The Status Paper for Women
Agriculture has been the primary source of livelihood for the teaminig millions of India for centuries. Not only is it a source of livelihood but has influenced our traditions, customs, religions in other words it is enmeshed with the very culture of India. Even today 74% of our population lives in villages. Agriculture, therefore, is and will continue to be central to all strategies for planned socio-economic development of the country. Rapid growth of agriculture is essential not only to achieve self-reliance at state level but also for household food security and to bring about equity in distribution of income and wealth resulting in rapid reduction in poverty levels.Women represent one of the crucial development forces in the world. As per the World Economic Profile, they form 50% of the world’s population, contribute 60% work force, making up to 30% of official labor force and contribute 50% in food production. But their share in the agriculture productivity is either nil or very less. Traditionally, women have been playing an important and significant role in agriculture, integrating forestry and animal husbandry with farming. Their contribution to agriculture in terms of the number of tasks performed and time spent is greater than their male counterparts (FAO).Nearly 84% of all economically active women in India are engaged in agriculture and other allied activities. Agriculture employs 4/5th of all economically active women; they make 1/3rd of the agriculture labor force and 48% self-employed farmers. There are 75 million women as against 15 million men in dairying and the number of women engaged in animal husbandry accounts for 20 million, as against 1.5 million men. 51% of the work of women which quality for inclusion in GDP are not recognized and remain unpaid.Considering the agriculture activities, if a comparison of household and crop production, labor distribution amongst men and women is made, it becomes clear that men's labor hour are 40% less as compared to women. Lot of women's time (about 35%) is taken in household activities still, about is 43% of their labor time is devoted to crop production related activities- the major areas where women are more involved are harvesting, threshing and processing, transplanting, fertilizing and weeding. Men spent a lot of time in community obligation; marketing, leisure and earning wages as labor in others' field, nearby market/cities, etc. (FAO)
Content
Women represent one of the crucial development forces in the world. As per the World Economic Profile, they form 50% of the world’s population, contribute 60% work force, making up to 30% of official labor force and contribute 50% in food production. But their share in the agriculture productivity is either nil or very less. Traditionally, women have been playing an important and significant role in agriculture, integrating forestry and animal husbandry with farming. Their contribution to agriculture in terms of the number of tasks performed and time spent is greater than their male counterparts (FAO).
Nearly 84% of all economically active women in India are engaged in agriculture and other allied activities. Agriculture employs 4/5th of all economically active women; they make 1/3rd of the agriculture labor force and 48% self-employed farmers. There are 75 million women as against 15 million men in dairying and the number of women engaged in animal husbandry accounts for 20 million, as against 1.5 million men. 51% of the work of women which quality for inclusion in GDP are not recognized and remain unpaid.
Considering the agriculture activities, if a comparison of household and crop production, labor distribution amongst men and women is made, it becomes clear that men's labor hour are 40% less as compared to women. Lot of women's time (about 35%) is taken in household activities still, about is 43% of their labor time is devoted to crop production related activities- the major areas where women are more involved are harvesting, threshing and processing, transplanting, fertilizing and weeding. Men spent a lot of time in community obligation; marketing, leisure and earning wages as labor in others' field, nearby market/cities, etc. (FAO)
