Title: The continuum of maternity and child care support: a critique of relevant laws, policies and programs from the perspective of women's triple roles of roles.

POPLINE Document Number: 281843

Author(s):

Swaminathan M

Source citation:

[Unpublished] 1993. Presented at the Sixth National Conference on Women's Studies, Centre for Women's Studies, University of Mysore, May 31, 1993 to June 3, 1993. 19 p.

Abstract:

The critique grows out of the basic assumption that women perform three roles - the productive, reproductive and the consumer. It has been customary to speak about the "double burden," of women, setting the work role against the domestic role. However, when the child bearing and rearing role is merged with the consumer, role under the rubric of "housewife" or domestic role, certain critical differences in the nature and duration of the two tasks are blurred. On the one hand, the periods of child-bearing and child rearing are limited, yet fixed by factors beyond a woman's control, while housekeeping is a permanent and ongoing feature. On the other hand specific housekeeping tasks may be postponed, avoided or delegated, while the child requires continuing attention and cannot be treated in the same way. So separating the two into three roles' offers greater clarity of definition. From this standpoint, it is possible to define as a continuum the period during, which the woman, in her role as worker, requires certain support services from family, society, employer and state in order to fulfill her reproductive role without hazard or lost to herself, her children or her capacity to contribute to society as a worker. Though very precise definitions may be difficult at this stage, for practical purposes it can be stated that the mother and child dyad requires maternity and child care support from the third trimester of pregnancy up to the time the child is of school age, that is five/six years old. (excerpt)

Keywords:

India
Critique
Recommendations
Child
Women
Labor Force
Pregnancy
Child Care
Economic Policy
Breastfeeding
Health Policy
Maternal-Child Health Services
Developing Countries
Asia, Southern
Asia
Youth
Age Factors
Population Characteristics
Demographic Factors
Population
Human Resources
Economic Factors
Reproduction
Child Rearing
Behavior
Policy
Infant Nutrition
Nutrition
Health
Primary Health Care
Health Services
Delivery of Health Care