Women in Agriculture

Lesson 18 : Status Of Women In Rural Families

Status of women in Families

1. Over lapping roles, over burdened: As home maker and agrarian producer, women play key role in the family. In farm activities women are decision makers and executers right from procurement of resources to production, and marketing. At home also they play similar activities as planners, procurers and executors of domestic activities to satisfy the needs of the members, thus stressing her due to overlapping. This is one of the causes for her health and nutritional status.


2. Nodal beneficiaries, only to receive but not to utilise: Due to the commitment and sincerity of women towards development of the family and society as whole, they are identified as nodal beneficiaries for implementation of development and welfare programmes. In many developmental programmes women are beneficiaries


3. Political empowerment, with no power: The 73rd and 74th amendments of Panchayath Raj Act has transferred political power to women by extending 1/3rd reservation to women in local governance. However, due to existence of familism and traditional male dominance women remained as passive leaders.


4. Increased awareness, with minimum of application: The emergence of information technology increased the knowledge of women in various fields like health, nutrition, communication, culture, etc, but still takes some more time for application of in life style.


5. Active partners of rural economy, but unrecognized: It is known fact that women play a key role in agriculture and allied sectors. Though not valued much, the women are active partners and contributors of rural economy.


6. Sources of indigenous knowledge, limited as informants : Being involved in various activities of rural economy from generations, the rural women are considered as sources of indigenous knowledge by the researchers and policy makers. However, they are limited to only information providers, not involved in policy making.


7. Agents of social and cultural change, but not trend setters: Being up-keepers of cultural and social heritage, women are instrumental in bringing changes in those spheres. However, the change is situational, temporary in view of personal comfort and convenience of the family. Hence they are not trend setters, but followers.


8. Empowered with legal rights, but not in practice: To extend much security and avoid atrocities, many women friendly amendments are made, thus giving women a legal status in the society. However, their execution is still at primitive stage, as men are yet to be empowered towards women-humanism.


9. Primary victims of natural and manmade calamities: The havoc of any calamity is striking women primarily, followed by children. In spite of key role in human development women are still, second class citizens.
10. Motivators of modern technology: In rural India, no income generating activity is without the support and assisted of women. This made the researchers, primarily to formulate women oriented technologies. Secondly, to choose them as clients for dissemination of technology to the farm and home.


11. Increased leadership opportunities: The group approach is proved to be the successful approach for execution of any development programme. Because of this 90% of rural women are formed into Self Help Groups, with some port folio of leading the group. Thus women have become leaders in many fields.