POPLINE Document Number: 290318
Author(s):
Rashid S
Source citation:
[Unpublished] [1999]. 13 p.
Abstract:
The introduction of biomedical technologies such as Norplant draw into relief broader issues such as changing gender relations between rural men and women. For one, the Bengali woman is not a simple repository of ideological constructions, as she creates her own self construction as a woman in purdah, which highlights the malleability of 'traditional' ideologies.' Speaking about decisions to use Norplant, some of the women expressed the view that the community has changed and their narratives reveal transformations in their medical world view, and in their economic and social life. The women will go to significant lengths to control their fertility. They defy their family and societal standards at times, obtain the cooperation of kin and family planning workers to procure services, and ingeniously avail themselves of Norplant services. A majority of the women are proud of their ability to take the initiative in seeking Norplant services, as one woman explained, 'I decided to take it, Norplant is good, it is for five years.' They perceived that by limiting their family size, they would be able to give their children better food, clothing and improved education. Shifting discourses on 'modernity' and 'tradition' are revealed as women try to situate their bodies and themselves in the world, and as they negotiate conflicts between the 'traditional' and the 'modern'. Figuring importantly in the narratives are ideas about the creation of their 'new modern' identities which is seen as an inevitable fact of the 'new era'. However, this new sense of self exists in collaboration with a substantial inability to negotiate, as the lives of these women continue to be largely controlled by patriarchal structures and norms. (excerpt)
Keywords:
BangladeshIndex page
Critique
Rural Population
Women
Contraceptive Implants
Levonorgestrel
Perception
Family Planning
Changes
Taboo
Women's Groups
Asia, Southern
Asia
Developing Countries
Population Characteristics
Demographic Factors
Population
Contraceptive Methods
Contraception
Contraceptive Agents, Progestin
Contraceptive Agents, Female
Contraceptive Agents
Psychological Factors
Behavior
Social Change
Culture
Interest Groups
Political Factors