“Working Mothers, Poverty and Child Loss” by N. Krishnaji

By Sujata Patel (editor), Jasodhara Baqchi, and Krishna Rajj
May 23, 2002
--Chapter 11: “Working Mothers, Poverty and Child Loss” by N. Krishnaji

This was a different type of chapter because this whole book is a compilation of essays and this one is in the form of a letter. In it, the author is responding to some statistics saying that there is a higher child mortality rate among women who work in India than women who take more time in caring for their children directly. The author notes some dissatisfaction with how matter of fact these statistics seem and is suspicious. So, in this essay, the author presents evidences that there may be more to these child mortality rates, especially the role of poverty in each instance.

The biggest thing that I got from this article is from a methodological standpoint. I really learned a lot from this article because it reminded me of the importance of questioning research and material that I encounter and not just assuming it is correct because I read it from a reputable source. I think I tend to trust information because I feel like it comes from someone much smarter and more experienced than me, so I need to remember that my discernment also counts.

I also liked that this essay was more from a personal standpoint and utilized first person. I feel like this helped me to read the article easier and this was also useful in explaining her tables that she included in the text. However, at the end Krishnaji said that her letter was merely an alternate explanation to the stated statistics that she found. I thought this was insightful because like any science, in social science, there will almost always be exceptions to the rules, and what you discern is grounded usually in theory and not fact.