For Kashmiri Women, Time isn't Money

Snippets of a conversation:

. . . And so you want women in your earthquake-affected village to have the chance to learn skills that can become ways for women to earn money?
- Yes.
And you say that if women earn some money, they will gain some respect within their families and even have some control over how that money is spent?
- Yes.

Tell me, sister, how old are you?
- 33.
And how many children do you have?
- Seven, ma'am, and one who died.
How old is your oldest child?
- Nineteen.
And your youngest child?
- Three.
So you were married at sixteen, had your first child at seventeen, your last at 33, and you have at least ten more years of raising your children, plus taking care of your husband and his parents?
- Yes.
And you must also take care of all the household chores, including fetching water, collecting firewood, tending the livestock, cooking three meals a day for eleven people, washing clothing by hand, and keeping the house clean?
- Yes.

Tell me, sister, when would you have time to learn skills and earn money, with so many responsibilities and such a large family?

- [Nervous laughter] Yes, sister, we want control of that, too...