Livelihood strategies of women engaged in cultivation in the coastal areas a study on neighbouring districts of west bengal and odisha

Abstract

In India, the common notion towards cultivation is that it is commonly a male centric activity. Women are a crucial resource in cultivation in rural India, but their contribution to cultivation is mostly disguised. Moreover, in India, large sections of women from economically and socially backward sections of the society are deprived twice, once for being born as a girl and once for being poor. It can be often seen women are paid less than a male even though a women s participation is no less than that of a man. Women in rural India devote 85.2 per cent of their time to unpaid activities, while men devote 26.5 per cent to the same. Out of the total time spent on unpaid and paid activities, men devote 73.5 per cent and women devote 14.8 per cent to paid activities (Time Use in India, 2019). newlineIn the world s economic scenario, the Indian economy has its distinct character. Agriculture and its allied activities play a major role in the country s economic development. Even though in India agriculture is predominantly considered a male-centric activity, women play a pivotal role in Indian agriculture and its allied sector. Women have remained the major agriculture workforce from ancient times, which is still disguised. In the case of agriculture in India, the women workforce is mainly a contributor as the agriculture labour, though it largely varies with spatial and temporal context. newline