ABSTRACT
Mountain societies are known for their remoteness and backwardness. A rigid social structure with little scope for social mobility and substantial women's participation in decision-making are often attributed to these communities in South Asia. On the other hand, the environmental setting of the mountains requires a close cooperation between all household members to make use of their scarce and vertically stratified resource potentials. This results in close-knit communities where everybody knows one another. These communities also lack a social veil like purdah and the space of women's activities is wider as compared to most women in other ecological surroundings. They are further characterised by dependence on subsistence farming catering to home consumption. Production of cash crops and marketing are limited because of lack of opportunities. Of late, however, modern changes and increased accessibility through a network of roads are responsible for an exchange pattern which influences not only the mixed mountain agriculture – an interdependent system of crop raising and livestock keeping – but also the gender division of labour, the lifecycle of women and their role at different levels of society.
