Content uploaded by Md. Nur Mozahid
Author content
All content in this area was uploaded by Md. Nur Mozahid on May 31, 2018
Content may be subject to copyright.
A preview of the PDF is not available
Reproductive Dimensions of Ethnicity: The Present Situation of Prominent Ethnic Communities of Sylhet District, Bangladesh
Abstract
This article evaluates the contraceptive seeking norms of two well-known ethnic communities of
Sylhet district, Bangladesh. A total of 113 (82 Manipuri and 31 Khasia) ever-married ethnic females
(15-49 aged) were randomly selected from the respective study area. The information was
recorded in a pre-structured questionnaire. Cross tabulation, Chi-square test and Binary logistic
regression analysis were performed for analyzing data. In Bi-variate analysis the Chi-square test
revealed five factors i.e., having children or not, number of children, electronic devices, each
outcome pregnancies from the very first and age at first marriage; were significantly associated
with the dependent variable contraceptive use. Binary logistic regression model was employed to
identify the consequence of divers’ socio-demographic components on contraceptive use. Among
all the important independent variables, "Number of Children" and “Age at first marriage” hadsignificant effect on contraceptive use. One of the most distinguishing traits; from generation to
generation ethnic groups specially the Manipuri community is highly motivated to keep their family
size small whether a respondent is literate or illiterate, rich or poor or in any other aspects. Finally,
this study suggested some policy recommendations but among them specifically emphasized the
active roles of their representative leaders for the development of their reproductive norms along
with their socio-economic conditions.
... Hence, community clinics are the lowest unit of decentralized health care delivery, each of which serves 6,000 people at the grassroots level in Bangladesh (Islam & Biswas, 2014). Currently, 13,500 community clinics are and plain lands of this region (Akter, Mazumder, Alam, Pal, & Mozahid, 2017). These people are illiterate and impoverished and unable to meet with the doctors in private hospitals. ...
In spite of enjoying a higher level of female autonomy in a strong matrilineal kinship system, women in matrilineal societies in northeast India have the highest fertility in the country. This direct association of high female autonomy and high fertility challenges the most commonly observed inverse relationship between these two variables in other populations. Preliminary findings from a comparative analysis of the Khasis and the Karbis - two tribal communities with two different kinship systems, highlight the fact that in traditional tribal societies decisions regarding reproduction are not only influenced by individual level factors. Instead, this paper argues that the perceptions and the behaviour related to reproduction are strongly, even predominantly, determined by prevailing cultural and religious values, that form the basis of socially-sanctioned realities in these communities. It is also argued that reproductive behaviour in these communities is strongly influenced by the insecurities associated with minority-group status. This paper highlights the reality of reproductive norms among these tribal groups and hypothesizes that the perception of minority status and the adoption of a more defensive position vis-à-vis outside groups has impacted on fertility outcomes in these communities. This phenomenon calls for further development and refinement of India's National Population Policy.
The main objective of this study is to examine the kinship and marriage system among the Khasi (an ethnic minority in Bangladesh), who are the only communities in Bangladesh still strictly following a matrilineal system. The study also touches on some of the key challenges the Khasi face in maintaining their matrilineal culture. Most Khasi live in ancestral forests, but most of their land is formally lease-based from the Government of Bangladesh. Bangladesh is a country with one of the highest population densities in the world. The migration of non-tribal populations into the Khasis’ areas threatens the Khasis’ culture, livelihoods and even existence as an ethnic minority in Bangladesh. The Khasi matrilineal system is a unique system that is rooted in rich culture and needs urgent protection by the State and development stakeholders.
Ethnic Community Development Organization: ECDO, Sanwar Manshion (1 st Floor) Near Farhad Kha Pool
- M F Ahmmed
- L Singh
Ahmmed MF, Singh L. The State of Rural
Khasia's in Bangladesh. Ethnic Community
Development
Organization:
ECDO,
Sanwar Manshion (1 st Floor) Near Farhad
Kha Pool, Shibgonj Sylhet, Bangladesh,
2006.
Manipur Past and Present: The Ordeals and Heritage of a Civilization
- N Sanajaoba
Sanajaoba, N. Manipur Past and Present:
The Ordeals and Heritage of a Civilization.
Vol. 4 (Pan-Manipuris in Asia and
Autochthones). India: New Delhi, Mittal
Publications; 2005.
Manipuri older people in sylhet city
- A Karim
Karim A. Manipuri older people in sylhet
city. Unpublished Research
Report.
Department of Social Work. Shah Jalal
University of Science and Technology.
Sylhet; 1999.
Combating the Khasi Uprooting: Humanity Cries, Empowerment through Law of the Common People (ELCOP)
- M Rahman
Rahman M. Combating the Khasi
Uprooting: Humanity Cries, Empowerment
through Law of the Common People
(ELCOP), Dhaka, Bangladesh; 2004.
The origin and early history of the khasi-synteng people. Calcutta, India: Firma KLM Private Limited
- S Shadap
- C Namita
Shadap S, Namita C. The origin and early
history of the khasi-synteng people.
Calcutta, India: Firma KLM Private Limited;
1981.
The Khasis of Bangladesh: A Socio-economic Survey of the Khasi People
- T Costa
- A Dutta
Costa T, Dutta A. The Khasis of
Bangladesh: A Socio-economic Survey of
the Khasi People (Dhaka, Bangladesh:
Society for Environment and Human
Development; 2007.
Impact of the West on Khasi and Jaintias (A survey of political, economic and social change)
- P N Dutta
Dutta PN. Impact of the West on Khasi and
Jaintias (A survey of political, economic
and social change), Cosmo Publications,
New Delhi, India; 1982.