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@article{205684,
        author = {Dr. P. Padmini},
        title = {The Stigma of Barrenness: Patriarchy, Infertility, and Female Oppression in Perumal Murugan's One Part Woman},
        journal = {International Journal of Innovative Research in Technology},
        year = {2026},
        volume = {13},
        number = {1},
        pages = {7976-7979},
        issn = {2349-6002},
        url = {https://ijirt.org/article?manuscript=205684},
        abstract = {Perumal Murugan’s One Part Woman is a powerful exploration of the intersection between patriarchy, infertility, and social oppression in rural Tamil society. Set in the early twentieth century, the novel narrates the lives of Kali and Ponna, a married couple whose inability to conceive becomes a source of relentless social scrutiny and emotional suffering. While infertility is a shared condition, the burden of blame falls disproportionately upon Ponna, revealing the deeply gendered nature of reproductive expectations within a patriarchal culture. This paper examines how societal norms equate womanhood with motherhood, reducing a woman’s identity and worth to her reproductive capacity. Through the experiences of Ponna, Murugan exposes the stigma attached to barrenness, the psychological trauma inflicted by community pressure, and the ways in which patriarchal structures regulate female bodies and desires. The study further analyses the role of family, religion, and cultural traditions in perpetuating female oppression while simultaneously highlighting the limited agency available to women within such social frameworks. By portraying infertility not merely as a personal tragedy but as a socially constructed form of gender discrimination, One Part Woman critiques the oppressive mechanisms of patriarchy and underscores the urgent need to challenge traditional notions of femininity and motherhood. The novel thus emerges as a significant commentary on gender injustice, social exclusion, and the lived realities of women in patriarchal societies.},
        keywords = {Patriarchy, Infertility, Barrenness, Female Oppression, Gender Discrimination, Motherhood, Perumal Murugan, One Part Woman.},
        month = {June},
        }