ANNOUNCEMENTS
Women are the backbone of any society and an important contributor to agricultural development and livelihood enhancement. The multiple roles a woman plays leads to a significant contribution to the economic system. But when it comes to land rights, wages and representation, they are highly disadvantaged. This is largely due to social inequities based on gender norms that reinforce a non-participation of women in the Agricultural decision making sphere.
Gender disparities in Indian agriculture is mostly visible in the form of low labour force participation, wage inequality, lack of resource ownership, unpaid family care, lower educational attainment, occupational segregation and other forms of discrimination. Although India is a signatory to many international commitments supporting women‟s economic empowerment, gender inequality in the Indian labour market is widespread. OECD calculations (OECD 2015) show that raising the participation of women in the Indian labour market can lead to an economic growth rate of 2%. While in Indian agriculture the female participation has increased from 25.6% in 2001 to 30.8% in 2011 (Census of India, 2001, 2011), when it comes to decision-making (be it intra-household or Agricultural), the males have the privilege, while women are only the supporting members.
KEYWORDS- Gender inequality, Women, Empowerment, Agriculture, Decision- making.
