Journal of Society in Kashmir

Sociology

University of Kashmir

ISSN: 2249-667X

Social media, particularly social networking sites, provide expansive windows opened to see through the life of its users. Exposure to others’ lives on social networking sites may consider increased feelings of personal relative deprivation, as the feeling of being deprived arises from comparing oneself to others. Researchers have found that women have the tendency to make upward social comparisons with others, which ultimately results in increased negative feelings about themselves. If there is a desire for online social comparison among young women, can it lead to compulsive checking of social networking sites? Till date, there is little work done in India that looks into the effects of social comparison among women through social media platforms and feelings of relative deprivation thereafter. This paper attempts to examine how the social comparison on online platforms leads to a sense of relative deprivation among young women social media users in Jammu and Kashmir.

Traditionally in Kashmir the working women have to perform dual functions, one in home and the other outside. Both the fronts are interrelated, interdependent and sometimes make conflicting demands. When women enter into hard job like police where work requirements are totally different than other professions. It creates more complex situation for women to choose between home and work. In other words it leads to role conflict. Role conflict occurs whenever a person is required to perform two or more roles whose expectations are to some extent inconsistent. Role conflict is, therefore, a type of stress arising from a condition in which the player of focal role or roles perceives that he is confronting with incompatible expectation. Often she has to face conflicting situations and has to sacrifice in the interest of her family for the sake of work, career and at others her occupational career is endangered because of heavy family responsibility, yet they perform their roles effectively. Therefore the present study has looked into the aspect of work and role conflict of women police in Kashmir. In addition an attempt has been made to identify the reasons for role conflict is experienced and to find out coping strategies adopted by the women police for balancing career and family life as well as to assess the impact of Police profession on their family.

The progress of any particular nation is protracted from the growth and development of the masses in its lower echelons. Jammu and Kashmir, the northernmost erstwhile state of India is also pressing its gears for eliminating the different forms of inequalities and injustice in the socio-economic and political frame from these echelons. Owing to the geographical, cultural and religious diversities in the (now) union territory, it is worth discussing that how far the tagging of the lower classes and welfare policies and programmes designed for their development, thus far, are appropriate? Employing the secondary sources, it draws out the fact that that amidst the development hoax, a considerable population proportion is still facing the brunt of inequality and social injustice. The extrapolation from the results is not encouraging and there is a strong need for its revival to feel that (genuine) less fortunate sections of the society are actually empowering.

The article examines the status of tribal education in Dard tribe of cold desert Ladakh and explains the reasons of high school dropouts and non-enrolment among tribal children as well as to identify the determinants responsible for the poor quality of educational infrastructure. Educational achievements between males and females in tribal social groups vary significantly. The literacy rates among tribal population are not only low but also shows higher level of gender disparity. Even today, the tribal literacy falls below national average. In addition to this, there are problems of low levels of learning achievements, lower participation of girls among tribes. Drop-out rate has been high among tribal groups than overall child population in elementary education. Based on a sample of 600 respondents selected from the thrust areas of Dard tribes from Ladakh (India), the study uses a descriptive research design and multi-stage sampling technique. The findings showed that the Dards of both clusters of Ladakh present a dismal picture of education.

Partition was one the most catastrophic and cataclysmic events in the history of South Asia. Partitions throughout the world gave serious jolt to the societies with the millions of people getting killed, displaced and it largely affected the hitherto existing social fabric of the societies. India also underwent the same experience as it was partitioned into two nation-states India and Pakistan. The understanding of Partition from perspective of the nationalist discourse is popular in many writings on Partition. But looking at Partition from the perspective of common masses gives a human dimension to the history of Partition. By looking at the gendered dimension of Partition the paper tries to highlight how the memory of Partition exists in the popular discourse particularly in the writings on Partition both fictional and non-fictional. The paper also brings out the victimization of women of during Partition and the role of their agency in rebuilding their lives post- Partition. It argues that Partition is still a living reality in the lives of women and it has altered the social fabric of country. The women had to face the brunt of cultural and national burden and their journey in the course of the Partition catastrophe has been multilayered and multifaced.

The event of 13 July, 1931 marked the beginning of overt political protest in Kashmir. It was after this event that Kashmiris openly began to voice their grievances against feudal and autocratic State. The academic research on the uprising of1931 is handcuffed to contesting interpretations. A category of writers view it “Muslim uprising against Hindu State”. Another category of writers view the event as ‘Communal outburst against Hindus’. The third category of historians and writers while recognizing mass discontent against feudal monarchy opine that the 1931 event was clothed in communal ideology. The seething discontent and resentment against feudal autocracy is also viewed by some writers at the root of the movement. Therefore, to free the history of Kashmir from communitarian ideologies a humble attempt has been made in the present paper to examine 1931 uprising and to place it in its proper perspective. The paper discusses the class character of the uprising and views it as a part of global movement in favour of civil liberties, equality and justice which had its origin in French Revolution of 1789. It has also been our endeavor to analyze that though the uprising had a potential to vitiate inter-community relations in Kashmir but it could not affect the ethos of harmony at local level. The conflict remained confined to few quarters of Srinagar and could not spread to the rural areas. But due to elite mechanization, the distorted memory of the event played a significant role in subsequent history of Kashmir.

Nature and capitalism are two mismatched entities and they have always been in opposition to each other. Due to the capitalist development, nature is exploited and sacrificed. Ruthless capitalist development induces irreversible destruction to our nature. A prosperous, growing, and safe country needs water, clean air, forests, and arable land. Under current trends, these components of the natural resource foundation threaten to decline significantly as population and per capita incomes rise. Despite the urgent need for society to mitigate environmental catastrophe and shift towards a sustainable way of living, the problem of wasteful consumerism is only increasing. This research explores why this is the case through an analysis of meaning and motivation for modern consumerism. To address the tension between the problem of wasteful consumerism and sustainability, this research analyses the emerging discourse on sustainable consumption lifestyles.

Family planning is a key aspect of reproductive health and is also an important factor in individual and family well-being, with direct implications for overall physical and mental health and for general quality of life. Public opinion on family planning is important both because it reflects important contraceptive-related issues dealt with by individuals on a daily basis, and also because it has implications for national policy. The public opinion has, one way or the other and at different times, been getting reflected in the academic discourses. The present paper, as such, makes an attempt to explore the refection of the family planning in available literature by reviewing some of the main contributions.

Crime against women, a global human rights issue, has emerged as an impediment to the ideals of equality and freedom. Crime against women is a powerful control of their lives; it affects women of every age, ethnicity, region or religion. Studies have found that women are most at risk from men known to them. Methodologically, this paper is based on data extracted from NCRB reports and supplemented by other published resources such as books, articles and reports of governmental/ non-governmental organizations. This paper attempts to examine various types of crimes committed against women. It also attempts to engage rather theoretically with the notions of and inter-linkages between law, crime and women. Towards the end, the paper offers an analysis of various crimes committed against women in India, in addition to exploring the consequences thereof. This paper will serve as a guide to design mechanisms to counter this menace.

Women's education in India has also been a major preoccupation of both the government and civil society as educated women can play a very important role in the development of the country. The current status of higher education is characterized by low enrolment, poor completion rates, poor physical infrastructure, and high dropout rates among girls especially in rural areas. The institutions of higher education located in rural areas are lacking in the implementation of best practices in higher education and quality. J&K UT also has several renowned institutions of higher learning. There are some institutes providing higher education in the fields of arts, medicine, engineering and management. The state is marching ahead steadily on the path of modernization and prosperity. Despite that, J&K is still struggling to provide better higher education facilities and opportunities to female folk. Further, there is a rural and urban divide in access to education for women. In Jammu and Kashmir too, female literacy rate is quite low and stands at 58.01 percent. The rural female literacy rate in J&K is 53.36 percent to 70.19 percent for urban females respectively. It is in this context, the aim of this paper is to find out the status of women in higher education in J&K and tries to find out the problems that the women is suffering with regard to higher education.

The process of feminization of poverty in India is intimately connected to the cultural and institutional limitations that put a ceiling on women’s involvement in economic activity. Challenging gender based inequality needs bold steps and initiatives by women. The present paper examines various processes and novel approaches taken by women, involved in access to employment and land ownership where owning land is a marker of dominance. Using data from various sources, results from structural equation archetypes and qualitative thematic analyses demonstrate significant links among women’s access to employment, ownership of land, relationship power, receipt of physical and psychological violence and creation of barriers for their empowerment. Collectively, the findings suggest that when women have access to employment and own land, they gain power within their relationships and are less likely to experience violence. In this paper we examine the issues affecting rural women’s access to employment, land, other resources and markets.

Class-consciousness is often defined as politically expressed economic group-interest of a class. However the concept of working class-consciousness is very complex so cannot be defined by a single dimension or by a single theory because it is manifested in various ways. However, the researchers have made various attempts to clarify the different dimensions and put forward various theories of class consciousness. This paper attempts to analyze these theoretical perspectives on class consciousness by different people at different times and spaces.

The present study aims to evaluate the functioning of various child care schemes and to provide some suggestions for the adoption of the efficient mechanism to cater effectively to the needs of the needy children. The researchers feel that there should be a proper watchdog for monitoring the dispensations through these schemes properly. The integration of Sponsorships Schemes and ICPS will prove effective to augment the schemes’ functioning, besides the proper follow-ups by District Child Protection Unit (DCPU) will also check that the sponsorships are properly utilized.

Adolescent sexual and reproductive health has been one of five areas of focus of the World Bank's reproductive health action plan in 2010-2015, which recognized the importance of addressing it as a development issue with important implications for poverty reduction. It is, however, determined significantly by the socio-economic background of an adolescent. Adolescents face significant barriers to access and utilization of sexual and reproductive health services in many low-income settings, which in turn may be associated with adverse consequences such as early pregnancy, sexually transmitted infections, unsafe abortion and mortality. In view of the foregoing, the present study is an attempt to explore and understand the socioeconomic dimension of adolescent reproductive health among the girls (aged 10 to 19 years) of rural Kashmir.

Social networking sites are gaining an immense popularity in the lives of young people all over the world. With the advent of smart phones and tablets it has become easier to access online platforms. Whilst social networking sites enrich the quantity and quality of communication between people across the world, they also have the potential for harm. On the one hand these sites serve as a renowned platform by allowing people to interact and express their feelings, on the other these can be a catalyst and trigger for violence among people especially youth. This paper tries to examine young people’s attitude and behaviour over social networking sites and attempts to highlight the ways in which social networking sites act as a vector for youth violence based on secondary data.