Indian Women in Agriculture
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Abstract
The status of women in India has been subject to many great changes over the past few millennia. With a decline in their status from the ancient to medieval times, to the promotion of equal rights by many reformers, the history of women in India has been eventful. In modern India, women have held high offices including that of the President, Prime Minister, Speaker of the Lok Sabha, Leader of the Opposition, Union Ministers, Chief Ministers and Governors. The major Indian occupation is agriculture. Seventy per cent of the Indian population is involved in agricultural occupation. Many women in developing countries are involved in agriculture. The objectives of present attempt are : to measure the season wise employment of woman labour in agriculture; to examine the distribution of woman workers in India. The women play a significant and crucial role in agricultural development and allied fields including in the main crop production, livestock production, horticulture, post harvest operations, agro/ social forestry, fisheries, etc. The nature and extent of women’s involvement in agriculture, no doubt, varies greatly from region to region. Rural Women form the most important productive work force in the Indian economy. Agriculture sector employs 4/5th of all economically active women in the country. 48% of India’s self-employed farmers are women. Women’s dependence on agricultural wage labour as a source of income has also increased in the regions with the destruction of many household based industries employing mainly women. Women’s rights are secured under the Constitution of India — mainly, equality, dignity, and freedom from discrimination; further, India has various statutes governing the rights of women. As of 2011, the President of India, the Speaker of the Lok Sabha and the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha (Lower House of the parliament) were women. However, women in India continue to face numerous problems, including violent victimisation through rape, acid throwing, dowry killings, and the forced prostitution of young girls. India is ranked as the worst G20 country to be born a woman and one of the worst countries for women in the world. India has a national tradition bound to agriculture fertility. In the North, the Indus valley and Brahmaputra region are critical agricultural areas graced by the Ganges and monsoon season. Based on 2011 World Bank data, only 17.5% of India's gross domestic product (GDP) is accounted for by agricultural production.[1] Yet for a majority of the country, an estimated 72% of the 1.1 billion people who live in rural India, it is a way of life. Agriculture in India defines familial tradition, social relations and gender roles. Female in the agricultural sector, whether through traditional means or industrial, for subsistence or as an agricultural laborer, represents a momentous demographic group. Agriculture is directly tied to issues such as economic independence, decision-making abilities, agency and access to education and health services and this manner has created externalities such as poverty and marginalization, and compounded issues of gender inequality.