Economic Contributions and Social Constraints of Women Agricultural Labourers in India

Prof. Bimal Jaiswal; Mr. Raman Srivastava; Ms. Anjali Yadav; Ms. Aishwarya Awasthi

doi:10.69889/1pt04534

Authors

Prof. Bimal Jaiswal Principal Investigator, Department of Applied Economics, Faculty of Commerce, University of Lucknow, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India. Author
Mr. Raman Srivastava Research Fellow, Department of Applied Economics, Faculty of Commerce, University of Lucknow, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India. Author
Ms. Anjali Yadav Research Scholar, Department of Applied Economics, Faculty of Commerce, University of Lucknow, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India. Author
Ms. Aishwarya Awasthi Research Scholar, Department of Applied Economics, Faculty of Commerce, University of Lucknow, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India. Author

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.69889/1pt04534

Keywords:

Women Agricultural Labourers, Economic Contribution, Rural Employment, Gender Inequality, Wage Disparity, Informal Labour, Unpaid Work, Social Constraints, Agricultural Workforce, Women Empowerment, Rural India, Labour Rights.

Abstract

Women constitute a critical yet under-recognised segment of India’s agricultural workforce. Drawing on secondary national data (primarily Periodic Labour Force Survey/PLFS up to 2023–24 and related official sources) and a primary survey of 1,000 women agricultural labourers across ten districts of Uttar Pradesh (as a major agrarian state case), this paper examines their economic contributions and the social constraints that limit realisation of those contributions. By 2023–24, women accounted for roughly 64% of the agricultural workforce and about 77% of rural working women were engaged in agriculture or allied activities; absolute numbers of women in agriculture rose sharply, driven largely by self-employment (including unpaid family labour). Their labour underpins food production, household incomes, and rural livelihoods, yet they face persistent wage gaps (women typically earning substantially less than men for comparable work), restricted access to land, modern inputs, credit, markets and decision-making, health and safety risks, and socio-cultural barriers. Statistical analysis of the UP sample (one-sample proportion tests, chi-square tests of association, and logistic regression) confirms statistically significant gender-based restrictions on resources and decision-making, associations between land ownership and access to modern tools, links between training access and community support, and elevated health/safety risks in certain tasks (harvesting, livestock care). Policy implications centre on enforceable equal pay, expanded land and asset rights, targeted skill and technology access, social protection, and measures to raise women’s agency.