Page 22 - PR Communication Age January 2016

HOUSEWIVES, DAILY
WAGERS ADD UP TO A
THIRD OF URBAN
SUICIDES

H ousewives and daily wage feeling of being uprooted. All social In case of housewives, the data has
earners are the two groups groups go through bad times, but how found Bengaluru, Chennai and Mumbai
most vulnerable to suicide they cope up decides their fate vis-a- with a comparable number of suicides,
in urban India, latest vis suicides", said Anand Kumar, a each registering between 300 and 400.
government data reveals. retired professor of sociology from Housewives make up for 15 percent of
Jawaharlal Nehru University. all suicide victims nationally but the
According to fresh data released by proportion of suicides among them is
National Crime Records Bureau With over 1,000 suicides by daily higher in cities.
(NCRB) on suicides in cities in 2014, wagers, Chennai accounted for close
housewives and daily wage earners to one-third of such suicides across "Changing social structures, such as
each account for 18 per cent - adding Indian cities. It was distantly followed the advent of nuclear families in cities,
up to over one-third - of suicides in by Bengaluru with 366 and Durg- may be one of the reasons for
Indian cities. The data, collected from Bhilainagar with 164. housewives being vulnerable in an
53 cities across the country, examined urban setting. There aren't enough
19,597 suicides across Indian cities, "The case of daily wage earners is cushions in the family to absorb the
with housewives accounting for 3,501 complicated. They are already the pressure in case there is disconnect
while daily wagers for 3,460. poorest, but also have greater ability from the husband," Kumar said.
to withstand vulnerabilities of the
Salaried people, both government and labour market. But within daily Among unemployed people, the most
those engaged in the private sector, wagers, different groups react suicides were in Mumbai (301)
made up the next largest group with differently to socio-economic followed by Delhi (257). Among
15 per cent. Within this group, those pressures," said Kumar. students, the three cities with the
in the private sector accounted for highest number of suicides - Delhi,
over two-third of the suicide victims. "Married daily wagers living with Bengaluru and Mumbai - were
family are less likely to commit suicide metropolises with several institutes
Unemployed people and students were as compared to the single ones or and universities that attract students
next on the list, accounting for 10 and those living without family," he added. from across the country.
9 per cent respectively. "Unfortunately, in cities most daily
wagers belonged to the last category. They were closely followed by Ranchi
"Some of the key factors that Suicide tendencies also increase when and Durg-Bhilainagar, which
contribute to suicides include a daily wager finds himself ethnically accounted for more than 60 suicides
loneliness, a sense of alienation and the isolated in a city." each. (Source: Indian Express)

“I suspect in most companies, the public relations person is down at No. 20 in the pecking order. But here, he is
fighting incredibly important battles. If a negative story starts running away with itself in the press and is not dealt

with fast, it can badly damage the brand, and so we put enormous weight on our PR people.”

22 PR COMMUNICATION AGE January 2016

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