Emergent gender relations in female employment within the social stratification in rural India

The paper has presented an empirical picture of inequalities, both within and outside the labour market for women, from gender relations emerging within the framework of overlapping social stratification in rural India. Analysis is based on secondary data, where the emphasis is not only on measurement of quantitative variables, but also on the interactions between various qualitative, socio-economic and socio-cultural variables. The main finding of the present study is that the participation of women in labour force varies across economic classes, social groups, religions, regions and the rural urban divide. Factors determining labour supply decisions of women are different from those of men. Interconnectedness of female employment with other social parameters, which are outside the realm of the standard labour market analysis, gets highlighted in the study.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Time allocation between paid and unpaid work among men and women: an empirical study of Indian villages

The paper examines the time allocation between paid work (wage earning or self-employed work generally termed as employment work) and unpaid (domestic chores/care work generally termed as non-employment work) along with wage rates, imputed earnings, and occupational structure among men and women and according to different social groups to establish the extent to which the rural labour market is discriminated by sex and social group. The major objective of the paper is to show the differential in wage income between men and women in farm and non-farm activities. The paper also shows the division of time between employment and non-employment activities by men and women. The paper uses high-frequency data and applies econometric techniques to know the factors behind time allocation among different activities across gender. The study finds that males spend more hours on employment work and work at a higher wage rate than females. As a result, a vast monetary income gap between men and women is observed, even though women worked more hours if employment and non-employment activities are jointly taken into consideration. Time spent on employment work and non-employment (mainly domestic chores) has been found to vary significantly due to social identity, household wealth, land, income, education, and skill. The segregation of labour market by sex was evident in this study, with men shifting to non-farm occupations with greater monetary returns and continued dependence on women’s farm activities. Enhancing the ownership of land and other assets, encouraging women’s participation particularly among minorities, and improving health are some of the policy recommendations directed from this study to enhance participation in employment work and shifting towards higher wage income employment.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Burden of unpaid work on women and gender relations emerging thereof in rural India

This paper explores the latest Employment-Unemployment Survey (EUS) data published by National Sample Survey Office (NSSO) to study the relationship between the composition of work done by women and the social hierarchies woven around gender in rural India. It has been investigated whether there is an increased trend towards participation in unpaid work which is not measured by NSSO. Rural Indian economy for the years 2004-05 and 2011-12 has been studied, using unit level data of the 61st and 68th Round. A regional analysis has been attempted to see the pattern of employment emerging for women workers from different socio-economic classes. Regions, present a varied picture but the double burden of disadvantage and inequality prevails on women workers. Logistic regression framework has been used and results denote that relegation of women to unpaid work is a major issue. Another unique aspect captured in the results of this paper is the fact that, quantitative measure of female participation is not enough in a developing economy like India and it is essential to move beyond the dual aspect of the determinants of and the level of female labour force participation rate. Another study along the same lines is being planned by the author, with the periodic labour force survey (PLFS) that has been launched by NSSO, across India, since April 2017. It intends to explore whether the results of this study are still relevant with the recent data or if the scenario has changed. It will be interesting to see whether the quarterly selection of fresh samples for the rural areas in the PLFS will highlight the same picture as this study, or a different, more encouraging one.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

An exploratory analysis of the differential climate change impact on women in India

Women are vulnerable to climate change (CC) and consequently natural disasters impact them adversely. In this backdrop, the present paper attempts to explore the differential impacts of CC on women. Though several initiatives have been undertaken to adapt to CC in India, there is still a gap in gendering such initiatives, thus calling for attempts at identifying knowledge gaps, and understanding the CC issues within the context of gender. The study further suggests that women’s greater participation in disaster risk management, mitigation and adaptation processes is likely to enhance the effectiveness of measures taken to address ill effects of CC.info:eu-repo/semantics/draf

Economic returns to education have declined in India

The decision to acquire educational qualifications has economic implications. Getting an education demands both time and money and is expected to deliver higher economic returns than the money invested in acquiring it (Return to Education). The recent job riots in India, when some of the rioters expressed a worry that highly-qualified candidates were snatching away low-skilled jobs, underlined this connection. Jie Chen, Sanghamitra Kanjilal Bhaduri and Francesco Pastore use data from India’s Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) to examine different aspects of this connection