001, in particular, women-headed households. The reasons behind women heading households range from sociological to economic.
Where Women Prevail
2001 Census and Female Heads of Households
This article examines the detailed data on households as per the census figures of 2001, in particular, women-headed households. The reasons behind women heading households range from sociological to economic.
ASHISH BOSE
S
ome years back I wrote on ‘Missing Men and Lonely Women’ in Economic and Political Weekly (July 1, 2000) based on my stay in villages in Uttaranchal. Now that we have the detailed tables of 2001 Census available on CDs, I decided to do a quick analysis of Table HH-6 (households) for all the 593 districts in India in 2001. It reveals a fascinating picture of the demographic diversity of India. The census data should prove valuable to all those engaged in gender studies. I give below the highlights of my analysis.
Table 1 gives the percentage of female heads of households to the total number of households in all the states and union territories (UTs) of India (arranged in descending order of the percentage of female heads). Lakshadweep is at the top where 34.4 per cent of the households are headed by women. Considering the fact that Lakshadweep is predominantly Muslim, one has to look for explanations in realms other than religion. Being a conglomeration of islands, one can easily surmise that the men are away on the high seas and women have to manage the households. Geography prevails over sociology.
The next in order is Meghalaya where 23 per cent of the households are headed by women (24.5 per cent in the case of urban households). This state is predominantly Christian and tribal. One has to look to the matrilineal system prevailing among the Khasis where property vests with the youngest daughter of the family. There is no massive migration of males from Meghalaya which can explain the high proportion of female heads of households. One has to turn to anthropology to understand Meghalaya.
I looked at the detailed data on women in East Khasi Hills of Meghalaya in a recent field survey conducted by Rumi Deb, who did her doctoral work in anthropology. She explains: “As the property rights are in the hands of women, it is but natural that women declare themselves as heads of households during the census operation. According to the social custom of Khasis, the husband has to shift to the wife’s house and not the other way around.” Rumi Deb in her report says: “The Khasis are tribal people with ancient matrilineal culture that puts women at the head of the household that sweeps away the stereotypical images of subservient Indian womanhood”. A positive feature about Khasis is that they have no special preference for sons and therefore there is no
Table 1: Per Cent of Female Heads ofTable 1: Per Cent of Female Heads ofTable 1: Per Cent of Female Heads ofTable 1: Per Cent of Female Heads ofTable 1: Per Cent of Female Heads of
Households to Total HH, 2001Households to Total HH, 2001Households to Total HH, 2001Households to Total HH, 2001Households to Total HH, 2001
Total Rural HH Urban HH
India
10.4
10.1
11.0
Lakshadweep (UT)
34.4
33.4
35.7
Meghalaya
23.0
22.6
24.5
Kerala
22.6
22.5
22.8
Goa
21.2
23.5
18.8
Daman and Diu (UT)
18.8
12.5
30.6
Himachal Pradesh
17.9
18.5
13.7
Uttaranchal
16.3
17.8
12.0
Pondicherry (UT)
15.3
15.5
15.2
Tamil Nadu
14.0
14.8
12.9
Karnataka
13.9
14.3
13.1
Manipur
13.1
11.6
17.3
Mizoram
12.4
9.6
15.1
Andhra Pradesh
11.3
11.7
10.2
Tripura
11.0
10.5
13.3
Chhattisgarh
11.0
11.1
10.9
West Bengal
10.8
9.5
13.9
Arunachal Pradesh
10.2
10.1
10.6
Assam
10.2
10.0
11.6
Maharashtra
10.1
10.1
10.2
Orissa
10.1
10.1
9.8
Andaman and Nicobar
Islands (UT)
9.8
9.9
9.5
Sikkim
9.7
9.6
10.5
Punjab
9.7
9.5
9.9
Nagaland
9.2
9.1
9.5
Delhi (UT)
8.7
6.7
8.9
Jharkhand
8.3
8.5
7.7
Haryana
8.1
7.8
8.8
Gujarat
8.0
7.8
8.4
Uttar Pradesh
7.9
7.5
9.5
Madhya Pradesh
7.5
6.7
9.7
Bihar
7.4
7.3
8.4
Chandigarh (UT)
7.2
3.6
7.6
Rajasthan
6.9
6.7
7.8
Jammu and Kashmir
6.8
6.5
7.7
Dadra and Nagar
Haveli (UT)
6.3
6.8
4.9
HH = Households.
UT = Union Territories.
Economic and Political Weekly June 3, 2006
Table 2: Distribution of Districts with More than 20 Per CentTable 2: Distribution of Districts with More than 20 Per CentTable 2: Distribution of Districts with More than 20 Per CentTable 2: Distribution of Districts with More than 20 Per CentTable 2: Distribution of Districts with More than 20 Per Cent
occurrence of female foeticide which is
Female Heads of Households, 2001Female Heads of Households, 2001Female Heads of Households, 2001Female Heads of Households, 2001Female Heads of Households, 2001
spreading in northern parts of India. To
States/Union Territories
R/U
Total HH
Female Heads
Per Cent of Female HH
Himachal Pradesh
Hamirpur Kangra
R R
79,942 256,115
24,346 63,731
30.5 24.9
Una
R
79,789
18,026
22.6
Uttaranchal
Garhwal
R
131,439
40,926
31.1
Almora
R
119,558
33,890
28.3
Rudraprayag Bageshwar
R R
46,764 50,164
12,068 11,901
25.8 23.7
Pithoragarh
R
84,466
19,508
23.1
Tehri Garhwal
R
104,614
24,056
23.0
Chamoli
R
64,066
13,946
21.8
Arunachal Pradesh
Tawang Meghalaya
R
6,946
1,444
20.8
Jaintia Hills
U
4,170
2,045
49.0
Jaintia Hills
R
45,577
19,533
42.9
East Khasi Hills
R
69,821
28,097
40.2
East Khasi Hills
U
55,017
14,649
26.6
Ri Bhoi
U
2,361
574
24.3
West Khasi Hills
U
5,769
1,344
23.3
Orissa
Gajapati Daman and Diu
U
11,052
2,305
20.9
Diu
U
4,743
2,440
51.4
Diu
R
4,470
1,530
34.2
Maharashtra
Ratnagiri
R
335,480
96,285
28.7
Sindhudurg Karnataka
R
173,439
38,933
22.4
Udupi
R
170,648
62,466
36.6
Udupi Dakshina Kannada
U U
40,359 143,969
11,551 33,151
28.6 23.0
Dakshina Kannada
R
217,029
44,198
20.4
Goa
South Goa
R
56,838
15,356
27.0
North Goa
R
88,077
18,767
21.3
Lakshadweep Lakshadweep
U
4,306
1,539
35.7
Lakshadweep
R
5,651
1,890
33.4
Kerala
Kannur
U
218,964
87,427
39.9
Kasaragod
U
43,592
14,523
33.3
Malappuram Kannur
U R
59,512 237,511
18,009 69,862
30.3 29.4
Malappuram
R
551,662
155,363
28.2
Kozhikode
R
364,038
97,174
26.7
Thrissur
R
458,570
121,207
26.4
Kasaragod
R
181,229
47,696
26.3
Kozhikode
U
202,560
51,290
25.3
Thiruvananthapuram
R
505,203
126,103
25.0
Palakkad
R
455,255
112,888
24.8
Kollam
R
491,261
113,374
23.1
Thrissur
U
179,678
41,411
23.0
Palakkad
U
74,150
16,703
22.5
Alappuzha Pathanamthitta
R R
345,584 268,103
76,478 55,765
22.1 20.8
Pathanamthitta
U
28,515
5,750
20.2
Pondicherry Mahe
U
6,036
2,755
45.6
Table 4: Age Distribution of Female Headed Households (Per Cent), India, 2001Table 4: Age Distribution of Female Headed Households (Per Cent), India, 2001Table 4: Age Distribution of Female Headed Households (Per Cent), India, 2001Table 4: Age Distribution of Female Headed Households (Per Cent), India, 2001Table 4: Age Distribution of Female Headed Households (Per Cent), India, 2001
Age Groups Total Households Never Married Currently Married Widowed Divorced/Separated
quote Rumi Deb’s report “The children ‘belong’ to the mother’s family who are responsible for their support and therefore control all decisions pertaining to their upbringing and future. Whether married or unmarried, their children are always cherished as lineage ‘seeds and flowers’ and raised in maternal ancestral home. Although male babies are welcome, the birth of a girl child is considered a special blessing. Family incomes are pooled and older women who apportion domestic expenses, manage the household. The youngest daughter of the family matriarch is the legal custodian of the family’s wealth and property.” One can understand why property is given to the youngest daughter – she will have the longest period of stay at home and is expected to look after the parents.
Next we move on to Kerala. Here, undoubtedly, economics prevails over sociology. The massive emigration of male workers to Gulf countries must be the main cause of the high proportion of female heads of households in so many districts of Kerala. From Kerala we move on to Himachal Pradesh and Uttaranchal where it is again migration which explains the fairly high proportion of households headed by women. But unlike Kerala, migration from these states happens to other areas of India (i e, it is internal migration). Here we have to look to geography and ecology. The hilly terrain in these states cannot sustain the population which is mainly dependent on agriculture. Survival depends on outmigration of males to other areas and in particular, to the big cities all over India.The remittances by the migrant workers sustain the families back home. In Uttaranchal, there is a further element of a long history of recruitment of Kumaonis and Garhwalis in the Indian army. They have an excellent reputation as soldiers and have received many bravery awards. Apart from the army, there is recruitment in Border Roads Organisation and different types of paramilitary outfits like Border Security Force (BSF), Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), etc. No wonder so many women have to fend for themselves and look after the households in Uttaranchal.
All ages Less than 20 20-29
100.0 2.1 5.1
100.0 50.3 14.5
100.0 0.8 12.2
100.0 0.1 1.6
100.0 0.2 8.7
Table 3: Marital Status of Female HeadsTable 3: Marital Status of Female HeadsTable 3: Marital Status of Female HeadsTable 3: Marital Status of Female HeadsTable 3: Marital Status of Female Heads
Households (Per Cent), India, 2001Households (Per Cent), India, 2001Households (Per Cent), India, 2001Households (Per Cent), India, 2001Households (Per Cent), India, 2001
30-39
16.4
9.9
29.2
10.6
32.5
Marital Status
All Areas
Rural
Urban
40-49
22.3
9.4
26.7
20.8
31.5
50-59
20.1
6.7
15.3
23.0
15.6
Never married
3.5
3.1
4.2
60-69
20.8
4.9
10.3
26.7
8.5
Currently married
27.1
28.2
24.4
70-79
9.9
1.9
3.9
13.1
2.3
Widowed
66.1
65.1
68.5
80+
0.3
1.8
0.4
0.1
0.1
Divorced/separated
3.5
3.6
2.9
Age not stated
3.0
0.6
1.2
4.0
0.6
Total
100.0
100.0
100.0
Economic and Political Weekly
June 3, 2006
2193
In the south, in Udupi district of Karnataka, the proportion of female heads of households exceeds 36 per cent in rural households. Udupi restaurants are famous all over India and even outside. They are known for their cleanliness. I recall that last summer, when I was on a visit to the Berkeley campus of the University of California, I was delighted to find an Udupi restaurant which served wholesome food. Interestingly enough, when I shook hands with the manager and asked his name, I found that he was a Muslim obviously quite at home with the Udupi brahmin cooks!
Census data on heads of households are cross-classified by age and marital status. Space does not permit us to give a detailed analysis here. Table 3 gives a summary picture for India. The predominance of widows does indicate the higher longevity of women compared to that of men.
Table 4 presents data on age distribution of female heads cross-classified by marital status. In India, as a whole, roughly 7 per cent of the female heads are below 30 years, 59 per cent are in the age group 30-59 years and 31 per cent are above 60 years. The highest percentage of married female heads are in the age group 30-39 years, while in the case of widows, the highest percentage is in the age group 60-69 years. Space does not permit us to go into further details.
To conclude, Census 2001 provides us with a wealth of data for gender studies. I have given an example of only one of the numerous census tables and have analysed the census data on female heads of households.
S
Table 1: Per Cent of Female Heads ofTable 1: Per Cent of Female Heads ofTable 1: Per Cent of Female Heads ofTable 1: Per Cent of Female Heads ofTable 1: Per Cent of Female Heads of 
Households to Total HH, 2001Households to Total HH, 2001Households to Total HH, 2001Households to Total HH, 2001Households to Total HH, 2001
Table 2: Distribution of Districts with More than 20 Per CentTable 2: Distribution of Districts with More than 20 Per CentTable 2: Distribution of Districts with More than 20 Per CentTable 2: Distribution of Districts with More than 20 Per CentTable 2: Distribution of Districts with More than 20 Per Cent 
Female Heads of Households, 2001Female Heads of Households, 2001Female Heads of Households, 2001Female Heads of Households, 2001Female Heads of Households, 2001 
Table 4: Age Distribution of Female Headed Households (Per Cent), India, 2001Table 4: Age Distribution of Female Headed Households (Per Cent), India, 2001Table 4: Age Distribution of Female Headed Households (Per Cent), India, 2001Table 4: Age Distribution of Female Headed Households (Per Cent), India, 2001Table 4: Age Distribution of Female Headed Households (Per Cent), India, 2001 
Table 3: Marital Status of Female HeadsTable 3: Marital Status of Female HeadsTable 3: Marital Status of Female HeadsTable 3: Marital Status of Female HeadsTable 3: Marital Status of Female Heads 
Households (Per Cent), India, 2001Households (Per Cent), India, 2001Households (Per Cent), India, 2001Households (Per Cent), India, 2001Households (Per Cent), India, 2001 
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