Skip to main content Accessibility help
×
Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-dh8gc Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-08T04:25:04.157Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

6 - Fighting with numbers

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  07 January 2010

Roger Jeffery
Affiliation:
University of Edinburgh
Patricia Jeffery
Affiliation:
University of Edinburgh
Get access

Summary

I have three sons – the third came in the foolishness of looking for a girl. I will try to educate them all to MA level in the hopes they will get service. It doesn't matter if they all go away to work, I can always employ someone to do the farm work. Unless they get a good job, what benefit will there be from the education? Fortunately, my wife can supervise the children's study; I myself don't have the time.

(ROGER:) Why did you want a girl?)

First to help her mother in the house, before she is married; secondly because if there is any work to be done (like getting a glass of water or some food) a girl will never refuse but a son will; also a daughter is needed for me to get the merit of giving a daughter in marriage.

(ROGER:) Why not have only one son, then he would get all the land?)

Like I said, I need more than one in case that one son is bad.

(ROGER:) Why not have many more sons?)

Yes, that would be good for making the country strong; and would be important, for example in fighting, like against the Muslims, because their population is growing faster. But children are too expensive: the everyday costs are so high I couldn't afford any more.

(Charan h/o Chitra, J24, middle peasant)

Questions of population size enter into political discussions in various ways in India.

Type
Chapter
Information
Population, Gender and Politics
Demographic Change in Rural North India
, pp. 212 - 253
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 1997

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Save book to Kindle

To save this book to your Kindle, first ensure [email protected] is added to your Approved Personal Document E-mail List under your Personal Document Settings on the Manage Your Content and Devices page of your Amazon account. Then enter the ‘name’ part of your Kindle email address below. Find out more about saving to your Kindle.

Note you can select to save to either the @free.kindle.com or @kindle.com variations. ‘@free.kindle.com’ emails are free but can only be saved to your device when it is connected to wi-fi. ‘@kindle.com’ emails can be delivered even when you are not connected to wi-fi, but note that service fees apply.

Find out more about the Kindle Personal Document Service.

Available formats
×

Save book to Dropbox

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Dropbox.

Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

Available formats
×