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This book reflects many of the concerns that have come up inwomen’s studies across two decades. This first volume focuses on some of the major economic and social debates in women’s studies; the second volume traces the trajectory of more recent theoretical shifts in the field.

Delving into history, this first volume provides a discussion on women’s studies, accompanied by reflections on the women’s movement, which may be said to have been behind its very conception. It tackles some of the main elements of the ‘women’s question, which have informed scholarship on the subject.

Thus, what does it mean to say that women are workers or not workers? How is their work to be measured and why, despite being an immensely heavy burden, is it still invisible and not given its due status? Two chapters by Nirmala Banerjee on this very topic, Aruna Kanchi on women in agriculture; and Jeemol Unni on the nature and measurement of work in the informal sector introduce the student to the complexities that lie behind this central issues.

Raising the questing of the education of girls in contemporary India, Manabi Majumdar analyses the social constraints that give it lesser priority as compared to boys. Women’s health and their rights to health are taken up by Krishna Soman.