Demographic change in indian state of Himachal Pradesh: a gender system perspective

Gender system comprises the socially-constructed expectations for male and female behaviour in every human society. It prescribes a division of labour and responsibilities between women and men and bestows different rights and obligations to them. Intentionally or unintentionally, inequality is established between the both sexes in autonomy, power, and well-being, which are mostly to the disadvantage of females. Terms such as female empowerment, gender roles, women’s freedom, and women’s status will be better analyzed if taken in the system context because it comprises the entire complex of roles, rights, and statuses that surround male and female in a given society. The impact of gender systems on demographic change is as important as the impact of demographic change on gender system. Over the years, many factors have altered the demographic structure of Himachal Pradesh. It has also influenced the gender system and in turn influenced by it. This paper tries to analyze the time series of gender data for understanding the determinants of change, and impacts of demographic change and gender system on each other. Spatio-temporal variations in sex-ratio in Himachal Pradesh not only point towards differences in geographical and economic conditions but also indicate towards existence of different gender system in every region. This makes a strong case for intervention strategy so as to influence the gender system and demographic change accordingly.