Periodic Labour Force Survey 2023
The current situation:
- The International Day of Rural Women, observed annually on the 15th of October, is a commemoration organised by the United Nations (UN) that seeks to acknowledge and pay tribute to the significant contributions made by rural women in society. This acknowledges the significance of rural women in promoting agricultural and rural development on a global scale.
- However, it is disconcerting that India exhibits not only one of the most minimal rates of female labour force participation (LFPR) globally, but also a lower LFPR compared to other South Asian nations, with the exception of Afghanistan and Pakistan.
The status of women, as indicated by the Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) statistics, is examined:
- According to the data from the Panel Study of Income Dynamics (PSID), it is evident that women within the age range of 15 to 59 years who are actively engaged in the workforce exhibit certain trends.
- According to available data, the labour force participation rate (LFPR) in India stands at a mere 35.6 percent. This number is further broken down into 39.3 percent for rural areas and 26.5 percent for urban areas over the period of 2021-22.
- Significantly, there was an observable rise in women’s labour force participation rate (LFPR) compared to men between the years 2017 and 2021. This trend was particularly pronounced in rural regions, mostly due to the increased involvement of rural women in agricultural and related sectors.
- The categorization of labour force participation rate (LFPR) based on education and age groups indicates that the recent rise in LFPR among rural women may be fully attributed to the growth in self-employment.
- During the fiscal year 2021-2022, around 75% of rural women engaged in agricultural and related pursuits, with over 50% of them serving as unpaid family assistants inside household enterprises, without receiving any remuneration.
- In addition, it was observed that married women had a higher inclination towards assuming the responsibility of unpaid family assistance or involvement in household tasks.
Vulnerabilities experienced by rural women in comparison to their urban counterparts:
- Rural women engaged in both regular and casual wage labour encountered a more pronounced gender wage disparity in comparison to their urban counterparts. Additionally, self-employed women experienced wages that were less than half of what men earned.
- The data suggests a more pronounced gender wage disparity in rural regions when compared to other occupational groups. The disparity in economic conditions for those who are self-employed has experienced a significant decline between the years 2017 and 2021.
- The lack of acknowledgment towards the care economy and the unpaid labour performed by women.
- In India, there exists a notable number of women who engage in unpaid yet crucial activities, yet they are not accounted for inside the labour force.
- The share of women’s engagement solely in household tasks in rural areas has decreased from 60% in 2017-18 to 46% in 2021-22.
- In the fiscal year 2021-2022, a proportion of approximately 33% of women continued to be involved in unpaid domestic tasks.
- According to the findings of the Time Use Survey conducted in 2019, women residing in rural regions dedicate an average of almost five hours per day to unpaid domestic services and more than two hours to unpaid caregiving activities. This allocation of time significantly exceeds that of men in the same geographical context.
- In 2019, rural women dedicated more than seven hours per day to cultivating crops for both commercial purposes and domestic consumption.
The vulnerabilities experienced by women in the agriculture sector:
- The gender imbalance in land ownership within the agricultural sector is evident, as shown by the agriculture census (2015-16). According to the census data, a mere 14.7 percent of operational landholdings were found to be owned by women, underscoring the little representation of women in this key aspect of agriculture.
- Furthermore, it is worth noting that women possess a significant proportion (57%) of operational holdings in the marginal and small holding categories.
- The ownership of land can provide women with opportunities to access various agricultural initiatives, get compensation, and benefit from relief measures in the event of crop failure, thereby supporting their means of subsistence.
- The Union government has implemented several schemes, including the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) and Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY), within the income assistance and risk management domain.
- However, the statistics pertaining to the distribution of benefits based on gender reveals that a mere 15 percent of female farmers received financial assistance from the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY) in 2023. Similarly, only 25 percent of women farmers obtained financial benefits through the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) programme.
- The exclusion of several women farmers from these two schemes is mostly attributed to the requirement of land ownership as a major factor for accessing rewards.
Conclusion:
- Hence, it is imperative to acknowledge and incorporate the unpaid, unacknowledged, and undervalued labour of rural women, encompassing their contributions to agriculture as well as the broader rural economy. Additionally, it is crucial to ensure the inclusion of landless and marginalised women farmers in government agricultural initiatives as a means to address gender inequality in rural India.
