With decades of experience in addressing pre-natal sex selection (previously termed “female foeticide”), CSR implemented Meri Shakti,Meri Beti (My Daughter, My Strength) project in 2007 in the three lowest sex-ratio districts of the Delhi namely Najafgarh, Narela and Punjabi Bagh with the support of Ministry of Health & Family Welfare and Ministry of Women & Child Development, Government of India. Due to the continuing support of the government, and additional backing of WomenPowerConnect (WPC) and United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), Meri Shakti, Meri Beti (MSMB) has since been implemented in the urban (May 2009 – April 2011) and rural (October 2010-August 2011) areas of Ambala and Kurukshetra districts of Haryana. MSMB was an action-based research project, which initially aimed to conduct a situational analysis on the basis of action taken by existing agencies on the issue of pre-natal sex selection, to identify an impact assessment of existing educational materials about and awareness of the Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostics Techniques (PC & PNDT) Act, and to generate further awareness of the issue. The findings from the previous study are then used to determine and create best practices for the implementation of MSMB II in the South-west districts of Delhi where the situation is one of the worst with the child sex ratio of 846 girls per 1000 boys. Hence, to arrest the declining sex ratio through an action research project, CSR is currently implementing the action project with the support of the German Embassy.

Download Action-based Research Project: “Meri Shakti Meri Beti”

A summary of the report released by CSR

CSR recently released a report entitled ‘Surrogacy Motherhood: Ethical or Commercial’ based on a study conducted in Gujarat. The report provides an insight into the rise of surrogacy in India, and the emergence of India as a popular destination for couples seeking surrogate mothers. According to Ms Manasi Mishra, head of research at CSR and the lead author of the report, ‘Cheap medical facilities, advanced reproductive technological know-how, coupled with poor socio-economic conditions, and a lack of regulatory laws in India, combines to make India an attractive option’. The report states that there is a growing demand for fair-skinned, educated young women to become surrogate mothers for foreign couples. Average cost of surrogacy is around $10,000-30,000 which includes the remuneration of the surrogate mothers, IVF costs, foods and consumables, legal and doctors’ fees, delivery cost and antenatal care. For international medical tourists the cost seems extremely reasonable which instigates more number of couples to seek such treatments here in India.

The report goes on to state the importance of passing the Artificial Reproductive Technology (2010) Bill soon, so that clear laws are in place, which will clarify the Indian government’s stand on surrogacy, and will prevent exploitation of women in the name of surrogacy. It talks about the need to provide adequate health care facilities to the surrogate mother, and providing the baby with all amenities, irrespective of the nationalities of the biological parents. The legislation should also cover the rights and duties of the commissioning parents, thus covering all three concerned parties within its ambit.

The report provides a snapshot of the growing phenomenon of surrogacy in India, and asserts the need for the passage of the ART Bill soon, so as to prevent exploitation of Indian women in the name of surrogacy, along with protecting the child.

Click here to download the complete Surrogacy Report

By Dr. Manasi Mishra, Head of Research Division

This unique research study provides a nuanced analysis of the motivations, experiences and consequences of surrogacy in Anand, Surat and Jamnagar in the state of Gujarat of India. The study focuses on the reasons for the woman’s decision to become a surrogate mother and for commissioning parents to opt for surrogacy. It provides a retrospective view of the relationship between commissioning parents and surrogate mother before the pregnancy, during the pregnancy, and after the birth. Furthermore, the study analyses societal response to the commissioning parents’ decision to opt for a surrogacy service and the surrogate mother’s decision to provide a service.

Download in pdf – Compile Surrogacy Report

The research study was conducted in three of the most prominent areas of Gujarat state (Anand, Surat, Jamnagar), where one can find the most famous clinics providing surrogacy arrangements. The sample size consisted of one hundred surrogate mothers and fifty commissioning parents and their families in three cities of Gujarat. The methodology, adopted for the study, was exploratory research using both qualitative and quantitative research tools, such as the situation analysis, the informal investigation, survey analysis and questionnaires.

The research findings indicate that in the absence of a concrete law regarding surrogacy arrangement all the three parties involved i.e. the surrogate mother, the commissioning parents and the child are subjected to the whims and caprices of handful of infertility physicians who gained the most out of this arrangement. The unfavorable socio-economic conditions make the surrogate mothers financially vulnerable to search for extra income. There is very little interaction between the surrogate mother and intended parents, who in their desperation to beget a child do not question the clinics’ dealings with their surrogate mother. The research reveals that it does not seem to be a problem for intended parents to acquire a baby through surrogacy arrangements, whereas the surrogate mother sometimes has to pay a high cost of exclusion by her family members and society. Last but not the least the child born through surrogacy arrangement also at times has to suffer due to the crisis regarding citizenship issue, divorce of intending parents or physical abnormalities. Hence, the study strongly recommends certain policy formulation for surrogacy arrangement with the enactment of a concrete law.

Rape is one of the most distressing and prevalent forms of violence against women in India today, with as many as two women being raped every hour across the country, according to the latest National Crime Bureau statistics. Owing to an alarming increase in the number of rape cases in the Capital, in July of this year our Development division undertook a study which examined the First Information Reports (FIRs) registered at CSR’s Rape Crisis Intervention Centre from early 2010 to July 2011. A total of 58 cases were examined, and additional field visits to South Western district police stations were conducted to review the quality of the implementation of Delhi High Court directives dealing with child sexual abuse cases.

So far, to date, the study has been covered among national and international outlets including the Times of India, Daily Pioneer, Asian Age, and Outlook India. While much of this media attention focussed on timing and location of the incidents, the study also revealed a trend in the age of victims and perpetrators. The majority of rape victims seeking assistance and filing reports at the CSR Crisis Intervention Centre are below the age of 20 (66%, with 22% of victims under the age of 10). On the other hand, 67% of accused were over the age of 20.

Additionally striking, was the discovery of a high prevalence of sexual assault committed by persons known to the victim: 51 out of 58 persons accused were relatives, neighbours, friends, teachers or acquaintances; only 7 out of 58 persons accused were either strangers or were not further specified by the victim.

Ever wondered who is updating the CSR Facebook page, searching for the latest statistics on crimes against women, or assisting our core team in envisioning, coordinating and facilitating our projects and programs?

We are always very proud of our enthusiastic young interns in the CSR office. Over the years we’ve had interns join us from both across the country and across the world – from Punjab, Jharkhand, and Maharashtra in India to Scotland, Germany, Canada and Georgia. They’ve worked on a variety of projects such as Walk a Mile in Her Shoes, the I Stand for Safe Delhi campaign, Human Rights Defenders training workshops and numerous research projects. We’d like to introduce you to some of our current hard working interns!

Meet Maia Barkaia, Research Intern at Centre for Social Research, from Sokhumi, Georgia.

Research Intern Maia working hard at work in the CSR office

What brought you to New Delhi?

I am currently working on a Ph.D in Gender Studies (looking at the intersections of gender and religious identities) through Tbilisi State University. Over the past few years, my studies have been related to India and, as I read more about women’s struggles and feminism in India, I decided to immerse myself in some practical work in additon to my more theoretical experiences. I had the privilege of joining Centre for Social Research as an intern this August.

Describe a typical day at CSR for you…

My day at CSR is quite busy, but interesting. During the day I’m looking through different academic articles related to the project that the  research team works on, processing data, and writing reports on the studies that have been carried out.

What is the most shocking thing you’ve learned about women in India since starting your research at CSR?

While reading CSR reports and  research projects about pre-natal sex selection and sexual harassment, I was  profoundly shocked by the sheer scale of discrimination against women in India.

What do you enjoy doing when you’re studying or working?

I like that there is such a wide variety of things to do in Delhi. I love attending different cultural programs and public meetings, roaming in the streets of Old Delhi, visiting friends in Jawaharlal Nehru University and exploring new and exciting places outside of the city.

This is part two of a two-part series. Read part one here.

Last week, we looked at the women who are stepping into the limelight within the Indian corporate sector to become managers, against all the odds. Sadly, a recent Centre for Social Research study on Women Managers in India highlighted several major factors still inhibiting their goals and aspirations.

In other words, representation of women at the top level of management is proportionately low compared to men in India. A solid glass ceiling prevents women from moving upwards in their careers and if companies are serious about striving toward greater diversity in their management, systematic changes are needed. In response to its findings, the CSR Research Division has outlined the following key recommendations for change:

The major barrier for the promotion of women managers in India is insensitivity towards women’s social roles and responsibilities. Active changes to the recruitment system, company policies, legislation and increased opportunities and training for women employees are needed in order to reach more proportionate gender representation in Indian corporate management.

This is part one of a two-part series. Read part two here.

“Women are fragile.” “Women are indecisive.” “Women are too emotional.” “Women are inexperienced.”

These are some of the stereotypes with which many still view women in the workplace in India today. Such pre-conceptions consequently stand in the way of success for even the most capable and talented women in their professional lives. Centre for Social Research’s recent study, Women Managers in India, has revealed unsettling explanations for the distinct lack of power and authority which remains a reality for the majority of professional women in management positions in three of India’s most rapidly developing cities. During 2009-2011 our Research team surveyed 264 women managers in Delhi, Kolkata and Bangalore in order to examine the underlying factors which impede women’s professional success, as well as uncover how and why women continue to struggle to prove their worth in what is often described as ‘a man’s world’.

Women managers–those that supervise 13 or more members of staff–face a variety of gender-based challenges in different corporate sectors such as health, media, finance and hospitality in India. However, views on what these challenges are differ widely between corporate levels and sectors.

The resounding opinion is that while many women are confronted with male ego, which eventually results in a loss of opportunities, they are also subjected to other factors which make the workplace an uncomfortable environment for women and constitute serious obstacles to gender equality. For one, 72% of the companies audited did not have any gender-specific policies to encourage female staff into leadership positions, suggesting that there is no intention of moving towards greater representation of women in management in the private sector. Women-specific forums for reporting grievances or gaining support on how to further one’s career do not exist either, sustaining an unwelcoming atmosphere for women in a male-dominated workplace.

In addition to the lack of institutionalised support for existing and aspiring women managers in Indian firms, gender inequality is clearly visible in the workplace. Special facilities such as flexible working hours and medical benefits are usually only available to men and not women. Given the traditional views surrounding family and marriage and the perceived importance of a woman’s role in the home in Indian society, young married women especially struggle to balance their careers and family lives. This is due to an insensitive approach toward women’s family obligations and related disagreements over maternity benefits and leave. According to our survey, 18% of study participants complained of conflicting roles, responsibilities and complaining in-laws who wanted the daughter-in law to quit her job.

But why is there a lack of understanding about the responsibilities and needs of a young working mother? In India, when women attempt to maintain a balance between time spent at home and at the office, their efforts are often misinterpreted as a lack of commitment to their job.

However, for many women starting out in their career or already working their way up the ladder, the real problem does not lie in commitment to their job but in the individual challenge of finding sufficient drive to reach the upper management level. As a result, women become complacent with the position they are holding at work, and their zeal for more responsibility and success begins to fade. While 63% of women in entry-level positions in Delhi expressed their aspiration to reach the top, only 48% of mid-career women expressed the same. Many women with such goals admitted that they were unaware of how to fulfill their ambitions or lacked confidence. While not expressly addressed in the study, there’s likely a direct link between these figures and the lack of support and encouragement for women in the workplace in corporate Indian organisations.

Centre for Social Research’s press conference at the Indian Women’s Press Corps today saw a high turnout of journalists eager to find out about our latest piece of research: Gender Dimensions of International Migration, India and Bangladesh. Dr. Ranjana Kumari, Director of CSR, and Dr. Manasi Mishra, Head of Research at CSR, presented a summary of the report, which looked at over 1,000 case studies in 2009 and found trends in the problems faced by female migrants.

The study focused on the socio-economic consequences that come from the migration of the breadwinner, generally the male, of labour families. The study also evaluated the roles adopted by males and females of families left back and how the increasing responsibilities lead to an emergence of gender traditionalism. According to this study, 77% of migrant women as opposed to 34% of migrant men faced resistance. Though women empowerment was reported, 73% of migrant women reported loneliness and had significant difficulties with childcare.

We’re calling for Indian Embassies abroad to set up cells for female migrants to go to for help, regardless of the legal status of their migration. Indian women need to be protected from exploitation, and it’s our government’s responsibility to make sure that they are, irrespective of which country they are sent to work in.