Gender discrimination in farms

Indian agriculture is becoming increasingly women-dependent. This is the conclusion drawn from research studies and validated by the data compiled through agriculture censuses and various surveys. About 80 per cent of the country’s economically active female population is employed in the farm sector. Women comprise about one-third of the agricultural labour force, and nearly 48 per cent of self-employed farmers. On the whole, the work participation rate for women is 41.8 per cent in rural areas against 35.31 per cent in urban areas.

Nearly 95 per cent animal husbandry-related work is performed by women. Their involvement in the production of field crops is 75 per cent, and that of horticultural crops 79 per cent. More than 50 per cent of post-harvest activities are carried out by women. With more men migrating from villages in search of paid employment because of the fragmentation and shrinking of land holdings, the management of small and marginal farms is becoming the responsibility of women. This was acknowledged officially in the Economic Survey 2017-18, which maintained that growing rural-to-urban migration by men was leading to “feminisation” of the agriculture sector. More and more women are now playing multiple roles as cultivators, entrepreneurs, farm labourers, and home-makers.

Typically, female labour is employed in farms for low-skilled but labour-intensive jobs. Women are generally preferred over men because they, besides being hard-working and relatively docile, are willing to accept low-paid irregular employment. They are deemed ideally suited for work like grass cutting, weeding, hoeing, collecting cotton sticks, detaching fibre from cotton seeds, and de-husking grains. They also look after domestic animals by feeding and milking them, managing milk by making its value-added products like curd, butter, and ghee, and dealing with gobar (cowdung). Significantly, there are also a few intricate farm operations, requiring some training, for which women are deemed more suitable than men. A typical case in point can be producing hybrid cotton seeds, where pollination needs to be carried out manually with patience, precision, and delicate manipulation of flowers. Transplanting paddy is another job where women are preferred over men.

However, regardless of such an indispensable contribution to agriculture, in addition to routine household work, women are discriminated against in several respects. In fact, gender disparity is more prevalent in rural areas, particularly in the farm sector, than in urban centres, though white-collar jobs are also not wholly free of it. Head-of-the-family status is generally bestowed upon males even if they do not do much in running households. The ownership of farms in official land records is mostly in the names of males. The bulk of the benefits of government welfare schemes, too, tend to accrue to men — due to land pattas (titles) being in their names — rather than women, who actually deserve and need them the most. Women are often denied access to credit because of lack of ownership of land, property, or other assets to serve as collateral. They also face difficulties in getting membership of cooperative societies or farmers producer organisations (FPOs) for the same reason. Their say in decision-making is sub-par. Worse still, women labourers are paid lower wages than men for doing the same kind of work.

This apart, many women have to face violence and ill-treatment from males at home. Though this may, essentially, be deemed a social issue, it has a strong correlation with women’s empowerment in terms of land and property ownership. A study has shown that physical and psychological abuse is more common for women who do not hold any land or property in their names, than those who are legal owners of such assets.

Thus, the key to ameliorating the plight of rural women and improving their calibre to serve as engines of agricultural growth lies in their empowerment through enhanced access to resources like land, property, credit, technology, and training. According to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), farm output in developing countries can be raised by 2.5 to 4 per cent by ensuring men and women equal access to resources, skill development, and opportunities in agriculture. In India, too, given the notable role played by women in the agricultural value chain, from pre-production to post-harvest activities, farm development policies need to be gender-sensitive. Extension services, which are now focused chiefly on male farmers, should also keep the specific needs of women in view. Specialised farm implements and equipment, designed with the female ergometry in view, are needed to reduce the physical strain of strenuous work on farm women. Incentivising ownership of land and property in the names of women by offering concessions in registration fees and other charges can go a long way in empowering women and facilitating their access to benefits in government welfare programmes. That would also enhance the social status and say of farm women in domestic and agricultural decision-making.

surinder.sud@gmail.com