Mousumi Dutta - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by Mousumi Dutta

It was initially believed that the rapid growth of the Information Technology (IT) industry in In... more It was initially believed that the rapid growth of the Information Technology (IT) industry in India would generate less exploitative avenues of employment for women. Further, economic empowerment would strengthen the bargaining power of women within the household and improve her self-esteem. However, recent studies argue that the IT sector has been unable to isolate itself from the social context, so that the organizational process continues to be shaped by the conflicting and asymmetrical gender relationships that prevail in Indian society. This leads to the imposition of a dual burden (of work and home commitments) on working women. Based on a survey of women workers in Calcutta's IT sector, this paper agues that contextual developments have weakened the patriarchal foundations of the family. This has allowed women workers to break out of a passive mould and attempt to carve out their individual destinies. However, organizational constraints and the family structure impose structural constraints on their agency, so that women workers have to adapt their aspirations to contextual realities. Decision-making of working women may, in this emerging situation, be conceptualized in terms of Simon's satisficing model.

Opportunities and Challenges in Development, 2019

The foetal origin hypothesis argues that starvation during the foetal stage increases the probabi... more The foetal origin hypothesis argues that starvation during the foetal stage increases the probability of the onset of non-communicable diseases in midlife. The theory, however, fails to identify the mechanisms underlying the outcome. Nor does it succeed in distinguishing between study and control groups. The predictive adaptive response theory addresses the former deficiency by hypothesising that nutrition supply at the foetal stage signals the future nutrition supply and leads to adaptation of the foetus to the future expected environment. Mismatch between expected and actual environment will increase the likelihood of non-communicable diseases. The study examines the long-term impact of foetal starvation on anthropometric indicators among residents in the Sundarban region in India. We hypothesise that nutrition deficiency in the foetal stage signals the future expected environment to the foetus. This leads to the growth of a thrifty phenotype ensuring optimal performance of the offspring in a nutrition-deficit environment. A primary survey, undertaken between May 2014 and April 2015, was used to collect the data. In the first stage of the survey, Muslim women who had offspring in the period 1993-1997 were listed. In the second phase, anthropometric measurements of their offspring were taken. Respondents are placed within the study group if their mothers had kept the Ramadan fast (provided it coincided with conception); remaining respondents were defined as controls. Differences in mean anthropometric outcomes are tested using Monte Carlo simulations. A Difference-indifference method is also applied. Respondents exposed to foetal starvation had better outcomes than those in the control group if they remained in poverty or their economic status deteriorated. Results were reversed

SpringerBriefs in Population Studies, 2016

Globalization has affected social attitudes, norms, and physical environment. While the import of... more Globalization has affected social attitudes, norms, and physical environment. While the import of Western ideas and models has led to a relaxation of traditional norms and attitudes governing sexuality, the economic reorganization of society through restructuring of production systems in developing countries has led to the emergence of new forms of stress and uncertainty. This has resulted in the creation of a risk society. Changes in the physical environment—consisting of factors such as long hours, uncertainty in workplace, poor transport system, and rise in temperatures—affect males more strongly, affecting their sexuality. Simultaneously, working place stress and concurrent demands imposed upon working women by the labour market and home influence their fertility decisions as having a child imposes substantial costs on the parents, particularly the women. These factors are hypothesized to influence fertility decisions and contraception choice—rather than standard factors studied in demographic theory and surveys. We conclude by presenting ethnographic evidence in support of our conceptual framework.

SpringerBriefs in Sociology, 2013

In developing countries, policy makers commonly argue that involving women in paid economic activ... more In developing countries, policy makers commonly argue that involving women in paid economic activities is possibly the ‘best’ way of integrating women in development. This argument ignores the fact that the relations through which women are incorporated into the development process is crucial to understanding whether women’s ability to shape and share values in the community is enhanced or inhibited. Pioneering empirical studies by Marxist researchers bring out this point, and are reviewed in this chapter to show how capitalism and patriarchy are interlinked and perpetually reinforce each other to subordinate women workers.

SpringerBriefs in Sociology, 2013

It was initially believed that the rapid growth of the Information Technology (IT) industry in In... more It was initially believed that the rapid growth of the Information Technology (IT) industry in India would generate less exploitative avenues of employment for women. Further, economic empowerment would strengthen the bargaining power of women within the household and improve her self-esteem. However, recent studies argue that the IT sector has been unable to isolate itself from the social context, so that the organizational process continues to be shaped by the conflicting and asymmetrical gender relationships that prevail in Indian society. This leads to the imposition of a dual burden (of work and home commitments) on working women. Based on a survey of women workers in Calcutta's IT sector, this paper agues that contextual developments have weakened the patriarchal foundations of the family. This has allowed women workers to break out of a passive mould and attempt to carve out their individual destinies. However, organizational constraints and the family structure impose structural constraints on their agency, so that women workers have to adapt their aspirations to contextual realities. Decision-making of working women may, in this emerging situation, be conceptualized in terms of Simon's satisficing model.

World Health & Population, 2013

Given reduced social interactions and economic distress, mental health has emerged as an importan... more Given reduced social interactions and economic distress, mental health has emerged as an important concern during COVID-19. This study estimates the prevalence of mental health problems during the first wave of COVID and identifies its determinants among the general population of Indian metropolitan cities.The study uses a Multiple Indicators Multiple Causes model to measure depression, anxiety and stress using observed indicators of these latent constructs, and to identify the socio-economic groups at risk of these disorders. The data was collected from 1,275 adults randomly selected from the list of mobile phone users in Bengaluru, Chennai, Delhi, Kolkata, Mumbai and Hyderabad. The Depression Anxiety Stress Scale was administered to the study participants.About 46, 24 and 48 percent of respondents reported symptoms of anxiety, depression and stress, respectively. Single respondents, members of minority groups, less educated and those belonging to large households are identified to...

Literature on family planning considers natural (also called traditional) contraceptives to be ‘i... more Literature on family planning considers natural (also called traditional) contraceptives to be ‘ineffective’ because its users are not motivated to control their fertility. While this is true for initial stages of fertility transition, studies have reported that it is women belonging to urban, educated and affluent households - propelled by a reaction against Western technology – who are the main users of natural contraceptives. This elite group has both the skill and knowledge to use such methods effectively. This has led to the coining of the term ‘ultramodern contraception’. This paper critically re-examines the ‘ultramodern contraception’ theory, and argues that it has certain limitations. Analyzing of three rounds of National Family Health Survey data for India, we argue that reliance on such methods may be a transient phase in the reproductive cycle of women, specifically before the desired gender parity of children is attained. Moreover, it is a manifestation of son preference.

SpringerBriefs in Population Studies, 2016

This chapter sums up our findings with respect to the following questions: What is the proportion... more This chapter sums up our findings with respect to the following questions: What is the proportion of women relying on behavioural contraceptive methods in India? Has it changed over time? What is the socio-economic profile of users of behavioural methods in India? Is it true that it is the urban elite who rely on this method? Is use of such methods higher in certain regions, particularly in the state West Bengal? How reliable is this method in terms of controlling fertility? What explains the reliance on behavioural methods? Do couples rely solely on this method? Or do they combine methods? Further, does the method mix vary over the reproductive life cycle of women? Finally, our study also questions the mainstream approach to contraception choice. In large-scale surveys on reproductive health, the focus is on current and ever use of contraception, with the implicit assumption that the respondent uses a single method at a point of time. Actual contraception choice is more complex. Women may use not a single method, but combination of methods. Even this combination may change over time. Further, the choice of method or their combinations is determined by factors determining frequency and timing of intercourse, such as the stress of living in a globalized risk society, occupation, working habits, and sleeping patterns. We argue that incorporating these issues in large-scale surveys on reproductive health is a major challenge that policy makers and researchers must face in the coming decades.

SpringerBriefs in Population Studies, 2016

This chapter examines the first explanation of high reliance on behavioural contraceptive methods... more This chapter examines the first explanation of high reliance on behavioural contraceptive methods—the theory of “ultra-modern contraception”—based on an analysis of National Family Health Survey (NFHS) unit-level data. Analysis of all-India data reveals that a low but increasing proportion of women rely on behavioural methods. Such women are predominantly from the urban, educated, and affluent class. Further, reliance on behavioural methods is exceptionally high among Bengali-speaking respondents and respondents from East Indian states. Analysis of data from West Bengal, in particular, reveals that one out of every five women were current users of behavioural method in 1992–1993; this proportion has increased to 30 % by 2005–2006. Prima facie, users of behavioural methods are able to regulate fertility satisfactorily. Statistical tests, however, castes aspersions on the supposed efficiency of such methods. Users of behavioural methods have reported higher number of induced abortions. The relationship between contraceptive choice and gender parity indicates that reliance on traditional contraceptives may be a temporary phase occurring before attainment of desired family size and gender composition. The analysis of NFHS data, thus, refutes the “ultra-modern” contraception hypothesis.

Use of hospital services and socioeconomic status in urban India Does health insurance ensure equ... more Use of hospital services and socioeconomic status in urban India Does health insurance ensure equitable outcomes?

Economic and Political Weekly, May 22, 2015

In recent years universal health coverage has become an important issue in developing countries. ... more In recent years universal health coverage has become an important issue in developing countries. Successful introduction of such a social security system requires knowledge of the relationship between socio-economic status and usage of health care services. This paper examines this relationship, and analyzes the impact of introducing health insurance into the model, using data for India, a major developing country

This paper examines the hypothesis that contraceptive use of illiterate women having literate par... more This paper examines the hypothesis that contraceptive use of illiterate women having literate partners (proximate literates), may be higher than that of illiterate women whose partners too are illiterates (isolate illiterates) using Demographic Health Survey data for India (2005-2006). Results reveal that the proximate illiteracy effect is significant, though restricted to specific groups; it varies according to contraceptive method; increasing

It was initially believed that the rapid growth of the Information Technology (IT) industry in In... more It was initially believed that the rapid growth of the Information Technology (IT) industry in India would generate less exploitative avenues of employment for women. Further, economic empowerment would strengthen the bargaining power of women within the household and improve her self-esteem. However, recent studies argue that the IT sector has been unable to isolate itself from the social context, so that the organizational process continues to be shaped by the conflicting and asymmetrical gender relationships that prevail in Indian society. This leads to the imposition of a dual burden (of work and home commitments) on working women. Based on a survey of women workers in Calcutta's IT sector, this paper agues that contextual developments have weakened the patriarchal foundations of the family. This has allowed women workers to break out of a passive mould and attempt to carve out their individual destinies. However, organizational constraints and the family structure impose structural constraints on their agency, so that women workers have to adapt their aspirations to contextual realities. Decision-making of working women may, in this emerging situation, be conceptualized in terms of Simon's satisficing model.

Opportunities and Challenges in Development, 2019

The foetal origin hypothesis argues that starvation during the foetal stage increases the probabi... more The foetal origin hypothesis argues that starvation during the foetal stage increases the probability of the onset of non-communicable diseases in midlife. The theory, however, fails to identify the mechanisms underlying the outcome. Nor does it succeed in distinguishing between study and control groups. The predictive adaptive response theory addresses the former deficiency by hypothesising that nutrition supply at the foetal stage signals the future nutrition supply and leads to adaptation of the foetus to the future expected environment. Mismatch between expected and actual environment will increase the likelihood of non-communicable diseases. The study examines the long-term impact of foetal starvation on anthropometric indicators among residents in the Sundarban region in India. We hypothesise that nutrition deficiency in the foetal stage signals the future expected environment to the foetus. This leads to the growth of a thrifty phenotype ensuring optimal performance of the offspring in a nutrition-deficit environment. A primary survey, undertaken between May 2014 and April 2015, was used to collect the data. In the first stage of the survey, Muslim women who had offspring in the period 1993-1997 were listed. In the second phase, anthropometric measurements of their offspring were taken. Respondents are placed within the study group if their mothers had kept the Ramadan fast (provided it coincided with conception); remaining respondents were defined as controls. Differences in mean anthropometric outcomes are tested using Monte Carlo simulations. A Difference-indifference method is also applied. Respondents exposed to foetal starvation had better outcomes than those in the control group if they remained in poverty or their economic status deteriorated. Results were reversed

SpringerBriefs in Population Studies, 2016

Globalization has affected social attitudes, norms, and physical environment. While the import of... more Globalization has affected social attitudes, norms, and physical environment. While the import of Western ideas and models has led to a relaxation of traditional norms and attitudes governing sexuality, the economic reorganization of society through restructuring of production systems in developing countries has led to the emergence of new forms of stress and uncertainty. This has resulted in the creation of a risk society. Changes in the physical environment—consisting of factors such as long hours, uncertainty in workplace, poor transport system, and rise in temperatures—affect males more strongly, affecting their sexuality. Simultaneously, working place stress and concurrent demands imposed upon working women by the labour market and home influence their fertility decisions as having a child imposes substantial costs on the parents, particularly the women. These factors are hypothesized to influence fertility decisions and contraception choice—rather than standard factors studied in demographic theory and surveys. We conclude by presenting ethnographic evidence in support of our conceptual framework.

SpringerBriefs in Sociology, 2013

In developing countries, policy makers commonly argue that involving women in paid economic activ... more In developing countries, policy makers commonly argue that involving women in paid economic activities is possibly the ‘best’ way of integrating women in development. This argument ignores the fact that the relations through which women are incorporated into the development process is crucial to understanding whether women’s ability to shape and share values in the community is enhanced or inhibited. Pioneering empirical studies by Marxist researchers bring out this point, and are reviewed in this chapter to show how capitalism and patriarchy are interlinked and perpetually reinforce each other to subordinate women workers.

SpringerBriefs in Sociology, 2013

It was initially believed that the rapid growth of the Information Technology (IT) industry in In... more It was initially believed that the rapid growth of the Information Technology (IT) industry in India would generate less exploitative avenues of employment for women. Further, economic empowerment would strengthen the bargaining power of women within the household and improve her self-esteem. However, recent studies argue that the IT sector has been unable to isolate itself from the social context, so that the organizational process continues to be shaped by the conflicting and asymmetrical gender relationships that prevail in Indian society. This leads to the imposition of a dual burden (of work and home commitments) on working women. Based on a survey of women workers in Calcutta's IT sector, this paper agues that contextual developments have weakened the patriarchal foundations of the family. This has allowed women workers to break out of a passive mould and attempt to carve out their individual destinies. However, organizational constraints and the family structure impose structural constraints on their agency, so that women workers have to adapt their aspirations to contextual realities. Decision-making of working women may, in this emerging situation, be conceptualized in terms of Simon's satisficing model.

World Health & Population, 2013

Given reduced social interactions and economic distress, mental health has emerged as an importan... more Given reduced social interactions and economic distress, mental health has emerged as an important concern during COVID-19. This study estimates the prevalence of mental health problems during the first wave of COVID and identifies its determinants among the general population of Indian metropolitan cities.The study uses a Multiple Indicators Multiple Causes model to measure depression, anxiety and stress using observed indicators of these latent constructs, and to identify the socio-economic groups at risk of these disorders. The data was collected from 1,275 adults randomly selected from the list of mobile phone users in Bengaluru, Chennai, Delhi, Kolkata, Mumbai and Hyderabad. The Depression Anxiety Stress Scale was administered to the study participants.About 46, 24 and 48 percent of respondents reported symptoms of anxiety, depression and stress, respectively. Single respondents, members of minority groups, less educated and those belonging to large households are identified to...

Literature on family planning considers natural (also called traditional) contraceptives to be ‘i... more Literature on family planning considers natural (also called traditional) contraceptives to be ‘ineffective’ because its users are not motivated to control their fertility. While this is true for initial stages of fertility transition, studies have reported that it is women belonging to urban, educated and affluent households - propelled by a reaction against Western technology – who are the main users of natural contraceptives. This elite group has both the skill and knowledge to use such methods effectively. This has led to the coining of the term ‘ultramodern contraception’. This paper critically re-examines the ‘ultramodern contraception’ theory, and argues that it has certain limitations. Analyzing of three rounds of National Family Health Survey data for India, we argue that reliance on such methods may be a transient phase in the reproductive cycle of women, specifically before the desired gender parity of children is attained. Moreover, it is a manifestation of son preference.

SpringerBriefs in Population Studies, 2016

This chapter sums up our findings with respect to the following questions: What is the proportion... more This chapter sums up our findings with respect to the following questions: What is the proportion of women relying on behavioural contraceptive methods in India? Has it changed over time? What is the socio-economic profile of users of behavioural methods in India? Is it true that it is the urban elite who rely on this method? Is use of such methods higher in certain regions, particularly in the state West Bengal? How reliable is this method in terms of controlling fertility? What explains the reliance on behavioural methods? Do couples rely solely on this method? Or do they combine methods? Further, does the method mix vary over the reproductive life cycle of women? Finally, our study also questions the mainstream approach to contraception choice. In large-scale surveys on reproductive health, the focus is on current and ever use of contraception, with the implicit assumption that the respondent uses a single method at a point of time. Actual contraception choice is more complex. Women may use not a single method, but combination of methods. Even this combination may change over time. Further, the choice of method or their combinations is determined by factors determining frequency and timing of intercourse, such as the stress of living in a globalized risk society, occupation, working habits, and sleeping patterns. We argue that incorporating these issues in large-scale surveys on reproductive health is a major challenge that policy makers and researchers must face in the coming decades.

SpringerBriefs in Population Studies, 2016

This chapter examines the first explanation of high reliance on behavioural contraceptive methods... more This chapter examines the first explanation of high reliance on behavioural contraceptive methods—the theory of “ultra-modern contraception”—based on an analysis of National Family Health Survey (NFHS) unit-level data. Analysis of all-India data reveals that a low but increasing proportion of women rely on behavioural methods. Such women are predominantly from the urban, educated, and affluent class. Further, reliance on behavioural methods is exceptionally high among Bengali-speaking respondents and respondents from East Indian states. Analysis of data from West Bengal, in particular, reveals that one out of every five women were current users of behavioural method in 1992–1993; this proportion has increased to 30 % by 2005–2006. Prima facie, users of behavioural methods are able to regulate fertility satisfactorily. Statistical tests, however, castes aspersions on the supposed efficiency of such methods. Users of behavioural methods have reported higher number of induced abortions. The relationship between contraceptive choice and gender parity indicates that reliance on traditional contraceptives may be a temporary phase occurring before attainment of desired family size and gender composition. The analysis of NFHS data, thus, refutes the “ultra-modern” contraception hypothesis.

Use of hospital services and socioeconomic status in urban India Does health insurance ensure equ... more Use of hospital services and socioeconomic status in urban India Does health insurance ensure equitable outcomes?

Economic and Political Weekly, May 22, 2015

In recent years universal health coverage has become an important issue in developing countries. ... more In recent years universal health coverage has become an important issue in developing countries. Successful introduction of such a social security system requires knowledge of the relationship between socio-economic status and usage of health care services. This paper examines this relationship, and analyzes the impact of introducing health insurance into the model, using data for India, a major developing country

This paper examines the hypothesis that contraceptive use of illiterate women having literate par... more This paper examines the hypothesis that contraceptive use of illiterate women having literate partners (proximate literates), may be higher than that of illiterate women whose partners too are illiterates (isolate illiterates) using Demographic Health Survey data for India (2005-2006). Results reveal that the proximate illiteracy effect is significant, though restricted to specific groups; it varies according to contraceptive method; increasing