In BehanBox Talkies, we explore ideas through the lens of scholars. In this installment, we interview economist Neetha N about how caste, patriarchy and capitalism devalue care work in India — and what the state must do

This week in BehanVox: Japan’s first woman prime minister, Ladki Bahin Yojana scam, and more

Subscribe to our monthly newsletter with all things behind the scenes.  Hello Behans, Last year, three Anganwadi workers from Maharashtra — Rohini Harale, Anjanabai, and Sageetha Jadhav […]

This week in BehanVox: victim blaming in the Bengal rape case, 20 years of the RTI Act, and more

This month in Postcards: a strangers’ choir, Jyoti Dogra’s transcendent theatre, losing and finding Ghalib, and more

This week in BehanVox: Karnataka’s menstrual leave policy, AI girlfriends, and more

The dispersed nature of their work, opaque AI supply chains and deficient policy have invisibilised millions of digital gig workers in India

This week in BehanVox: caste bias in OpenAI models, Manipuri weightlifter Mirabai Chanu’s silver streak, and more

This week in BehanVox: the anxiety of Kasarkod’s women fishers, Trump’s unproven claims on autism and tylenol, and more

A long campaign against an upcoming port project has disrupted the lives of Kasarkod’s women fishers, leaving them in a constant state of anxiety and uncertainty

Home is a fragile and tenuous idea for many Kashmiri women who live in vulnerable districts that can be shelled out of existence in seconds

This week in BehanVox: why women gig workers struggle to unionise, Delhi’s concerning sex ratio, gender pay gap, and more

This month in Postcards: notes about grieving, friendships new and old, hearty khichdi, and more

Gig workers are blending digital tools, community ties and the old spirit of unions to reimagine labour movements without gender and caste biases

Karnataka’s aggressive port expansion displaces fisher communities, destroys livelihoods, and endangers coastal ecosystems, sparking powerful resistance led by women

This week in BehanVox: the rise of feminist street theatre, Nepal’s anti-corruption protests, and more

Excerpt from the book: Walking Out, Speaking Up: Feminist Street Theatre In India

Women make up for a significant portion of the workforce in India’s four key US export sectors. From long-term wage cuts to increased debt burden, they will be most affected by the 50% tariffs

This week in BehanVox: the Adivasi women in Odisha reviving natural dyeing, the promise of a woman superhero franchise with ‘Lokah’, and more

In the platform economy, time is scarce, worker interactions are discouraged, and protests met with punishment. The idea of both union and unity are threatened

A slow and painstaking craft once linked the Adivasi communities of Odisha to their surrounding forests. It nearly died but now a group of young women are piecing it back together

This week in BehanVox: stories of women bringing water back to a Himalayan villages, an Urban Company workers’ strike in Bengaluru, and more

In Postscript, we reflect on the editorial choices we make and abandon. Plus all things behind the scenes

The early impacts of the exceptionally high ‘reciprocal’ tariffs levied by the US on India could cost the women workers of Tamil Nadu’s garments their jobs and hard-won financial autonomy

This week in BehanVox: the histories of caste census in India, Karnataka’s historic gig worker legislation, and more

In Salga, a Himalayan village once crippled by water scarcity, women revived dying springs with spades and science. Yet, they remain excluded from land ownership and decision-making, revealing deep gender gaps in environmental governance

This month in Postcards: notes about finding community in neighbourhoods, ‘Tees’ and thinking about loved ones, and the courage to hope in a flailing democracy

The few voices that spoke of the flight of threatened Bengali-speaking workers out of cities mostly complained of the inconvenience it caused. No one rallied for us, say workers

In BehanBox Talkies, we explore ideas through the lens of scholars. In this installment, we interview scholar Trina Vithayathil about the histories of counting castes in India.

This week in BehanVox: a theatrical tribute to a trans actor in Chennai, sanitation workers’ protest, vote chori allegations, and more

In Chennai, a theatre festival paid a moving tribute to a beloved trans elder and stage stalwart, pushing boundaries and transforming the stage into a space of resistance and queer joy

An ASHA worker and facilitator tells BehanBox about the women frontline workers’ early challenges, gender and caste dynamics at play, and the art of building a movement

This week in BehanVox: how Arunachal’s women healers are saving plants from extinction, China’s crackdown on female erotica writers, and more

In Postscript, we reflect on the editorial choices we make and abandon. Plus all things behind the scenes

Traditional Adi healing practices are based on the use of medicinal herbs but climate change is driving these plants to extinction. Here is how a few women healers are making a difference

There is hardly any Bihar village bordering Nepal which does not have a bahu from Nepal. The women are now worried that the ongoing SIR could impact their citizenship rights in India

This week in BehanVox: Haryana’s intrusive new IVF mandate, the sexist world of video gaming in China, and more

This month in Postcards: notes about Catan, scribbled-out games of FLAMES, crime and companionship in Sarah Paretsky’s world, and more

Mumbai’s historic red light district sits in a premium locality and the sex workers who live and work here have no documents to establish ownership of property

This week in BehanVox: a data-driven analysis of India’s One Stop Centres, mapping Delhi through the lens Dalit-Bahujan queer individuals, and more

One Stop Centres for victim-survivors of gender violence can use their own data to strengthen response services

This week in BehanVox: a natural farming initiative in Andhra Pradesh, Kolkata rape case, India’s own manosphere, and more

Despite rising temperatures, India’s fragmented approach to heat financing leaves informal workers vulnerable and solutions stuck in reactive mode. We spoke to experts to understand the politics and possibilities of a streamlined framework

This week in BehanVox: stories of women agri entrepreneurs cultivating forest foods in Tamil Nadu, ‘rescue raids’ displace sex workers in Mumbai’s Kamathipura, and more

In Postscript, we reflect on the editorial choices we make and abandon. Plus all things behind the scenes

As climate change alters agriculture and the lives of people, women like Saroja Kumar lead efforts to craft resilience solutions such as food forests

From Uttarakhand to Karnataka, forest officials are violently evicting forest dwelling communities, disregarding their rights to the forests and its resources. The crux of the problem lies in the way India governs its forests

This week in BehanVox: women in Kochi’s coastal villages contend with tidal flooding, UK parliament votes to decriminalise abortion, and more

This month in Postcards: notes on relishing phalse berries, recipes for sukat chutney and pulusu, Celine Song’s cinema, and more

In the flood-prone coastal villages of Kochi, as rising sea levels threaten homes and livelihoods, women are creating community-driven solutions to the climate emergency that the state is only beginning to acknowledge

A deep dive into government hostel schemes reveals a drop in numbers, falling funds, and missed opportunities to support women migrants

This week in BehanVox: India’s gender gap widens, Umar Khalid writes about hope and captivity from Tihar Jail, and more

It was an incentive to promote social integration and support intercaste couples who often deal with familial and social opposition. Now the Centre has put a stop to the the scheme

This week in BehanVox: a unique survey from Kerala on gender based violence, the comeback of Tamil singer Chinmayi, and more

Hawking flowers at almost every street corner, women are the most visible faces of the flower business in Tamil Nadu. But they occupy the last and least profitable rung of the trade even as they battle precarity, heat, exhaustion and eviction

In Kerala, the grassroots women’s programme for empowerment and livelihood, Kudumbashree, is mapping gender-based violence at the panchayat level. Despite its methodological limitations, it can help design panchayat level interventions

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter that brings you top stories, gender news from the world, and our team’s reading recommendations. Hello and welcome to BehanVox! Still […]

In Postscript, we reflect on the editorial choices we make and abandon. Plus all things behind the scenes

In BehanBox Talkies, we explore ideas through the lens of scholars. In this installment, we interview researcher and writer Aakriti Mandhwani on women’s identity as readers, past and present

This week in BehanVox: how nomadic communities are experiencing heat, Ashoka teacher Ali Khan Mahmudabad gets bail, and more

This month in Postcards: notes about mangoes (and mango pickles), deadlift parties, Jyoti Hedge’s rudra veena, and more

Nomadic tribes are particularly vulnerable to the heat crisis – they are not allowed to access common water sources, live in temporary settlements that trap heat and live mostly off outdoor occupations

Last month, BluSmart, an all-electric ride hailing service abruptly halted its operations. The company was a unique opportunity for its women drivers but lack of labour rights have left them in a lurch

This week in BehanVox: a long-awaited verdict in the Pollachi sexual assault case, the fall of French cinema legend Gérard Depardieu, and more

Our cities were once forests, home to indigenous communities. In 2006, the Forest Rights Act was passed to undo the historic injustices against Adivasi communities but in cities, complex legalities get in the way of their fight for their homes

As beneficiaries become data points on the dashboard, Anganwadi workers in Tamil Nadu grapple with an overload of digital labor, being data collectors building a state’s health repository, and being subjects of surveillance

This week in BehanVox: heat-related productivity losses, the name and symbol behind Operation ‘Sindoor’, a gender protest against the new Pope, and more

In just the first 18 days of April, Babita Malik, 40, had taken more than a week off from her job as a safai saathi (dry […]

A women’s collective has collated a set of traditional indicators for an impending drought. It not only helps them reorganise farming practices but also prepare families for a crisis now intensified by climate change

This week in BehanVox: Urban Company workers brave the heat, wrestling camps restart in Delhi, the story of Albert Einstein’s cousin, and more

Groups left vulnerable by income levels, caste, gender, or living conditions are more impacted by heat hazards and it is important that heat action plans pencil this into their strategies

This week in BehanVox: stories of Dalit women diligently protecting the mangroves, the Ladki Bahan Yojana controversy, pronatalist conventions, and more

Subscribe to our monthly newsletter with all things behind the scenes.    In 2023, Sayantani Upadhaya, a Kolkata based freelance journalist, had reported for us on […]

When men migrate for work, it is the women who work to conserve the mangroves of disaster-prone coastal Odisha to protect the fragile ecosystem from erosion. But they have no rights over these mangrove lands

Bodily inhibitions deter a lot of women from learning swimming, an essential life skill and a joyous experience. Why not let them learn in whatever attire they want, asks a new breed of coaches in Kerala

This week in BehanVox: A photo story of natural farming practices of Bhil women, spaceflight packed with celebrity women, celluloid battle over ‘Phule’, and more

The Bhil tribal hamlets in Peepla village in Rajsamand’s Kumbhalgarh tehsil are marked by their elevation. The higher the house, the lower the income. The Aravallis […]

In Tamil Nadu, migrant working women struggle to find safe and affordable accommodation in cities. The state-run Thozhi hostel chain offers an alternative but there just are not enough of them

Migrant female construction workers in Ahmedabad face immense challenges accessing maternity benefits and healthcare due to lack of documentation, poor living conditions, and exploitation by contractors

Last month, the government released a factsheet of the key findings from the Time Use Survey conducted in 2024. The survey, with crucial data on how women spend their days is also sensitive to errors

Thrown out of their homes eight months ago in a demolition drive, the women of Jai Bhim Nagar are fighting for their right to housing. They are also reclaiming spaces to keep their cultural identity alive

Since 1959, multiple bills have been introduced to provide legal protection for domestic workers, but all of them have failed. Lack of political will and conflict of interest erode the rights of the most marginalised women in India

In Pardhi bastis, suicide is so common that it is normalised by the community. Constant encounters with institutional violence, bias and poverty leave women with little hope for a better future

For five years now, Arya Pujari, a trans woman, has been relentlessly pursuing her dream of joining the police. Her struggle ties in with the transgender community’s demand for reservations in government jobs

Climate disasters are wrecking crops and inflicting heavy losses on farmers. Natural farming methods – organic inputs, multi-cropping, and indigenous seeds – is helping Gujarat’s women farmers find a solution to this crisis

Despite 30 years of local resistance, the government has pushed through the approvals for India’s largest port. Behind it lie systemic efforts to dismantle special protection given to an eco-fragile area

When Shruti first moved to Delhi from Kerala as a student, she was thrilled to find a bus system with a stop close to her accommodation. […]

The manner in which the young garland seller from the NT-DNT community was harassed and ultimately forced to flee the Kumbh Mela shows a disregard for their right to dignity, privacy and a safe workplace

In its election manifestos, the Aam Aadmi Party has always promised better wage and work conditions for the city’s informal workers. But the implementation of existing policies has been inadequate

The crises faced by Kathputli Colony’s families, displaced by an interminable redevelopment project, point to the capital city’s struggle to provide affordable housing

Pensions and access to healthcare schemes could have benefitted thousands of widows who settle in Vrindavan but isolation, apathy and red tape get in the way

Vocalist and trainer Shilpa Mudbi talks about art, artist, and appropriation of Dalit music and culture

Dalit women’s leadership not just reshaped the feminist movement but drove powerful alliances. Why then do we still have to answer the question: ‘What is caste?’

Most women interviewed for a study said they had little say in a range of issues from contraception to pre natal care

Analyses of the assembly polls in Maharashtra miss the emergent political agency of women voters by stressing only on women-centric schemes like the Ladki Bahin Yojana

Studies have shown that criminalisation of child marriage and the excessive use of force to prevent have not been effective solutions to the problem. Questions around poverty, education and the adolescent agency also need to be addressed

Women, especially from the Adivasi community, turned out to vote in record numbers and voted for the return of Hemant Soren’s JMM. We look at a slew of reasons that likely influenced their electoral participation and decision

The recent death of a beauty worker with Urban Company has raised questions about the practices at aggregator platforms – the promise of flexibility and freedom comes bundled with exploitative and coercive work conditions

Smaller states in India have a better record of women’s representation in their assembly. In Maharashtra, the gender skew is glaring – few contest, fewer win and those who do often have family backing

Maharashtra has an unemployment crisis. The overall rate of unemployment is 2.7, slightly higher than it was five years ago. For the state’s young rural women […]