Modernizing Women : Searching Their Identities

Contents: Foreword. Preface. 1. Introduction. 2. Modernization: concept and process. 3. Modernization and women's studies. 4. Family: power and decision-making. 5. Role: adjustment and attitude. 6. Aspirations and values. 7. Secularization and religious beliefs. 8. Political participation and mass media. 9. Conclusion. Bibliography. Index.

From the foreword: "Modernizing Women: Searching Their Identities by Dr. Kali Nath Jha is a commendable addition to the studies on the problem of women in search of identities in a region of Bihar. He offers an empirical perspective on this problem in the backdrop of the processes of modernization. Extensive sociological literature is available on the theme how identities are generated or rekindled in the process of modernization. This study is an addition in this context. It deals with the formation and change in women's identities and deserves our attention.

The study is based on a survey of 200 highly educated women from Darbhanga district of Bihar. Dr. Jha has adopted the method of stratified random sampling, and data have been collected using a 'schedule'. Attitudinal changes among women in response to questions on issues related to 'identity' and 'change' constitute the basic frame of reference for his study. Analysis has been done keeping in view existing sociological works relevant to this theme.

The book is a timely addition to a very relevant aspect of women's study in India. It will be widely received by readers and researchers."