উনিশ-বিশ শতকের পত্রপত্রিকায় হিন্দু বাঙালি মেয়েদের কলমে গার্হস্থ্য, সন্তানপালন, পরিবারের স্বাস্থ্য বিষয়ক ভাবনা
Abstract:
Bengali Society was led by a new fervour of domesticity in the 19th century. The
concept of ideal home influenced the Bengali literati and women too. Health of the
members of a family became an important issue with which the role of women as
caregiver got attached. Since the later half of the 19th century the Bengali literati
took advantage of print technology to express their opinion through writings
regarding home, family, childcare, general health etc. Women also came forward
and expressed their opinion on those issues. They showed their concerns for the
health of the family members and gradually of their own. Women wrote in several
magazines about maternity and childcare. They pointed out the bad effect of child
marriage on the health of women. They discussed about the domestic duty of
women. At the same time they became critical of certain issues. Sometimes
women writers followed the footsteps of the male writers and criticised their own
folk with the same tone. In the 20th century, political changes took place in
Bengal. Cultural changes also happened during this time. Women became more
conscious of their health issues. They wanted to see the world outside the
boundary of their kitchens. They wrote that to maintain the health of the family
women should gather knowledge about health. Women felt that health was
priceless. Some of them had the opinion that their home was like a state.
Indigenous male society and the colonial rulers both perceived women's health as
reproductive health. Women also put stress on motherhood and used it as a tool to
establish their rights in society. Women talked of the bad condition of labour room,
problem of motherhood, birth control etc. There is no doubt that they created a
narrative for themselves.
Readers can download the Abstract and the Article clicking following buttons:
