Stress Assessment and Management among Rural and Urban Fisherwomen in Puducherry

Abstract

Women are an integral and inalienable part of the society, constituting newlineabout half of the total population of the world. The holistic development and newlineharmonious growth of a nation would be possible only when women are given newlinetheir desired place and position in the society and are treated as equal newlinepartners of progress with men. Empowerment involves both individual and newlinecollective actions for greater participation and sustainable development. Of all newlinethese factors of women s development, their economic independence or newlineeconomic empowerment is of cardinal significance for a lasting total newlinedevelopment of the society. Women, in direct or indirect association with newlinemenfolk, contribute a great deal to the growth of Indian economy newline(Nune, 2008). newlineWoman has multiple roles to play in any society. Women s participation newlinein diverse occupations like agriculture, fishing, rearing livestock, horticulture, newlinecarpentry, masonry, weaving, etc, is on par with men. As the mistress of the newlinehouse, her role in the family has to be played very cautiously. Women have newlinecome to occupy plum positions and have also proved their mettle in their roles newlinein a remarkable manner. Despite all these inherent merits, gender-bias newlinetowards women has been the real curse in the society. newlineWomen in India, just like any other women in the developing world, newlinespend most of their time in evenly balancing the household responsibilities newlineand the professional demands. This equipoise is mandatory to render justice newlineto her domestic welfare and has to generate the needed income to sustain a newlinefamily (Singh et al., 2011). Women carry, on an average, 53 per cent of the newlinetotal burden of work in developing countries compared to 51 per cent in newlineindustrial countries (Thakur and Kumar, 2008). newlineThe population of India, as per the Census Report of 2011, stood at newline1210.19 million with 586.47 million (48.5 per cent) females and 623.72 million newline(51.5 per cent) males. Females comprise 48.1 per cent of the urban newlinepopulation and 48.6 per cent of the rural population. India s women workforce newlineis estimated to