Page 280 - DSOC201_SOCIAL_STRUCTURE_AND_SOCIAL_CHANGE_ENGLISH

Unit 12: Processes of Change

we take a close look at the thesis put forward by the advanced and dominant countries and the Notes
system in support of globalization we find that the management of the political and social systems by
the single virtue of the market is a utopia. Concerned at the rise of ethnicity and religious
fundamentalism in third world countries, Samir Amin (ibid) puts forward an alternative agenda of
action the question of ethnicity should be replaced in the strategic framework By an action one can
sum up thus: respect diversity, unite inspite of it. Respecting diversity means renouncing the empty
discourse of power which pretends to act in the ‘national interest’ (which this power more often than
not betrays) by pretending to interibtrize the ideology of the nation-state. The rise of Hindutva forces
in India pretending to be ‘nationalist’, but in fact opposed to pluralism and consequently anti-minority
in nature, the emergence of Muslim fundamentalism in Pakistan, Bangladesh and Some Arab nation-
states exhibiting similar trends has been strengthened by the process of globalization.
The passive acceptance of the inevitability of globalization in its present polarizing form, equation of
development with the expansion of the market should be fought. Each society should be allowed to
negotiate the terms of its interdependence with the rest of the global economy. National development
can be pursued in a pluralistic world. The very goal of homogeneity may also be divisive especially in
the case of the pluralistic third world countries.
12.6 Impact of Globalisation

When We look at the impact of globalization on various segments of Indian society in concrete terms,
we are confronted by as scenario where it will, and it has had already an adverse impact on all the
social groups which have been suffering silently different forms of oppression, exploitation deprivation
and marginalization—Women, Dalits, Tribals, Minorities, etc.
Women in India have been badly affected by globalization-economically and socially. Because of
scarcity of food and other necessities of life the poor in India, for sheer economic reasons, feed their
girl children less than their boys, as boys are perceived as major bread earners. This also contributes
to the widening gap in the sex ratio. With decreasing subsidy on food, the food security has been
shrinking rapidly and the poor women have to spend more “women hours” on unproductive and
meaningless labour. With growing retrenchment of their menfolk, women workers previously working
as agricultural labour are mostly consigned to the organized sector in urban areas at starvation or
less than starvation wages. Hiring women workers seems to be more convenient for the employer
because women workers face more difficulties in getting organized than male workers get and hence
more susceptible to exploitation.
While globalization is making people more materialistic and money minded the greed for dowry is
also increasing rapidly and the poor parents of girls are being further pushed to difficult and
humiliating conditions. With increasing globalization a frenzy has been created over the so-called
“beauty contests. As Arvind (2002) rightly points out, “While the benefits of this frenzy are reaped by
the corporations who advertise their products via these phenomena, the entire display has had its
impact on the minds of urban women, particularly middle and lower middle class young women.
The vast proliferation of “beauty parlours,” ‘facial’ creams and other cosmetics which promise to
increase” “fairness” bear witness to the notions being inculcated. Equally, by the logic of the “market
economy”, prostitution is a perfectly legitimate activity-one more industry of the “service sector”. In
this age of globalization girls from even well to do families are going into prostitution and call girl
profession either directly or through the so called beauty parlours, massage parlours and “make a
friend” industry through telephonic communication.
Unfortunately the so called liberal westernized culture promoted by the media especially cable TV,
has not helped the process of democratization of social relations and decrease in patriarchal value
system. In fact feudal values and patriarchal system have increased under the impart of Hindutva.
Thus, with globalization, women are being further marginalized, patriarchal values are sought to be
strengthened, and ‘commodification’ of women is increasing leaps and bounds. “Genuine
democratizatian of relations between men and women can only come through an uncompromising
struggle against the existing feudal/patriarchal values and the imperialist culture, promoted by the
ruling classes of India”. (Arvind, ibid).

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