Recently, the  Female labour force participation rate (FLPR) has seen a rise after  post-Covid years.

Women’s Agricultural Participation

• High Growth: Women make up around 63% of the agricultural labour force in India. Despite their significant contribution, they lack access to key resources like land ownership, finance, and advanced technology.
• Impact on Women’s Empowerment: Increased participation in agriculture does not necessarily lead to empowerment. Women continue to face gender disparities in land rights and decision-making power. 
  • Lack of financial inclusion and restricted access to technology further limits their independence.
• Female Workforce Participation Rate (FLPR) : The FLPR peaked at 40.8% in 2004-05 but later declined. Since 2017, FLPR has been rising, with a notable increase post-COVID.
  • Rural FLPR: Increased from 41.5% in 2022-23 to 47.6% in 2023-24.
  • Urban FLPR: Rose from 25.4% to 28% in the same period.

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Factors Behind FLPR Increase

• Economic Recovery: Economic recovery post-pandemic encouraged women to seek employment. Economic distress forced women to take up work to supplement household income.
• Increased Self Employment: The rise in women’s employment is primarily due to increased self-employment, particularly in agriculture.
• Lack of non-farm jobs: States with higher female workforce participation show a greater role of women in agriculture. This trend highlights the lack of non-farm job opportunities for rural women.

Feminisation of Agriculture in India

• Definition: Economic literature defines feminisation of agriculture in two key ways: More women are engaged in farm-related work, either as cultivators or agricultural wage workers. 
  • Women’s growing involvement in land ownership, resource access, and decision-making in farming.

Factors Driving Feminisation of Agriculture

• Male Outmigration: Rural men migrate to non-farm sectors due to economic distress, leaving women to manage farms.
• Structural Economic Changes: Agriculture’s shrinking share in GDP pushes men toward service-sector jobs.
• Agricultural Challenges: Declining productivity, rising input costs, and climate risks make farming less attractive for men.
• Limited Employment Alternatives: Rural women, with fewer job options, continue to depend on agriculture.
• Changing Rural Aspirations: Younger generations prefer non-agricultural careers, increasing women’s responsibilities in farming.

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Gender Disparity in Land Ownership

• Role of Women in Agriculture: Women perform around 80% of farm work in India. They constitute over 42% of the agricultural workforce (PLFS 2023-24). 76.95% of rural women are engaged in agriculture.
• Land Ownership Gap: Despite their contributions, women remain largely invisible in land ownership. 
  • Agriculture Census (2015-16): Only 11.72% of India’s total operated land is managed by women. 
  • Women’s landholdings are mostly small and marginal, reflecting historical inequalities.
• Barriers to Land ownership: In India, women can acquire land through inheritance, gift, purchase, or government transfers. However, these systems are often skewed against their equal participation. 
• • For instance, women are more likely to be financially constrained than men to purchase land, making inheritance one of their major means of land ownership.
• Social Norms : Women are often expected to relinquish their land rights to male relatives. Control over land remains largely male-dominated, even when women own it on paper.
• Gender Bias: In Uttar Pradesh , land was allocated to 331 landless households in two villages.
  • Out of 80 land titles in Sirsi, only 8 went to single women.
  • Out of 251 land titles in Karkad, only 16 were given to single women.
  • Overall, just 7% of land titles were allocated to single women, highlighting gender bias.
• Impact of Land Rights on Women: Owning land improves women’s financial stability Land ownership enhances women’s role in household and agricultural decisions.

Challenges faced by Women in Agriculture sector

• Double Burden of Work : Women often face the double burden of balancing paid employment with unpaid household and caregiving responsibilities, making it difficult for them to achieve full empowerment.
• Lack of Empowerment: Even though women are heavily involved in agriculture, it doesn’t always translate into empowerment, as they frequently lack control over resources and decision-making.
• Limited Decision-Making Power: Women have minimal control over crucial agricultural decisions, such as fertilizer use, land resources, and crop choices, further restricting their empowerment.
• Male Migration : As male members migrate in search of better opportunities, women often fill the vacuum in agriculture, but it’s viewed as a less advantageous livelihood. This is referred to as the feminisation of agriculture.
• Unequal Land Distribution: Women’s lack of land ownership limits their access to financial resources such as credit and government benefits.
• Inaccessibility of Financial Schemes: Female farmers are often excluded from schemes like Kisan Credit Cards and Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi Yojana, which reduces their financial independence and ability to invest in farming.

Way Forward

• Traditional Gender Perceptions: The image of a farmer has traditionally been male, which often leads to the overlooking of female farmers despite their significant contributions to agriculture.
• Broadening the Definition: Agriculture is not just about sowing and harvesting but also about investing in land and making critical decisions that shape the agricultural economy.

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Conclusion

Incorporating women at the center of agricultural policies will help recognize and address their needs and contributions in the sector. Ensuring equal access to land ownership for women will enhance their decision-making power and access to resources.

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