widowhood

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‘WIDOWHOOD’
Submitted to
Dr. Chitra K P
Assistant Professor
Department of social work
Central Univerasity of Tamil Nadu
Submitted by
Faijas Yasir Khan M M
MSW First year
Department of social work
Central Univerasity of Tamil Nadu

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Introduction
• widow is a woman whose husband has died and who
has not married again.(cambridge).
• In India, a widow is referred to as "vidhwa," which
comes from the sanskrit word "vidh," which meaning
"to be destitute." (shabdakosh)
• ‘widowhood is a condition of social demise of the
husband’ (v Mohini Giri)
• There is no single definition of widowhood,
it is shaped by a variety of experiences, interpersonal and
social ramifications, and changes in the lives of women in
various cultural situations.
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“
'The time I spent with them after the death of my husband
was a nightmare. I was beaten, starved, and not allowed to
enter the main house to socialise with other family
members. I ran away and Vrindavan has been my home
since then.’
[Widows in India: My children threw me out of the house, Showkat Shafi/Al Jazeera
News]
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• There are over 258 million widows in the world (UN
WOMEN 2018)
• It is estimated there are 5,42,24,563 widows in India today
(census of india-2011)
• One in three widows worldwide live in India or China. (world
economic forum)
• About 55 percent of women aged sixty and above are widowed
(Irudaya Rajan, Mishra, and Sankara Sarma 1999)
• There are more than 6000 widows are staying in Vrindavan,
UP (Dr.Girija, NCW)

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In History
• Women in India have long been considered one of the most marginalised groups in society since
the vedic period.
• Sati was common practice in hindu religion.
• Remarriage was prohibited.
• Even the shadow of a widow was thought to bring misfortune and mischief.
• She should had to wear plain white sarees and shouldn’t wear any ornament.
• Widow from other religion were also subjected to various violences.
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Problems faced by widows
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• Deprivation of inheritance rights
 women are sometimes refused share of the property
 they are forced to leave their homes.
 The widow's brother-in-law may mistreat and even murder her in
order to obtain ownership of her land and property.
• Financial problems
 80% are facing this problem
 the death of breadwinner will guide them into financial insecurity.
 Husband’s debt
• Lack of Participation in Decision Making
 Widows are not allowed to participate in decision-making
procedures.
 particularly male relatives, make decisions when it comes to
providing education for their children and enrolling them in schools.

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• Social isolation and Neglect
 They must wear white clothing and refrain from putting make-up
or wearing any jewellery in many communities
 They are neglected from social involvement
 so that they lack to gain awareness of numerous issues and to
improve their general quality of life
• Prohibition of remarriage
 Some castes forbid widows from remarrying. Others allow it as
long as it is done within the family.
 If the widow is poor and cannot pay a dowry, the second marriage
poses numerous difficulties in finding a suitable partner.
 They are afraid of being mistreated in a new family and loses of
children

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Policies and Actions
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1. The Social Reform Movements.
 Worked for remarriage, prohibition of sati, promoting education etc…
 AryaSamaj, the Brahmo Samaj, people like Jyotiba Phule, Raja Ram Mohan Roy, Pandit Iswar Chandra
Vidyasager, Lala Lajpat Rai, etc. has contributed to the development of widow
2. Indira Gandhi National Widow Pension Scheme
 established by the Central Government to assist widow women from economically disadvantaged backgrounds
(BPL). In 1995.
 Widows who are at least 40 years old and live below the poverty line are eligible for Rs. 300 per month up to the
age of 79, and Rs. 500 per month beyond that.
 a huge proportion of young widows are unable to receive government assistance.
3. International day for widows.
 Since 2011, UN has designated June 23 as International Widows Day
4. Antyodaya Anna Yojana.
 Implemented in 2000
 BPL families headed by widows/single women will get wheat at INR 2 per kg and rice at INR 3 per kg.

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Laws and Legislations
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• Bengal sati regulation
 Enabled at 1829 by the Governor-General Lord William Bentinck.
 It was first major social reform legislation enacted by the British in India
• Hindu Widow’s Remarriage Act 1856
 enacted on July 26, 1856, under the East India Company's rule
 allowed the remarriage of Hindu widows in all provinces.
• Hindu Succession Act
 Enabled in 1956
 a widow is qualified to claim her share in the property of her deceased spouse.
 The arrangement protects her financial security and status significantly after the passing of her spouse

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National and International NGOs working for widows
Loomba Foundation
• Established in 1997 by
Lord Raj Loomba and his
wife Veena
• UK based NGO
Widows For Peace
Through Democracy
• a London ,UK based
NGO
• Established by margeret
owen well known
author in English.
• UN recognized NGO
Widows Rights
International (WRI)
• UK based NGO
• Established in 1996
Om shanti
• Established in 2013 by
anna Ettar
• It is supporting widows
and destitute single
women and their
children
VeerNari Shakti
Resettlement
Foundation
• supporting the resettlement
of war/martyr widows
• welfare of the martyred
soldiers
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Role of social worker
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 Linking widows to various government schemes
 Advocate for widow’ s rights to be integrated into the
human rights agendas of national and international
agencies.
 Initiate welfare projects with the Government-NGO
partnership.
 Information sharing.
 Widows should be assisted in implementing their legal
inheritance rights.
 Form special Income Generating Programmes for
widows.

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References
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 Dave (2020) Widowhood: The Problems And Challenges Face By Widows In India, International Journal Of
Advanced Research In Commerce, Management & Social Science.
 Malik (2013) Problems Of Widow Remarriage In India: A Study, Journal of Business Management & Social
Sciences Research (JBM&SSR)
 Kapoor (2020) The Problems And Impediments Experienced By Widows In India, Research Gate.
 Kapoor (2018) Widowhood In Indian Society, Research Gate.
 Explainer: What you should know about widowhood (2021) UN WOMEN,
https://www.unwomen.org/en/news/stories/2021/6/explainer-what-you-should-know-about-widowhood
 Malik (2013) Problems Of Widow Remarriage In India: A Study, Journal of Business Management & Social
Sciences Research (JBM&SSR)
 Trivedi , Dhyani (2009) Psychological Aspects of Widowhood and Divorce, Mens Sana Monographs

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Thank You