These gender development indicators show that the status of women in the state is very high. Kerala tops the list in terms of the reproductive health index of 84.61 (Srinivasan et al, 1997). The recent National Family Health Survey-2 ( 1998-1999) found that 93% of the births in Kerala took place in a medical facility. It has also been realized that Kerala is much better equipped with medical facilities than the rest of the country and these facilities are reasonably well distributed, despite some inter district and inter sectoral disparities (Gulati, Ramalingam and Gulati, 1997).

Conventional indicators

Sources: Census 2001; Economic review, Government of Kerala 2002 & 2003; NFHS-2)

However, there has been a growing uneasiness with Kerala’s social development outcomes in recent years (Eapen and Kodoth, 2001). It has been realised that the same narrow, target oriented, population and fertility related biomedical view of understanding health and development, which concentrates on birth rates and fertility control of women are not found to be adequate to understand the present situation of women.

For example, other indicators related to status of women reveal a different picture.
1. Increase in instances of gender based violence against women
There have been increasing instances of gender based violence, particularly domestic violence against women in Kerala (Eapen and Kodoth, 2001). A study conducted by INCLEN and ICRW on domestic violence in Kerala found that as high as 62.3% and 61.61% of the women in Kerala are subjected to physical torture and mental harassment as compared to 37% and 35.5% at the national level. The same study found that Thiruvananthapuram, the capital of Kerala ranked first among the five cities in India in the prevalence of domestic violence against women (ICRW 2002). A study by Sakhi for the Dept. of Health report 40% violence against women, with an average of 2 women patients coming to the Out Patient Departments (OPD’s) with injuries due to violence (Sakhi, 2004). There are increasing reports of dowry related violence, rape and other atrocities against women in Kerala (Women’s Commission, 1999). Wife beating has been found to be the most common and yet the least reported of atrocities against women in the State with only one out of ten cases being reported to the police stations.
2. Poor mental health of women
Recent years have also seen an increase in the cases of depression found among the women in the State, which can be attributed to the lack of autonomy and powerlessness experienced by the women in the State (Suchitra, 2002). There have been increasing cases of suicide representing the poor mental health situation of women in the state along with rapid growth and spread of dowry related crimes against women. These findings have questioned the assumptions of ‘high status’ of Kerala women based on narrow indicators while not considering the broader aspects related to the women’s material and social lives (Eapen and Kodoth, 2001).

3. Poor participation and representation of women in politics
The other notable paradox regarding the status of women in Kerala is the poor participation and representation in politics. Out of 144 seats in the State assembly, the number of women has never been more than 13 i.e. 10%. Women’s representation is also low in the various decision-making bodies of the political parties and the trade unions.
4. High workload and household responsibility on the women
The workload for women is much higher than men in Kerala. For example, it is the women who manage all the household responsibilities such as shopping, cooking, cleaning, washing, taking care of the children, looking after the other family members (Ramanathaiyer and Macpherson, 2000). The rate of migration among men is very high in the State. The percentage of elderly persons, who have to be taken care of, also is high. As a result of this, women have to bear the responsibility of managing the entire familial affairs.

5. Poor work participation of women
Lower work participation of women, in spite of high education and discrimination at work are also some of the unpleasant realities in the state of Kerala, which question the claims of high social development of the state as a whole. The work participation rate of women in Kerala is lower than the national average as well as those of other Southern States.
6. Gender difference in professional education
The number of girl students in Industrial Training Institutes and Technical High Schools is very low. The trade wise analysis shows that there is a strong gender bias with girls opting for courses like Stenography, dress making, secretarial practice, hair/skin care and tailoring. The number of students in Engineering Colleges is also low constituting only around 30%.

7. Relatively unequal property rights

Women hold only 23.18% of the operational holdings in the State. Women own only 17.16 percentage of the total area under operational holdings. (Economic review, Kerala State Planning Board-2001)

8. Differential Wage structure
Differential wage structure between males and females in spite of powerful trade union movement and relatively larger participation in trade union activity still persists in Kerala. This is particularly true of agricultural labour and construction labour.
9. Lack of autonomy or decision-making power
A recent NFHS survey among Kerala women related to autonomy of the women has questioned the claims of the so called ‘high status’ of Kerala women. The survey found that more than 50% of the women in Kerala needed permission to go to the market or visit friends or relatives (UNDP, 2001)
10. Poor health situation of women in Kerala
The general health situation among women in Kerala shows that the prevalence of acute morbidity and chronic diseases is higher among women than men (Ramanathaiyer and Macpherson, 2000). The hospital records show that the number of women undergoing treatment in Kerala is very high as compared to men. For example, in 1991, 652,425 women as against 7,932,196 men registered as inpatients in the government allopathic clinics in Kerala (Ramanathaiyer and Macpherson, 2000).

11.Sex ratio among 0-6 years children.

Recent years have shown a rising male child ratio in the 0-6 population in Kerala. This is an indication that that sex-selective abortion is being practiced in Kerala. Kerala is gradually inching towards the national scenario where there is increased male bias. This is largely due to an increasing trend towards the demand for dowry, which makes the female child an unwanted burden leading to more chances of a female child being aborted.

12. Responsibility for contraception on the women
Sterilization is the most common and favoured form of contraception that has been used in Kerala. It has also been found that it is the women who bear the responsibility or the burden of contraception. Thus, even though male sterilisation has found to be the much simpler, easier and cost effective, it is the women who go for sterilization (Babu, 1993). This also shows the lack of autonomy and decision-making power that the women experience in the State.

13. Neglect of the poor state of the women from the marginalised communities
Particular attention has thus been directed in recent years at the state of neglect of the marginalised communities such as the tribals, fisherfolk as well as the urban slum population in Kerala, in spite of the high figures of socio-economic development of the state as a whole.The state of the women from these marginalised communities has been found to be very poor and women from these communities have continued to remain invisible to the policy makers, till recently
14. Demographic changes
A matter of equal concern is the increasing percentage of older people in our population due the demographic changes. According to 1991 census 8.96 lakh men and 10.16 lakh women in Kerala are above the age of 60. Since most women are dependents, without any property or asset, their problems worsen during old age.

The extent of female headedness of the households also is much higher in Kerala (19.37%) as compared to the country as a whole, which is about 8% (Gulati, Ramalingam, Gulati, 1997: p 47).

In recent years, the very concept of status has been criticized for being too reductionist and it has been argued that meaningful study of status must place “women at the center” and examine the degree of control they exercise over their lives. (WOPRA 1996:2). In can thus been seen that in the instance of Kerala, fertility rate may have declined, literacy rate may be high but the processes by which gender inequalities can be transformed are not addressed. The issues of power continue to be unaddressed

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