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No society is immune from illegitimacy as it affects all social class, races and religious groups. The difference may be that some societies are more open to discuss it while others do not. In a society like India, premarital pregnancy and the resultant unwed motherhood are heavily stigmatized and discriminated. When it comes to the indigenous tribal communities, there is little evidence about the psychosocial life of unwed mothers. Therefore, this book is a response to bridge this knowledge gap guided by the principle assumption that unwed motherhood in tribal communities in India is the result of complex interaction of psychosocial and cultural factors. This book views unwed motherhood as a heavily discredited and dehumanized social identity that disconnects the victims from the mainstream social life. The empowerment needs of these women are different from general tribal women. They experience immense difficulties and dissatisfaction in individual, familial and social life, resulting in reduced psychological well-being and quality of social life. This has produced a wide range of psychosocial and economic disabilities leading to the social exclusion of unwed mothers.

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Justin Pallickal Jose heads the research and publication division of the Centre for Social Work Research and Practice. His research interests include gender and social exclusion of the marginalized communities such as Tribes, Dalits, Women and Sexual Minorities in India. Mr. Vinod C.V and Mr. Sabu K.U are the Research Managers with CSWRP-India.

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