Want to know the truth about Kerala....

Dear KL members,

I am from Karnataka and need some clarifications on the state of Kerala...

Kindly answer me...

1. Are there equal number of women and men in Kerala?

2. Is Kerala a matrirachal society, in the sense that women are the masters of the home and not men like in other places?

3. Is the 100% literacy claim TRUE ot just a govt propogation and you still have any illiterates?

Thanks in advance for you replies...


NKumar

hi,

as a keralite let me try to clarify your quiries
1.officially YES. but we still have a lot of eligible boys seeking for girls and vice versa.
2. NO. we believe in diplomacy ,taking decisions together by discussing each other .because women are also much educated and open and able to handle the situations bravely. some time this cause problems though.....
3. YES ...absolutly... we are proud of it

i appreciate your interest in kerala. its a beautiful plce Do visit sometime

I hope these questions still applies.
1. Are there equal number of women and men in Kerala?
Census wise, there are more women in kerala than men. It could be (not sure, nagaland always have a competition with us in many areas), the only state in India where there are more women than men.
2. Is Kerala a matrirachal society, in the sense that women are the [COLOR=green ! important][COLOR=green ! important]masters[/color][/color] the home and not men like in other places?
This is partially correct. In olden days, women's family had more importance. Once you get married, the husband had to come and live with the wife in her house. Since those were the days of joint family, it was the Maternal Uncle who would run the family. Women were given a great deal of power and importance. There are still some section of Malayali society where this is followed.. But not to the extent that was there earlier. As stated in the earlier post, today women and men are given equal importance (at least theoritically).
3. Is the 100% literacy claim TRUE ot just a govt propogation and you still have any illiterates?

It is 100% true and we're really proud of it. Every person, though he wouldn't have passed 1st standard, he would definitely know how to read a newspaper. A very important part of every malayali's life. You would be surprised to see that the old un-educated men in kerala are more opinionated about various issues in politics and world than their counterparts througout the counntry.

cheers,
rekhat

Hi gals,
Kumar had raised food questions. I was born and brought up in Kerala, now living in Chennai. I visit annualy. But I find that this myth of equality is not true. Women are still very coy. I could not see much women riding two wheelers or cars as I see in Chennai. (In Delhi, I noticed that we can see more men on the streets than women).
And, when I was there, I had had lots of very bad experiences with men eve teasing in very bad taste- which may become physical also. And the sad part is, that problem is still there. recently my senior citizen who lives there confirmed this- she had a bad experience in her age too. Just imagine!
I find that men are very chauvinistic and women are oppressed too, generally. Women may get share from the family but not much respect generally form men folk. It is still difficult to go about the p lace without men ogling at you, whatever may be your age.
I guess many of you will get angry about me, but this is a fact. Can you ladies deny these facts?

Dear Varloo,
U are correct... it is difficult for ladies to move around freely without glares from the men... true.. but the discussion here was about equal number of men and women... ( i understand that there are more women than men in Kerala).
Now about freedom for women...Varloo, It is better than before. For this aspect we have ourselves to be blamed.. for the attitude of our men/ boys... Mothers bring up her children- boys and girls with different values.... Boys are boys they can do/ say anything... but girls well.... don't do this, don't say this , don't wear this , don't go there... etc... because they will think u are a bad girl!!!! This is what the society thinks now and if anyone in even the mildest manner dresses/ talks differently... well... But all this is changing... slowly but surely....
Our girls are coming out of their shells and are not easy targets anymore...

Bindu I agree with you.

kerala, is living on a big ballooned up fallacy of morality. It is the only state, where people stare at a girl and boy if they walk together.

It is the only place, where, girls will stand in a heavily crowded bus surrounded by men, but will not sit near a man in a seat.
They still think, going around with a man or girl is a social crime.
what is the actual reason for it. it is how the boys and girls are brought up.......brought up seperated with a demarcation and social values. And this seperation is really working bad, as you can see the worst situations of eve teasings in trains, buses, or in the roads itself after evenings.

Who are to be blamed? ourselves. I am a mallu, and lived in most part of the country. the major difference i see is how parents bring up their children. From child hood to adult stage to married life, the gender bias is not that felt in other parts of the country as in kerala. people mingle and mix, we have this great problem.