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Gender Roles and Household Decision-Making: A Study of the Indian Middle Class
Author(s): Ravi SinghAbstract
The Indian middle class has undergone rapid transformations over the past few decades shaped by economic liberalisation urbanisation and globalisation. These structural changes have influenced not only lifestyles and consumption patterns but also gender relations within households. Traditionally Indian families operated under patriarchal norms with men occupying positions of authority in decision-making and women restricted to domestic roles. However rising female education entry of women into the workforce and exposure to global cultural values have challenged these traditional dynamics. Household decision-making in middle-class families has therefore become an important arena for negotiating gender roles reflecting both continuity and change.