Articles by Mridul Eapen

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In 1997 the Supreme Court issued the Visakha guidelines to prevent sexual harassment of women at the workplace until a suitable law was passed. A draft bill in 2005 was followed by yet another draft in 2007. A report of a discussion in Kochi.

Kerala has been considered relatively free from the conventional restrictions against women's education and employment, or women owning property. Indeed, the state level gender development index estimated by several scholars places Kerala ahead of other states. But a decomposition of this index reveals that the top position in education and health masks the poor employment profile of women in the state. Besides, the state witnesses negative trends in women's property rights, rapid growth and spread of dowry and rising gender-based violence. This paper engages critically with gender performance in select dimensions of well-being.

Some Reflections on Petty Production Mridul Eapen Although the growth of tiny enterprises in rural areas has resulted largely from lack of alternative employment opportunities, they are often viable undertakings which make an important contribution to the economic survival of the rural poor. As such, micro-enterprises need to be supported by better access to institutional finance through rural banking, a strategy not likely to be encouraged by the increasingly market-oriented financial policies.

Fertility and Female Labour Force Participation in Kerala Mridul Eapen This study attempts to understand change and response in (he female labour market in Kerala, emphasising primarily the demographic aspects. The focus is on the pattern of fertility decline which could partly explain the observed decline in work participation rates of married women. More importantly, it is hypothesised that the functioning of the female labour market may have induced a certain response affecting fertility behaviour On the expectation that the difficulties in securing work for the woman are temporary, couples would be encouraged to bring forward the period of child-bearing and complete family size within a shorter span of time to enable participation later.