Neglect Of Single Women In India

In the poorest region of India, the drought-hit Marathwada, there is an unusually
 high number of single women.  Some were widowed after their farmer husbands committed suicide because of debt, others were abandoned because they didn't produce a son, while some were left behind when their husbands left to search for work.  With no financial support, the women and children are usually thrown out of the house by their in-laws, denied ownership of the land they worked on and any compensation from the government.  They are taunted and harassed by communities who believe a woman is nothing without a man.

Single women are the most vulnerable category in India.  They are neglected by the government, by society, even by their own family.  Every day is a struggle for them-  to a get a home, get land and even identity cards, which are in the name of the father or husband.  They are faced with constant humiliations.

In India, a patriarchal society, only 13% of farm land is owned by women.  When it comes to the lower caste Dalit, women who are single, it is even lower.  Many single women in India are widows.  They receive a monthly pension of about $7.40 a month.  Divorced or never married women  are ineligible for most welfare benefits.

New social protection has been unveiled for single women, including finding safe and affordable housing.  There have instilled policies aimed to strengthen the social infrastructure for single women and improved their overall condition.  Charities in Osmanabad are helping single women to get government issued identity  cards that entitle them to subsidised food rations, to apply for bank loans, and to lay claim to property.  Hopefully these new policies will improve the lives for all women, especially single women.  No woman should be forced into marriage as many are.  This policy may take years to change, but in the mean time single women need an opportunity to live a full life without fear and humiliation.