Abstract: The health and well-being of widows in India is an important but neglected issue of public health and women's rights. According to the 2001 Census, widows represent 9% of the female population (over 34 million women), yet researchers and policy makers have paid scant attention to this group. This may partly be due to the overemphasis of the ‗instrumental' (as opposed to intrinsic) value of women in society, the religious symbolism of widowhood in India, and the view that widows are a private matter rather than a social problem. There is a need for a better understanding of widows beyond the sensational cases such as sati (widow burning), to include the more subtle, yet......
Key Terms:Widowhood, Discrimination, Inclusion, Rehabilitation, Inequality
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