Kerala is a unique state in India which presents a paradox of social advancement on the one hand and economic stagnation on the other. Women in Kerala have traditionally enjoyed a higher status and are better educated in comparison to their counterparts in other states of India. The human development indicators of Kerala reflect the progress made by the state in multiple dimensions of human development (see Table 3.1).

Kerala is way ahead of the other states in India in terms of human development and was placed third in the human development index (HDI) ranking of states in India. Despite the positive development indicators for the state of Kerala and for women in Kerala, it is intriguing to find that there are pockets of economic and social backwardness in the post-globalization and post-liberalization phase. As noted in the Human Development Report (2011) (Government of India, 2011), inequalities across social groups can still be observed in Kerala, from the high incidence of poverty for rural Scheduled Tribes (STs) (44 per cent) and Scheduled Castes (SCs) (22 per cent), as compared to the state average of 15 per cent, indicating further room for convergence within social groups (Government of India, 2011: 65).

Historically, the matrilineal system followed by certain communities in Kerala gave pre-eminence to daughters rather than sons with respect to inheritance rights. Having followed matrilineal system (marumakkathayam), women and girls enjoyed freedoms (including sexual freedoms) in certain communities that were unheard of in western society. This conferred on women the access to as well as control over resources which elevated the status and position of women in society. With changes in legislations brought about after independence, there has been a gradual breakdown of the matrilineal system and the emergence of patriarchy.

Commenting on the status of women in Kerala in the post-1990s, Jeffrey (2003) notes that ‘women retained a circumscribed but influential position in social life’. In public spaces, the role of women in Kerala has remained limited, and there are many instances where protests and disapproval from patriarchal authorities are evident wherever women take centre stage of development activities.