Regional patterns of female agricultural workers in India 2001 to 2011

Abstract

The study has examined the regional patterns and changes that occurred in female agricultural workers in India during 2001 and 2011 by using census data. To know the ground reality, primary data was collected from Punahana tehsil of Mewat district in 2015. The findings revealed that proportion of female cultivators was found to be low in developed areas, whereas their higher proportion has been a feature of areas characterised by low level of social and economic development. Female participation in agricultural labour was high in areas with low use of farm machinery, low literacy rate, lack of skills among females and male out-migration. The proportion of female agricultural labourers was distinctly small in the hill regions and in predominantly tribal areas. In many parts of the country, proportion of female cultivators has reduced and their proportion as labourers has increased due to various reasons. The household level analysis has clearly brought out issues such as long hours of working and wage differentials in labour, land ownership rights, role in marketing of produce etc. that affect their participation in agricultural activities. These issues need redressal both at the level of policy formulation and implementation. newline