WIDOWS AND HEALTH IN RURAL NORTH-INDIA

The north Indian widow tends to be a highly marginalised person. She typically receives very little support from persons other than her children, and even when she lives with one or several of her adult sons she remains highly vulnerable to neglect. Further, her ability to engage in income-earning activities of her own is severely restricted, partly due to various patriarchal norms such as patrilineal inheritance and the division of labour by gender. The consequences of this social and economic marginalisation are manifest in poor health and high mortality levels. This paper explores aspects of the lives of widows in north India that have a strong bearing on their health and well-being, with special attention to the issue of social support.