Gender Discrimination among Agricultural Labourers in Odisha

Abstract

newlineIn rural India today, the majority of women continue to be engaged in agriculture newlineand related activity. In fact as men move away from agriculture and diversify their newlineoccupation, women tend to be concentrated more in agriculture. There is thus an urgent newlineneed to focus on the concern of women in agriculture. Women engaged in different types newlineof agricultural activity in India constitute a large and significant section of our newline[population. A higher proportion of women workers were engaged in agricultural activity newlinethan male workers. It is evident from various survey majority of men occupied in newlineagriculture were reported to be cultivator while among women, a relatively higher newlineproportion of women was agricultural labourers. Gender discrimination means newlinediscrimination caused by gender. Gender discrimination begins from the childhood newlinewhere a child looks himself into the outer world, workplace, family, and friends. The newlineproblem with women at workplace is of serious concern as few women actually newlineparticipating in the economy and most of them are not allowed by their families. They newlineare facing discrimination in different practices such as in job interviews, unfair treatment newlineat workplaces especially in agricultural sector. Women engaged in agriculture in India newlinecomprise a large and significant section of our population. According to the 2011 census newlinereport, the total number of female workers in India is 149.8 million female workers, out newlineof which 121.8 million are in rural areas. Among these 35.9 million females are working newlineas cultivators and 61.5 million are agricultural labourers. Clearly it shows the socioeconomic status of women in Indian agriculture is a matter of widespread concern. newlineWomen in all regions usually have less access to land than men